Marmozets / Lonely The Brave / Allusondrugs [Live Review – The Scala, London, 10/10/14]
Somewhere in the labyrinthine depths of the Scala, Allusondrugs got this Friday night off to a raucously grungy start. Stir remained as shiver-inducing as ever, while the Reuben-esque Am I Weird? elicited laughter followed by hectic headbanging. Throughout this short but perfectly formed set, Allusondrugs shone through the dirt like a five-piece Nirvana, with jagged guitars rending the air before climaxing amid a frontman-versus-guitarist wrestling match.
Although I came close to writing Lonely The Brave off as dull and predictable during the initial moments of their set, the huge reservoirs of passion that poured through the band into their audience quickly changed my mind. They may have been the most radio-friendly act of the night, but Lonely The Brave embody their music with complete authenticity – and the assembled alternatively-clad masses clung to every word, pose, and gesture with feverish dedication. By the time we reached the undeniably epic Kings of the Mountain, I was mentally kicking the crap out of those initial misgivings.
As Lonely The Brave’s set built up to festival-tent intensity and a massive singalong to rough-edged rocker Backroads, the stage was set for Marmozets, who came out all guns blazing with the vitriolic Born Young and Free. The night Marmozets have since described as “…one of the best of our lives” was absolutely that for every head and banging neck in attendance – from hyperkinetic Muse-influenced freakout Particle to the scuzzy Is It Horrible? and one-inch-punch-to-the-face Why Do You Hate Me?, each and every song was met with frantic moshing, ecstatic screaming, and arms stretched stageward. Hearing current favourite song Hit The Wave up close in a small venue like Guildford’s Boileroom is one thing – but watching it take over a bigger room gave me chills.
As airtight mathcore rampage and set-closer Vibetech proved, Marmozets aren’t peewee chancers meekly putting their hands up and saying “Yeah…we’d like to be rock stars please…if that’s okay?” Instead they’ve gone out and earned their stripes, and are now getting back what they’ve put in, in the form of evangelical fanaticism and gladiatorial venue-spanning circle pits. Bearing in mind how much Marmozets have put in, however, there’s still a hell of a lot left to be given back.
Links
Lonely The Brave official website.
Allusondrugs on Facebook and Twitter.
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