EBGBS recently played host to Brighton’s El Moono, alongside a solid lineup of local acts. Hosted by No Play, this had all the hallmarks of a fantastic show before the doors had even opened.
You can never be certain if a band are actually THAT good until you see them live. Sure, they may have wide critical acclaim on their debut record and have been booked by one of the finest promoters around, but until you are face to face with them, it could all just be hullabaloo.
Opening up the evening’s proceedings were the Liverpool based newcomers, Indigo Horizon. With just their debut single on streaming services, the band have been hard at work pushing themselves into the alternative scene’s consciousness in the northwest. If this performance was anything to go by, that certainly won’t take long.
Immediately as they kick off their set, the listener is hit with a wall of arena-sized alternative metal, with gritty down-tuned instruments accompanied by some genuinely impressive vocals that alternate between soaring cleans and raw screams; think somewhere between Architects and Unpeople.
The band occupy the stage well, with each individual making the most of their territory, whilst ensuring that they have plenty of onstage chemistry. Vocal duties are passed between both the vocalist and guitarist, giving the performance some nice variety, and really enabling you as a watcher to get to grips with the personalities on stage.
Too often do newcomers become too focused in making sure they tick the boxes for a good show, whereas Indigo Horizon seem to understand that this will come naturally if they just put focus on playing their music well. The audience, though small, is clearly engaged by the band; those who enter the standing area become snagged by the band’s catchy hooks and vicious breakdowns, and remain for the full set.
Indigo Horizon are clearly more than just another YouTube-core metalcore band, and show it through a wide array of musical styles that are woven into their set. One track has a potent shoegaze or perhaps grunge feeling, similar in vein perhaps to their peers TNL VZN; it’s a very, very impressive performance with some particularly stunning vocals, and an absolutely immense breakdown segment.
The band showcase their upcoming single, ‘Fear of the Unknown’, promising that it will be releasing soon. The percussion is furious, with a surprising bouncing rhythmic flow, whilst the choruses here tower over you in spectacular fashion. Once again, the band showcase their talent at penning a nasty breakdown.
Closing out the set with their single ‘Death of a Society’, the band’s efforts are rewarded with some good audience engagement, portions of the crowd clearly being somewhat familiar with this track. Even those that weren’t were compelled to at least bang their heads, and for a band just starting out, that’s a solid victory.
That is perhaps what makes Indigo Horizon particularly exciting to watch; you truly feel like this is a band at the very start of their musical journey, with all creative roads open to them. There’s a real sense that they have put a lot of effort into ensuring they move beyond the tropes of alternative metal, and that is certain to reward them.
With an upcoming show alongside Detroit Run coming up next month, it’s well worth giving this interesting new band a chance; you have plenty of time to learn the words to ‘Death of a Society’ , after all.
Immediately, One More Day strike you with their enigmatic presence. From the intense aggression of their balaclava wearing frontperson Matthew Brough, to the dark, muted restraint of the guitarist Sam Rowe, the five-piece present as an array of captivating characters that command the stage in a variety of ways.
Their sound is difficult to pin down; metalcore, blackened hardcore, hardcore punk, and even post-hardcore all brush up against one another to create a sound that feels both deeply familiar yet strikingly unique. It’s as much Loathe as it is Omerta, as much Knocked Loose as it is Bring Me The Horizon.
The dual screamed vocals from both bassist Alfie Jones and guitarist Josh Kelshaw, occupying both opposite ends of the stage and opposite ends of the vocal range, lands with a phenomenal impact, as their Brough alternates between belted melodies and rapturous screams. The crowd are thoroughly engaged for the performance; once again, there might not be a pit, but there is movement aplenty.
The same can also be said for the band, who appear unable to resist their own pull; their movements and power are indicative of a band who thoroughly enjoy performing. Brough breaks into a two-step when able, as if commanded by their own music; the combination of catchy and heavy that the band lay down is masterfully executed.
The audience are treated to guest appearances across the set. ‘Howtowalkawayfromaplanecrash.’ is performed with WitchEater’s Oli on bass, whose powerful, intimidating presence contrasts brilliantly with that of the nervous ferocity of Brough. The outfit also invite Rozemary’s vocalist to join in on vocal duties for the fantastic ‘You’re Not Under Oath’; it’s a brilliant performance with incredible energy, and acts as a wonderful demonstration of the heavy community that is being constructed across Merseyside.
The set is closed off with the unreleased anthem that is ‘Draw You From Memory’; Brough’s clean vocals are at their strongest here, with their warm and weathered tones truly capturing the melancholy at the core of this track. The track builds to a rapturous climax, leaving the listener in awe of this performance.
One More Day are, for lack of a less capitalistic term, the full package. Fantastic songwriters, engaging performers, and a clear artistic vision that is showcased through their aesthetic both on stage and on social media. Don’t be surprised if you catch them on tour with the likes of Static Dress very soon.
At first, Dead Animals seem like an anomalous choice for this line-up. Playing both before and after distinctly metal oriented bands, the dark EBM of Ruby Roadkill’s project stands out. However, from the opening moments of her Workstuff cover, it becomes clear that Roadkill doesn’t just belong on this line-up, but whatever line-up she damn well pleases.
Dead Animals has been a project in flux for quite some time, evolving from a simple nu-wave styled four-piece, to an artistic collective, and now currently to a solo band. Earlier this year finally saw the release of the first studio material of Dead Animals, with the intense stalking prowl of ‘Detain’. That alone makes it the perfect time to get on board with Roadkill, but if that isn’t enough, her performance is certain to convert you to a believer.
Having witnessed Dead Animals perform several times now, it with great confidence that I can declare Dead Animals as sounding better than ever. Roadkill’s vocals border on the operatic, with a soaring, raw power that collapses into sharp frenzied screams in a sonic nervous breakdown. Her fans, an intensely dedicated crowd that have engulfed the front of the venue, eat up every moment of the performance.
Between a cover of Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’ and original material such as ‘Lucien’ and ‘Godsized’, Roadkill invites you into a world of raunch, sexual exploration, and the complete obliteration of gender expectations. It’s as if a small slice of Berghain has been transported to Liverpool for the night.
Chat between tracks sees Roadkill divulging the meaning and intent of each track, along with small snippets about who she is and what Dead Animals represents (alongside slowly destroying the microphone stand as the night goes on). Roadkill is a witty and fascinating speaker, open yet never so open as to spoil all of the surprises.
Above all else, Roadkill is a spectacular performer. One moment she exists as an aloof, bored socialite, almost simply gossiping with the audience. In another moment, she exists as a desperate phantasm, her screams frenzied and frantic, confronting the audience in a claustrophobic intensity. The thumping bass causes your entire body to transition from solid to an anomalous fuzz, regardless of whether you dance along, or remain fixed on watching Roadkill’s antics.
The set is closed out with her upcoming single, ‘Obscene Queen’, with Roadkill taking on something of a burlesque energy, rolling on the stage in a playful yet theatrical manner. However, as the track evolves into a climax of roaring abstract noise, Roadkill positions the crowd not simply as concertgoers, but voyeurs into her life; it’s an incredibly uncomfortable experience, as Roadkill transforms into a vulnerable fixation of the audience’s own obscenity, her wavering tones delivering lyrics such as ‘Cameras go click click click/As they ask about my prick.’
Discomfort does not mean unpleasant, however; Roadkill’s performance is unlike anything else that you will find in the north west right now. It’s clear that Dead Animals is a project in high demand in alternative music circles, and it is sets like this that make it clear why; there’s a heaviness and an intensity that no metal outfit could ever hope to match.
Now that Dead Animals are on streaming services, there’s no reason for you not to let yourself become sucked into to the world of Ruby Roadkill. This crowd was thoroughly converted; perhaps you will be next.
For El Moono, it’s already been a fantastic year. Their debut record, ‘The Waking Sun’, received wide acclaim across alternative spaces, whilst this specific tour managed to feature sold out venues. The four-piece seem insistent on refusing to adhere to genre conventions, pulling from a wide array of influences such as desert rock, progressive metal, alternative rock, and psychedelic, creating something that feel dense and complex, yet also accessible and catchy.
Stepping out to their introductory track ‘Dawn’, the band are immediate in their sonic assault, launching into ‘Illusionist’. Vocalist Zac Jackson makes for an eerie, beguiling figure, fitted in a flowing white dress and alternating between moments of raw aggression and mesmerising delicacy as if being pulled into different states of mind by the very music he creates.
Blazing through ‘The Waking Sun’ and ‘The Charm’, the rhythm section of the band are a commanding presence. Bassist Harry Logan and drummer Chris Cartwright lay out huge, swaggering grooves that make it impossible not to move your body; slowly, one by one, members of the audience sway along with the music, as if entranced.
There’s a real beauty in the band’s brutality. Certainly, chunky breakdowns and ferocious screams from Jackson dominate the soundscape in all of their brilliantly blinding glory. Yet it’s the way elements such as glittering guitar work from Jamie Haas or swelling synths from Logan are woven into the performance that elevate it to a different level entirely. It’s punchy, yet pensive.
As the set progresses, you truly feel as though you are taking part in some forbidden ceremony. Jackson seems controlled by his own guitar, limbs pulled sharply in different directions whilst his eyes roll far back into his skull. It’s the sort of passion for performance that shows just why El Moono have become one of the hot new bands on the alternative scene.
As the band move towards material from their EP, ‘Temple Corrupted’, the energy in the room sharply increases. Ripping through tracks such as ‘Final Execution’ and ‘Forced to Smile’, mosh pits finally begin to spark into life. The bristling aggression of the music is palpable, buoyed by some phenomenal percussion performances from Cartwright.
Banter between the band and their captive audience arises between sections of the set, with a playful, gentle nature to it all. A question of what the best multiplication table is comes to the surface, and only one band member answers the question correctly (seven, of course). At least one mosh pit across the night is reserved exclusively for the ‘shes, theys and gays’. El Moono may well give the impression of an unholy cult, but they’re a welcoming cult at the very least.
By the time it came to close the set, it was frankly baffling that the band had any energy left whatsoever, never mind enough to keep up their thunderous momentum. Jackson’s screams are more visceral than ever as they plunge through ‘Soul Eclipse’ and ‘Chains’, whilst the audience are parted with a simple, gentle hand wave. Before being permitted to erupt into one final brutal mosh pit, Jackson asks Cartwright a simple question in a moment of silence: ‘are you ready dude?’.
Going into that evening, I’d never listened to a single El Moono track. By the end of that show, I was leaving with a fresh copy of their album. That is what a superb live show can do; it’s more than just about appealing to those who already know, it’s also about making those who don’t know want to know. You might know the hype, you might have read the reviews, but nothing can prepare you for just how good four people who simply love their craft can be.
Featured photo credit belongs to @glk.media.
You can follow No Play Promotions here, and purchase tickets for their upcoming No Play Fest featuring SeeYouSpaceCowboy here.
Follow the acts on social media below:
Indigo Horizon
One More Day
Dead Animals
El Moono
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