Brutiful
Reign In Metal
Zodiac :  Metal Reputation : 1
Join date : 2014-02-25
Location : Global Metal Domination
 | |  GIANTS WITH BLACK SHAPES + MORE (LIVE REVIEW) | |
Arriving late at the venue (due to a clueless taxi driver attempting to drop me off in Kings Cross, despite much protestation on my part) I was slightly turned off that Concave had pulled out last minute, although it did mean that openers Grayscale got to go on later and steal some of their crowd. This is a golden opportunity for bands and it seemed to work out well for the night.
A Tuesday night in Camden is usually a lonely one, especially a venue like this which can feel a little barn-like. Not tonight. The Unicorn was sold out – well done to Dry Ice for that one.
Kicking off the night was Grayscale, an unfortunately middle of the road band- playing more pedals than guitar. A crowd member described them as “The new Hobbit film in music” – unoffensive but unimpressive- a phrase that pissed off Hobbit fans around him but seemed pretty apt to me.
Next up was Golden Tanks. They played an unbelievably tight set with strong vocals, splashy drums and well thought-out guitar tones. Their rendition of “Midas Touch” was a beauty, paying attention to individual band members between solos was a nice touch. After their last track “Burned Bridges” blew me away with its groovy as breakdown, I sat down with them for a chat about their upcoming shows and unusual tour habits- interview coming right up after this review…
Black Shapes sub-headlined for the last night of their mini-tour. Needless to say their line-up change worked- swapping out their bassist paid off. Tonight they had a real live presence they’ve never achieved before, they looked like they were really enjoying themselves. I’m still not 100% on their messy guitar tones, their rendition of “Treason, Heresy and Witchcraft” had a raw live feel, which was good, but some of the charm of that track on the album was its clarity. The furious drumming seems to have jelled well with the new enigmatic (if a little stage-hungry) bassist; animalistic cymbal chokes mixed in with smooth, haunting rolls showed real technical and musical understanding.
Supposedly lead singer, Gareth, had blown his voice out on the tour but this didn’t come across in his performance- moving from nearly earth shattering rasps to fluid cleans he really did their sound proud. I had a couple of gripes still (as always)- they had long gaps between tracks which made the show feel a little unprepared and there was an over-saturation of feedback between guitars but otherwise a very enjoyable set!
Headliners Giants definitely earned their slot. They were a really smart band- they had neat guitar tones, fantastic stage presence and split their vocals between to give a full, bed breaking sound.
Keeping the crowd up close and personal meant they could relax in their playing a bit- they got a live sound that wasn’t messy at all, it just felt natural which is why I was surprised to see their merch stand completely deserted, anyone who hasn’t bought their stuff/seen them I urge you to do it now. Although their drumming can feel a little too methodical- Joey Jordison style snare jabs were prevalent as well as some unimaginative breakdowns- otherwise they were completely sound and I would pay to see them again tomorrow.
Kudos to Dry Ice Promotions- great line-up, great venue, great attendance. Get down to their next Unicorn do- February 9th with Our Final Hour.
Gig details:
Dry Ice Promotions
Tuesday 28th January – doors 7pm
The Camden Unicorn
Line-up:
Grayscale- https://www.facebook.com/grayscaleuk
Golden Tanks- https://www.facebook.com/goldentanks
Black Shapes- https://www.facebook.com/blackshapes
Giants- https://www.facebook.com/giantsuk
Check out the photos of the event here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.517292305051586.1073741825.114734271974060&type=3
Review written exclusively for Brutiful Entertainment by Metal Girl In London (Gabi Huckins-Tertiuk)
http://metalgirlinlondon.wordpress.com
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