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How does one go to a show of a band that has been around consistently for longer that you have been alive and not have expectations? This along with possible experiences with the band could shape ones' perception of how good or band the band may be regardless of skill or consistency. Regardless this tour was announced and contains a little bit of everything in metal. 5 bands that play varied corners upon the genre spectrum. So with open ears but a bit of experience with each band prior i filed in to see what could be a very interesting night overall. 

To begin the band that i knew the least overall about, Black Crown Initiate. The Pennsylvania band had just released their first LP and devoted their relatviely short set time to it. What came as a surprise it the band has quite varied but substantial sound. Deeply rooted in death metal but using atmospherics, acoustic instruments and various vocal tones to convey a strong spacious style of metal without going too far into the ether by the time the band finished thy had only played 4 songs but with the variance of styles contained in those songs it felt full.

Shortly thereafter Iron Reagan came upon the stage and anyone with prior experience in seeing some of the members prior (or other current) band, Municipal Waste, would be able to confirm the party hard fun as hell trainwreck that is on display. Iron Reagan doesnt change that part of the formula. This idea is only bolstered by the further lack of pretension in the bands songs and faster tempos overall. The band clearly had fun and made it hard to not have fun seeing them.

Exhumed is a band that has existed for quite awhile and has stayed true to frontman Matt Harvey's vision more so than nearly any other band. That is to say proper old school death metal with bits of grind played with ferocity and a griesome attitude. The band played through mostly old songs as they are touring upon a re-recording of their first album and this let everyone see what this band is from front to back. Best of all, considering the small size of the stage, the band kept their theatrics having a friend play a chainsaw wielding doctor and eventually using a guillotine to take off the guitarists head. While not on the massiv scale of say Gwar the theatrics felt consistent with the band.

Voivod came next, and while i fully respect and undderstand their place in metal (particularly of the Canadian variety) they have never really been my thing all told. There is certainly nothing wrong with this and honestly was waiting to eat my words. Meanwhile the most surprising thing was the energy the band showed while playing. The songs, were played with a strong sense of accuracy to the original recorded versions but did little to sway my initial though process. The band deftly switched from varying eras of their existence and closed with a song for their fallen member Piggy in their rendition of "Astronomy Domine" by Pink Floyd. 

Finally came the final band Napalm Death. It is really tough to say something that hasn't already been expressed about this band (they have been around since 1981). Meanwhile they are a band that is relentlessly interesting, intelligent and energetic. So without much segway the band burst into a set of songs that kept the forward movement without sacrificing a broad spectrum of their songs. One thing worth noting and respecting is that within the week prior to this show Barney (Napalm's vocalist) broke his arm. Now as a band of older guys (main memebers Shane and Barney were born in the 60's) it shows tremendous will and respect for their audience to continue the tour and play as hard as ever. The band played some songs that one would expect (Scum, You Suffer) as well as songs off of their new album. While the band has never fully deviated from their initial grindcore style this type of set shows how much they've gornw and what kind of thoughts they've managed to insert within their initial framework.

Overall this tour is a must for any metal fan with varying types of styles on display and a list of bands that all play hard and show off their styles well. Regardless of age or overaching interest this could be a show worth seeing as it proclaims the forebearers of the genre and shows a deep interest in it's newer bands as well. 

Tex Perkins and the Dark Horses @ The Enmore Theatre

Sydney, AUS

November 23, 2014

The Newtown area was part of the land of the Cadigal band of the Eora people, who ranged across the entire area from the southern shores of Sydney Harbour to Botany Bay. It was through the land management methods of the aboriginal people that the extensive grasslands proved ideal breeding grounds for kangaroos. The lyric-sized Enmore Theatre, located in the heart of Newtown, is the longest running live music venue still operational in New South Wales.                                                

Tex Perkins’ Dark Horses project started out as a vehicle for Perkins’ solo singer-songwriting endeavours, with Charlie Owens, one of OZ’s most heralded and prolific guitarists, playing an integral part. Over time it has morphed into something resembling a “real” band. The Dark Horses comprise aspects of the Cruel Sea and the Beasts of Bourbon (your humble narrator’s favourite Australian band, and the incarnation that gained Tex iconic status), which makes for an interesting mélange – one that is more on the reserved, contemplative, introspective and borderline delicate side compared to the often nihilistic approach of his other bands. Tex Perkins, the man who invented the sport of zone ball, a cross between Australian rules football and tennis, is never a letdown in a live environment: A charismatic, imposing figure on stage who knows how to entertain in between songs with witty, self-deprecating one-liners and banter.

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Words: T, "era vulgaris"

Photo: Jason Ilagan

The Dwarves @ The Bald Faced Stag Hotel

Sydney, AUS

October 8, 2015

Parramatta Road is the east-west artery of metropolitan Sydney. On its 23 kilometers long strip, the road is filled with pubs, shops, car yards and over 100 abandoned and derelict stores. Owing to this and its abrasively noisy traffic, it has rarely been considered beautiful. A local mayor described it as a "varicose vein." Former New South Wales premier Nick Greiner thought the road looked "like Beirut on a bad day." On a lighter note, Tess De Quincey, an Australian performer/director attested that "every chapter of Sydney's history has been written on Parramatta Road."

Not sure if the Dwarves’ show will find its place in the annals of Sydney’s history, but the place where Blag Dahlia and his comrades held court that night was the The Bald Faced Stag Hotel, one of the oldest pubs in Sydney, situated right there. HeWhoCannotBeFoundOnStage - neither a jock strap, nor a wrestling mask was to be seen that night. “Julius Seizure” and co. delivered though with their ongoing crusade against what is commonly referred to as good taste: Eclectic punk rock with an ear for melodies and lyrical content pervaded by what was accurately described by the title of their Sub Pop debut from 1990. While the bouncers tried their utmost to prevent young and hopefuls from entering and leaping off stage, it was Dahlia’s chosen means to exit the venue. Joyce Manor would not have approved.

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Words: T, "era vulgaris"

While it may be a bit grandiose to title a tour "Black Metal Warfare" or really any kind of warfare after witnessing a show on the tour in question it doesn't feel nearly as close to hyperbole as it does warning. More and more black metal bands either dont play live or dont tour at the very least. It would seem a great many bands are interest in using the internet as a tool and stading behind in the shadows as opposed to facing a crowd and facing possible derision as a result. On the other hand, bands like Mayhem and Watain tend to tour regularly and present their music to the people. 

The first band on was Canada's own Revenge. The band has released a handful of full lengths on Hell's Headbanger's Records. They all contain a similar sound encompassing black metal, doom, and death metal all played with a blown out despairing sound. I am happy to report that their recorded sound is similar to their live sound. The vocal trade offs allow each player to get their time to shine both vocally and instrumentally which at least on this bill sets them apart from the headliners. The focus on distortion and noise tends to override everything else as each song contained it's own noisy solo and the set ended with a few minutes of blown out distortion and noise. This helps to capture the anger within their lyrics and certainly helps them stick out amongst their peers.

Next Came Watain. Now much has been made of their image and stage show and rightfully so. The band came to the stage with a full intro lit candles, skulls and and other adornments littered the stage. These things while to some may seem overblown, play a strong role in the band's presence and music. As the band took the stage they blazed through their brand of black metal with an eye towards ferocity and antagonism. Both Erick and Pelle (vocalist and lead guitarist respectively) managed to show a ferocity and a true presence on the stage. The band played like they owned the stage and their setlist felt like that of a headliner. Going so far as to leave midest and return for an encore. Upon their return the greeted the crowd with a brief ritual followed by a spilling of blood onto the crowd this was followed by a raging set of songs which helped to encapsulate their career as a band finally ending the night with fan favorite "Sworn To The Dark" 

Finally the legendary Mayhem took the stage. The band tore through a set of songs that played like a greatest hits album. With so many era's of the band, not to mention vocalists one could be forgiven for almost expecting them to ignore their past. Nothing could've been further from the facts as they ripped throguh black metal classics such as "DeathCrush" and "Freezing Moon" and still managed to insert a few new songs into the set. While notably paired down visually from Watain, Attila (Vocals) commanded the stage with an uncanny and strangely mezmerising presence. All this helps to solidify Mayhem's own place in history while letting no one forget how they got to the place they're at now. 

All in all this show was something worth experiencing each band played their style. While the set of bands almost plays like a walk through black metal history in an albeit shortened way. Each band shows a mark on the timeline of this style of metal and each managed to show why they should be talked about and most certainly seen.

 It seems as though we are in a period of time where we read of a famous musician dying almost daily, this tour was supposed to have Ian McLagan in the opening slot but alas it wasn't to be with Ian passing on December 3rd. I was particularly pumped for the show, one for Mac being on the bill would somewhat achieve a milestone on my bucket list (i.e. see Small Faces/Faces keyboard player) and answer the question of how in the hell would Los Staitjackets sound playing Nick Lowe songs. Los Straitjackets have been around for twenty some odd years playing surf and rockabilly instrumentals with thirteen albums to their credit all performed while wearing Mexican wrestling masks (think Nacho Libre).

Due to the tragic death of Ian McLagan the show started with the openers the Cactus Blossoms, a duo from Northeast Minneapolis who had done a few dates with Nick earlier on the tour. They filled in quite nicely with each of their songs sounding as if the Everly Brothers were in the room, although the crowd of rowdy 40 to 60 year olds were there to see Nick.  

Nick Lowe came on solo with his six string and performed a nice rendition of Rose Of England followed up quickly by a his ultra-poppy tune Heart, two of Nicks greatest songs. I was surprised by how many of his old hits he managed to squeeze in like Long Limbed Girl, Dollar Short and 7 Nights, all rocking solo with just the acoustic. Then it happened, as Nick was playing Only A Fool he was joined on stage by the full band and they effortlessly brought the show to another level, especially with the song Raging Eyes. Being the Christmas season and the show was a Christmas revue Nick and the boys did Xmas At The Airport from Nicks release last year along with Not Too Long Ago before Nick slipped off stage and we were delighted with the Christmas version of Los Straitjackets. They applied the signature LS sound to old favorites like Sleigh Ride, Marsh Mallow, Pacifica, the Linus & Lucy theme from Peanuts and then they tore into a rocking instrumental version of Nicks classic Breaking Glass, Nick showed back up on stage in time to hit the last refrain.

Covering his later years Nick played Sensitive Man, Somebody Cares, and North Pole Express before ripping into Half A Boy, this was followed up with Cruel To Be Kind, Rome, I Knew The Bride, and Christmas Every Day.

For an encore we were treated to two songs from Los  Straitjackets, Sing Sing and the tribute to Mac, Itchycoo Park, yes the boys in Los Straitjackets tore up their instrumental version with the audience singing along "What did you do there?" "We Got High". Nick came back out and did Tokyo Bay, Born in Bethlehem, and Children Go Where solo to close out the show and when he said Happy Christmas to the crowd you almost felt like he was saying it to you directly, the guy just comes off as someone you would want to go have a beer with.

Set list

1. Rose Of England
2. Heart
3. Long Limbed Girl
4. A Dollar Short Of Happy
5. 7 Nights
6. Only A Fool
7. Raging Eyes
8. Xmas At The Airport
9. Not Too Long Ago
10. Sleigh Ride
11. Marsh Mallow
12. Pacifica
13. Linus & Lucy
14. Outta Gear
15. I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass
16. Sensitive Man
17. Somebody Cares
18. North Pole Express
19. Half A Boy
20. Cruel To Be Kind
21. Rome
22. I Knew The Bride
23. Christmas Every Day
24. Sing Sing
25. Itchycoo Park
26. Tokyo Bay
27. I Was Born In Bethlehem
28. Children Go Where I Send Thee

Italics - Los Straitjackets

Photos - Scott Wilkinson