CORE 24, Day 3. In which we summon up whatever energy we have left and head out to do it all again. With different bands, obviously.
Venues:
WOODSIDE HALLS/HUG'N'PINTLine-up:
K Yalo
THE RHUBARB: Seen these before, but they were missing one member - I forget which, it was a long time ago - so I'm glad of the opportunity to see the full band. Psychedelic doom kind of thing, in the vein of Sabbath and Sleep but with shorter songs. Bass player somehow managed to break a string halfway through the first song - how the heck do you break a BASS string? - but, lacking a spare, had to carry on regardless.
Like MACHUKHA yesterday, and more bands later, they suffer from a surfeit of daylight due to the overhead skylight. Doom and black-metal do not fare well under bright light. And it gets VERY warm very quickly in that room. At least they're now providing free water at the back for those who need it.
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/y9BW9fZovac https://www.facebook.com/TheRhubarbband
GOUT: From the fiery furnace of Room 2 to the darkness of the HUG & PINT for new boys GOUT. I have no idea what they do and, for some reason am expecting some kind of indie/alt-rock thing. But, no. Gout do sludgy doom with a fresh, youthful twist, and they do it superbly well. And then, halfway through their set, they drop in an absurdly good FOLK ballad, three part vocal harmonies and all, and it's just amazing. I don't know if anybody from Gout will see this, but I REALLY want to see them again. If you know them, please pass on that message.
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/UFXHFkQCXJA
GRAVIS TRISTUS: Another new band in the sweat box. Funeral doom quartet, this time, monks' robes and everything. And a trombone. I'm prepared to bet that they were perspiring like champions in those robes.
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/-a4OBX-L7yQ
Kaonashi
DVNE: I've known DVNE since before the V, and, indeed, since before they were called Dune, and they just keep on getting better and better. Top quality progressive metal, and a recent new album to promote. Which they do.
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/1jIEN_9G3ag
HEXIS: Danish blackened hardcore next. Hexis have, I'm told been around for ages but seem to have lost none of their youthful ferocity. They are, however, very hard to photograph, relying as they do on only a few strobe lights on stage. Intense.
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/ukugv1-4pYw https://www.facebook.com/Hexisband
False Hopes
THE FALL OF TROY: Punky post-hardcore from somewhere called Mukilteo in Washington State, USA. If it helps, I looked it up, and it's not far from Snohomish.
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/jaGKn8ACDwA https://www.facebook.com/thefalloftroy
Trauma Bonds
UNDERDARK: I was looking forward to UNDERDARK, and they did NOT disappoint. Fearsomely good blackened post-metal of the highest order. Vicious and uncompromising, despite the light room. Go see them, immediately.
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/2NM2d85xPjQ https://www.facebook.com/Underdarkuk
AUTHOR & PUNISHER: One of the acts I'm looking forward to most at this year's fest. But I wasn't expecting the guitarist.
Pummelling industrial beats with added stabby metal noises. Fine stuff, but really hard to photograph. I particularly like the slidey/punchy machine at his right hand. Yes, that IS the technical term for it.
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/6_k-j771ukU https://www.facebook.com/AuthorandPunisher
Tyrannus
OMO: Their first ever gig. Nobody has any idea what they sound like. Even THEY don't know what they sound like. Featuring ex and current members of the likes of MOGWAI, AEREOGRAMME, TWILIGHT SAD and DESALVO, we surely can expect something noisy. And, yes, that's what we get. Sludgy and angry and loud.
Singer P6 declares himself a 'happy old fruit' to see so many people prepared to come and watch something they can never have heard before. Crowd declares itself happy to know now.
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/t3PXd7cotvg
Brasser
EMPIRE STATE BASTARD: Last up for me, and it's ESB's last gig for the foreseeable future. No Dave Lombardo for this gig, but the Slayer influence is still in evidence. Obviously, Biffy's Simon Neil is the focal point here, but guitarist Mike Vennart is astonishing, out-metalling many in his beautifully ugly shirt(Not pictured here).
VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/NqwkTPHFNkA https://www.facebook.com/empirestatebastard
Coffin Mulch aren't due on for another hour, and I'm knackered, so I'll have to pass and head back to my hotel.
So, to conclude. That was fun. Many peaks and few troughs. Low spots were down to my personal taste and NOT the standard of the bands. If I wasn't keen on, say, Employed to Serve, that was MY problem and no-one else's. Highlights for me were, in no particular order, UNDERDARK, SHOW ME THE BODY, MACHUKHA, GOUT and PART CHIMP, but if you were there, I'm sure you've got your own.
Last year's fest had a few issues which needed addressing and, for the most part, that's been done.
The new venue is an improvement, particularly the higher stage and better lighting.
The merch/market area is now in the main venue and not away in a separate building.
There's still a problem with daylight in the new second room which, while not disastrous, does distract somewhat from the performances. Makes taking pictures easier, though. Also, some effective air-con in that room would be useful.
Finally, a reminder. If you are in GOUT, please come to Edinburgh and play a gig very soon. If you're not but know somebody who is, please pass on the message.
