Nervosa are a band on the rise. After being virtually unknown outside of Brazil for their early years until Into Moshpit went viral on YouTube and helped garner the attention of Napalm Records, the Brazilian all female thrash power trio suddenly became a well known name throughout 2014 and 2015. Having been on the road all summer on the European festival run including appearances at Brutal Assault, Headbangers open air and Obscene Extreme, the girls were originally down to play Manchester but luckily for us the promoter had to pull out and Doc, the brains behind Facemelting Entertainment was quick enough to snap them up to play one of the best and most iconic venues in Liverpool. With a heavily stacked thrash and groove filled line up, the Lomax was in for something special and thankfully, I was on hand to record it.
Opening up the evening were Reaper. The four piece thrash outfit from Liverpool were up for it, performing one of their biggest shows to date and the moment they took to the stage, you could tell that they were relishing the challenge of the evening and really enthusiastic about playing. With a very Megadeth like sound to their music and oozing with confidence as they stormed through their set, slinging out big riffs, complicated leads and copious amounts of groove, the band sounded great. Vocally, it was hit and miss for me, some parts worked great, others kinda fell short but with more gigging and more time, that issue should iron itself out. Overall, a great way to get the night started.
It was at this point that I had to slip away to talk with Fernanda of Nervosa (Interview coming soon, keep checking the site folks!!!) so unfortunately, I only heard the next band up: Exiled. Luckily for me, my trusty partner in crime (also known as the better half) was in the crowd so they kept a close eye on the set for me (and I write this without a gun pressed firmly against my back!) – I trust her opinion and what I did hear of the band backs it up (soundcheck and between questions in the interview). With a very similar sound to Evile, Exiled brought a real powerful sound to the stage. Pounding rhythm, a tight sound and plenty of intensity, they had a fantastic thrash sound to them and pulled off the gang vocal spots well. They also did a cover of Scream Bloody Gore by Death which went down a storm. On the whole, they really raised the bar in terms of performance and the way they did it made it look rather easy. Definitely one to keep an eye on!
Local long standing band The Bendal Interlude were next up and bringing more groove and some helpings of sludge infused thrash to the stage, they smashed through the Lomax and really brought the crowd to life. Harsh vocals in the style of Raging Speedhorn delivered over Down like riffs with a real thrash kick to them, the guys had the entire crowd banging their heads and firmly in the palm of their hands. Dedicating their set to the other bands on the bill and helping get the Lomax back on its feet after recent troubles the venue has had, they delivered a fantastic performance and Pitch, the Drummer of Nervosa said they sounded like a real heavy Down! High praise and well earned!
The main support slot was up next and Derision which in the words of their bass player, Three Wools and a Scouser took to the stage. Bringing some powerful thrash with a hint of At The Gates in the vocals both in terms of looks and sound, the well oiled four piece delivered a crushing set as in their own words “We’ve brought ourselves, we’ve got fuck all to sell, have some thrash!” . Mixing the right amounts of Thrash and Groove, their set was just full on headbanging and their closing track “Born From Chaos” was exactly that. Powerful and chaotic thrash grooves with wild shred capped a fantastic performance.
By now, everyone was psyched up for the main attraction and when Nervosa stepped on stage you could tell this was going to be special. The moment the girls geared up and let their hair down, it was a total transformation. From sweet, enthusiastic and welcoming, they turned into ferocious thrash machines with a terrifying stage presence and awesome sound. With snarling vocals and pounding basslines, Fernanda really got the crowd going whilst Pitch’s drumming was tireless and Prika’s guitar sound was like it had been pulled right out of the late 80’s with its cutting tone and real powerful sound.
At first the crowd were a little distant. Sure they were headbanging and shouting along but it wasn’t until Fernanda started getting in their faces and the track “Into Moshpit” went down that they really came alive. With random circle pits, some impromptu stage diving and a few empty cardboard boxes being turned into mosh helmets, the crowd was in fine form and the energy they were giving was easily matching the energy of the girls on stage. “Death” was a highlight of the set for me and when they closed the set with the powerful “Masked Betrayer”, well you can check the video at the bottom of this link and see for yourself.
After the set, a beaming Doc stood on stage with arms in the air and was thanked by all in attendance and all on the bill for helping put together one of the best gigs to hit Liverpool in a long time. Earlier in the day when Nervosa sound checked, he said he had a feeling it was going to be a special night and it was. Passionate, heavy, intense and full of energy, Nervosa are a fantastic live act and I seriously recommend you go see them when the chance arises. With a new album being planned and a possible return to Europe in 2016, Nervosa are a band who just could be the ‘next big thing’ in thrash.
Review, photographs and footage by Fraggle
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