It’s not a quiet Sunday night in as far as those with discerning musical taste in London are concerned. Apart from this there is Live Evil Festival, Opeth and The Sisters Of Mercy all playing this evening and Camden is particularly gothed up with those heading to the latter of these shows. Upstairs in The Black Heart it might be an intimate affair compared to the others but that does not mean that it is less anticipated by those gathered as Polish / UK band Praesepe take to the stage. I had only really had a first listen to this lot today as they were completely new to me but that aside it was no real problem as apparently the bulk of the set was going to be new material too. An atmospheric intro leads into a more full bodied instrumental doom section making for a dramatic start before the drummer suddenly blasts away and things flow into a deathly flourish. They kept us waiting for the vocals which finally arrive as second number Grawitacja pile-drives in with plenty of gravity about it. They are thick and rasping and go well with the cleaving away fury of the instrumentation. This was a lot heavier than I had actually anticipated but there is also a sense of underlying majesty about it and the long songs also evolve adding some occasional clean vocal parts which really sound good. After this one, due to a broken bass string it’s left to the two guitarists to fill the gaps not that it really puts the band off their stride and they suddenly have a row of headbangers at the front of the stage spurring them on. From blast heavy death and blackness they suddenly ease things down into a patch that would not have had them out of place supporting Opeth tonight and the band are certainly keeping us on our toes. This was an impressive first encounter and they did really well as openers with no two songs sounding alike; a band worthy of future exploration.
This was the first London visit for Austrian’s Harakiri For The Sky and they were highly anticipated as far as I was concerned having played both their albums back to back earlier this afternoon. I was expecting them to be good and they certainly were just that as they set about drowning us with their nihilism. Although a duo on album they had naturally fleshed things out with extra players for the live assault and as for the vocalist JJ well he literally couldn’t fit on the small stage as he is a pretty tall bloke and the ceiling was too low for him. He seemed much more content to prowl around on the dance-floor area anyway yelling into unsuspecting audiences ears as the rest of the band gloriously furrowed away with some brilliantly tight guitar riffing. The melodic thrust of the numbers sounds fantastic, it has to be said the sound is spot on here tonight and people lose themselves in the intricacy of the long flowing grandeur of it all. Shoegazing elements come through and so do the depressive blackened elements from time to time, with the harsh vocals constantly biting and gnawing away and guitar sound that could cut and really make you bleed. ‘69 Dead Birds For Utoya’ from last album Aokigahara took us well and truly into the suicide forest with a real rot n roll feel about it, one that reminds a fair bit of Forgotten Tomb and is a real foot stomping experience with jangling riffs and rugged grooves. The vocalist manages to fit himself on the stage and crouches, looming over us during the next number which builds slowly and dramatically explodes into a flurry of frenzied riffs and guttural barks. There are some gloomy and doomy acoustic parts as the start ‘Burning From Both Ends’ but huge roars and punishing fret work are never far away as they surge onwards catching us completely in their grip again. This was a totally invigorating performance all the more volatile by being this up close and personal and the band proved to be everything I could have hoped for apart from the fact they had run out of time and were unable to play their cover of Tears For Fears Mad World. Maybe next time…
I think it was on this very stage that I last caught A Forest Of Stars who are back with tracks from excellent recent album ‘Beware The Sword You Cannot See. Luckily they had no swords although the gents and lady looked dapper and distinguished, wielding one would have been catastrophic as there is very little room on stage as they fill it up. In the background there is a projector with some imagery to accompany their sound which starts off some gorgeous folk music as an introductory piece. Violin and a noir etched vibe fill the air as vocalist Mister Curse eccentrically lays out his vocal parts. It is hypnotic both musically and in atmosphere and it seems as though the band have opened up some sort of historical floodgate that harks back in time to the past of our pagan isle breathing life into the old gods once more. With the visuals on the backdrop and the drama on the stage it’s evocative, theatrical and quite unique. Piano tinkles away and riffs chop and shake us with the vocals sounding like they are coming from a carnival showman getting punters in to visit his freak show. I feel like I am transported off by its Wiccan ways and am left both giddy and transfixed. It appears that I am not alone as my camera captures an image of Mr curse with eyes rolling back in his head seeming as though he too is completely possessed. Apart from beguiling with violin Katheryne, Queen of the Ghosts lulls us with a vocal spot and during it you could have heard a pin drop. The band go into what can only be described as a Floydian passage but suddenly the drums clack in with such force the person next to me practically jumps out their skin. The psychedelic and progressive flow along with the barking vocals here reminds me a bit of the old and equally strange act Webcore a bit and if it were a couple of decades ago I could see AFOS joining in with the travellers and wowing the druids at Stonehenge. Perhaps though they do bite too hard at times and may have caused the odd bad trip. A sudden almost piratical sea shanty jolted me out of my reverie and flew off in a choppy, chunky and heaving seas sick fashion really hitting the spot, exploding in fashion with two drummers beating the hell out their kits. The twisting turning sound of ‘Drawing Down The Rain’ eventually patters down and sounds fantastic as people head bang away to the prog-laden riffs and lose themselves in its midst.
All three bands were exceptional tonight and whoever is responsible for the sound needs a round of applause. There was no two ways about it that despite all that was going on in town those of us here, thankfully a good body of people, had chosen wisely. Full respect to the bands and promoters Funeral Of Mankind for a top night.
(Review and photos © Pete Woods)
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