First up on this rather foggy evening at the Thekla Bristol are a colourful, energetic five-piece on support who goes by the name of Kite Thief. The female singer and frontwoman Elin Allan who is both engaging and dramatic leads the band into their first song ‘Take my Body’, moving sensually around the stage rocking some bright retro canary-yellow eyeshadow. She has a soft yet strong vocal tone, which you’d think might be contrasting with the heavier guitars, but it works. Some electronica is infused into the mix during songs like ‘The Tide’, making the music sound almost Prodigy-like. The two guitarists, who look a bit like twins in almost matching black and brown tie-dye shirts, kick the air energetically on their Fenders. The bassist, showing off some insanely long dreadlocks and a chunky five-string bass appears to have had one of his strings go awry but he rocks it anyway, using the full length of the fretboard unphased. On a couple of occasions, the music slows down into more of a melodic ambience for example in ‘Pictures’. They end the set with ‘Hindsight’, an emotive, acoustic number to warm down. If you’re looking for some creative female vocals, lighter metal elements and a sprinkle of rich emotive acoustics this band is for you.
Elin Allan (vocals)
Max Harris and Josh Bailey (guitars)
Henry Stone (bass)
Zac Lever (drums)
InMe an English rock band formed in 1996 with seven studio albums under their belt, eight songs in the UK top singles chart and a respectable fan base, Inme arrives bouncing around on the stage with Dave McPherson wittily entertaining the crowd in his snappy cockney accent. Most of the audience members are very enthusiastic and seem to recognize the band despite being here primarily for raging speedhorn. This a bit of a surprise since it could be argued that the two bands are very different, except perhaps for having a few post hardcore elements in common. Saying that, a few powerful vocal growls can be heard in places and the beginnings of a mosh pit can even be seen forming at just four songs in. Inme take us back to their teenage era in the second half of their set with songs like Neptune, All Terrain Vehicle and Underdose which all seem to speak of inner turmoil, things going pear shaped and a generally stormy weather forecast. There are plenty of headbangs and jumps from the audience, with this undertone of nostalgia and emotional melancholy continuing and reaching its climax at the final song ‘Faster the Chase’, a song about loneliness and rejection. The whole crowd hold up their hands in the hazy blue light of the venue as the set draws to a close, showing their genuine appreciation as Inme bid this very supportive audience goodnight.
Dave McPherson (vocals, guitar)
Greg McPherson (vocals, bass)
Joe Morgan (bass)
Simon Taylor (drums)
Raging Speedhorn makes a memorable entrance as they prowl around on the stage like a pack of hungry wolves, a continuous brooding chord resounding in the background. ‘’Good evening Bristol!’’ Frank Regan beams amicably down the microphone before proceeding to spread his hands out. The band’s powerful energy is then released which quite frankly blows a hole through the ceiling. Their first song of the evening ‘Hard to Kill’ smashes into the room like a tsunami of complete and utter noise (though technically well executed noise), and there are gnarly faces to be seen left right and centre. By their fourth song, ‘Iron Cobra’’, we were surprised that the two vocalists’ throats hadn’t caught fire and burnt off yet. You can sense the audience becoming more involved at this one too as they start headbanging more aggressively. Frank Regan flips the bird at the audience and growls at them to shuffle forwards, before the band turn their backs for a moment and launch straight into ‘Motorhead’, a speedier tune revealing the bands hardcore punk elements. During one of their more haunting songs ‘Bring out your Dead’, a creepy grim reaper-style ghoul becomes apparent on the backdrop and in the dim light of the venue appears to stand out in an eerily realistic way. We are not sure if this was intentional or not, but it certainly added to the ‘ambience’ of the evening. The music becomes at least two times more aggressive at ‘Snakebite’, which we’d describe as the musical equivalent of the devil spitting on the crowd. Actually, the band was so sonically intense that we actually had to take a little break at one point! On our adventures we found some extreme hot sauce on sale at their merch stand. Upon returning, the lead singer appeared to be treating the audiences to some suggestive belly dances and advanced microphone swinging techniques (we hope the sound engineer didn’t have a heart attack at this point). Clearly a band not short on humour and willing to have a laugh, Speedhorn actively engages with their audience and provides one hell of a sonic punch. If you like aggressive music, hardcore punk, sludge metal and you enjoy having your socks violently blown off, check out this band.
Frank Regan and Daniel Cook (vocals)
James Palmer and Dave Leese (guitars)
Andy Gilmour (Bass)
Gordon Morison (drums)
Review: Jasmine Lamport
Photography: Emma Painter // Pacific Curd Photography
