Drowning Pool // Spineshank // Hed PE // Live Review // The Limelight // Belfast
Look at this lineup! Three epic bands who are here to deliver a level of heft we haven’t had in quite a while.
Two legends in Drowning Pool and Spineshank, and the majestic Hed PE, in support to bring back some of their gnarly magic to our shores.
I don’t believe either Drowning Pool or Spineshank has played in Belfast before, so this could be a very special night all round. Hed PE we caught many years ago at The Empire Music Hall when playing alongside Kaleido, Sumo Cyco and Alien Ant Farm so it’ll be great to catch these guys again as they were a powerhouse outfit all those years ago.
As I drive down to the venue, it’s the usual chaos of trying to park around a city centre venue on a weeknight. It’s manic as always, the doors opened seriously early for this one, 5:30 pm as Hed PE kick off at 6:15, and we’ll be out by 10 pm with the venue turning into a club for students after the gig. Such is life and the way of it these days for modern venues that have to juggle all the costs in a struggling music industry.
But enough of the grown-up shit, this is about the music, baby and what a stellar lineup we have. This is going to get messy pretty fast! 6:15 and Hed PE hit the stage with a thick backing track that has the band grooving before they kick in. Once they do it’s a whirlwind performance of Rap, Hip-Hop infused Metal, which is quite removed from what we normally see on our shores, that alone is a great reason to catch a band like Hed PE when you can, as it’s going to take you outside your comfort zone and into new territory that you didn’t even realise you needed!
These guys are magnetic to watch; these guys have that L.A. Swagger, L.A. Rockstar gangster look, and it’s hard to ignore. You can see all the band members watching each other like a hawk as they do it old school. Before the first three songs are over, frontman Jared Gomez is asking for a circle pit in the room! Jaysus man, it’s teatime in Belfast! But Jared has requested it, and a worthy few oblige as the band rip back into their thick, gnarly soundtrack to keep the heads bobbing and the bodies rocking front to back.
It was great to have the guys back in Belfast, no strangers, they’ve played here a few times over the years, and we last appreciate a band who return to build up a fanbase, it’s a long way to come all the way from L.A. But I am sure it’ll not be the last time Hed PE decimate a Belfast crowd.
Photography: Mark McGrogan
@flashartmark #flashartmark
Now with Spineshank, we got all the way back to the late 90’s and their debut album release ‘Strictly Diesel’ that launched them onto the scene, a blend of Nu-Metal and later introducing Industrial vibes throughout Spineshank are a monstrous band who have a monstrous live sound too.
After a short delay, Spineshank landed on stage and laid waste to The Limelight 1! Right from the off this band were frenetic! The energy levels were off the charts, and the fusion of gnarly riffage and industrial vibes resonates throughout the room. The place is bouncing as they unleash a barrage of sonic abuse on the Belfast crowd.
Vocalist Jonny Santos spits out lyrics like bullets while the Belfast crowd eat them up and gives back as much love as they can. The room is rocking from front to back, and the endless calls for circle pits are met with glorious approval. Belfast is for a rager tonight, and Spineshank are the band to tip them over the edge into the abyss and beyond.
But alas, all good things have to come to an end. As the band started late due to a technical glitch with the guitar rig stage right, they had to wrap up their set a little early to keep everything running on time, and as the band tried their best to explain that to the Belfast audience, the cries for ‘One more song’ rang out, but Spineshank could not oblige! Boos ring out more. I Jest, but just because Belfast loved every minute of their electric set, till next time, lads!
Photography: Mark McGrogan
@flashartmark #flashartmark
Drowning Pool taken to the stage as Kiss’ ‘I was made for loving you’ rings out across the PA before they rip the Limelight Belfast a new asshole! The set is as gnarly and gritty as I’ve heard in quite a while; their groove-laden rock just hits home with every track more heavy and cutting than the last. The sound is glorious! The guitar, bass, and drums are all as thick as treacle; the ground is shaking to its core with the heft! Vocalist Ryan McCombs is laying down a stellar performance, tying it all together with a killer frontman’s performance.
The energy is through the roof, you often wonder when a support as heavy as Spineshank is on the bill, how the headliners will respond …. Well, we are finding out, and it’s majestic! Every song is met with a roar of approval, and the band is bathed in glorious light as each song’s words wrap up and they catch their breath before the next, toss in a cover of Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell, and I’m sold! What ??? Yup, it was rocking! The Belfast crowd couldn’t get enough! The guys swiftly go from there to a cinematic track in ‘Sermon’, and this signals the second half of the set as we start ramping up in a crescendo with a barrage of tracks that have the venue on fire! ‘Pity’ ‘, Tear Away’, and ‘Reminded’ all land hard before Drowning Pool wrap things up with that track …. YES THAT TRACK! ‘Bodies’
I can see the Limlight staff frantically surrounding the pit area, extra security runs i,n and I am wondering why, but then I see the bands roadie grabbing an extended mic cable, and before you know it, Ryan is clambering over the barrier into the crowd and security pounce on the barrier to ensure he’s safe and well. The band closed up a killer set with a tune that resonates with so many in the room, the soundtrack to their youth, no doubt and a beauty to experience live. Tonight’s gig did not disappoint; it was everything and more that I wanted it to be, breathtaking from start to finish. If you are lucky enough to catch this tour in your city, do it. You can thank me later.
Photography: Mark McGrogan
@flashartmark #flashartmark
