Koshiro Gig - The Croft (24-02-12)

Artscare Records have been making waves on the Bristol scene for a few years now, hosting nights that span the genres and always make for a memorable experience. Noise rock was on the cards for us recently, and it was a pleasure for Koshiro to share the stage with two fantastic bands from the Midlands at The Croft.

Appearing on the front bar stage for just the second time, we debuted a new inclusion in our sound that will hopefully improve our sound for 2012 in time for the recording of new material. The sound pad provided strings/synths for epic effect in ‘Buried At Sea’, some tasty sub-drops for ‘Divides’, gunshots and a church bell in ‘Last Chance Saloon’ and some random effects cross the board for the rest of the set. It added the extra element we needed to bring our sound together, providing what we hope is the missing piece for the band Koshiro have now become.

Our set was enjoyable to play, the six songs chosen being ran in the same order as the last two shows at Thekla and The Fleece, increasing the flow of the heavy metal and not once giving the audience a chance to catch their breath! Once an encore was called for we even included a rendition of the Stone Cold Steve Austin theme from WWE (‘Glass Shatters’ by Disturbed), with the glass smash and everything!

A reminder of the set in full…

-       Divides

-       Telekinesis

-       Ghosts

-       Last Chance Saloon

-       Medicine

-       Buried At Sea

-       Glass Shatters (‘Disturbed’ Cover)

 

Here are some photos from our set taken by History of the Hawk's own Nathan Coyle!

History of the Hawk were up next, as Stinky Wizzleteat were running late. Their set was a joy to behold, the combination of aggressive hardcore and thunderous punk a brutal sight on the close-knit Croft stage. They put a lot of energy into their show, and vocalist Nathan spent the majority of his time amongst the crowd, involving them and us fully in the fun. The band, who are signed to ‘In At The Deep End Records’ (who produced Gallows, Architects and Sylosis) performed much of their recently released EP ‘Ocean’ as well as many other short, snappy, aggressive tracks. A highly recommended band that are destined for big things. 

Stinky Wizzleteat headlined the night with an extended set of monstrous instrumental tracks, the two-piece (made up of just drums and distorted guitar) getting their heads done and speeding through their songs with insane efficiency and a thunderous bounce. A great end to a fantastic evening!

Koshiro hope to share the stage with the bands again, perhaps venturing up to the Midlands to play with History of the Hawk in the near future. The band will also be working closer with Artscare Records on future projects, so keep an eye out for that!

Many thanks to Dave Thomas for putting on such a great show and having us on such an awesomely heavy bill!

Album Review - Birdeatsbaby : Feast of Hammers (2012)

Brighton’s insanely dark and original four-piece Birdeatsbaby ‘inhabit a world far, far removed from the mundane, scuffed-Converse drear of contemporary indie rock’, or so we are made to believe with the press surrounding the band’s new album, ‘Feast of Hammers.’ The sound created by this group of musicians is unlike much else out there, despite the comparisons they will draw (including attempts from this review), their brand of gloomy pop drenched in black Cabaret and immaculate quirkiness. It’s all heartfelt and powerful vocals, jangling pianos and jaunting strings, which combine in such a way that it’s hard not to get swept along on a delightful journey.

‘Feast of Hammers’ starts with 30 seconds of delicate piano, which sets the scene for ‘Love Will Bring You Nothing’, a slice of gothica that wouldn’t have been out of place on a 1920s big band stage, provided the club was owned by a Tim Burton type. The folk track bounces along, telling the tale of the perils of love, including great worldly storytelling in the lyrics and an undercurrent of despair. It is musical theatre at its best, a song full of drama and grand scale poetry. ‘Anchor’ is a quaint and classic sounding track with superbly layered instruments, the Brit twang of Mishkin Fitzgerald’s vocals shining through amongst the themes of love that coast along a nautical metaphor. It is indie revival with a bleak edge (imagine Arcade Fire jamming with a female Ian Curtis).

‘What the Water Gave Me’ is lo-fi, as cool as Kate Bush in full swing and full of showgirl vocals as a choir of strings provide elegant support. Title track ‘Feast of Hammers’ is effortlessly original, the breathy vocals whimsical and polished, once again the layered instrumentals working extremely well in their sustaining role. The scale is epic and as the song progresses something sinister about the dark beauty that surrounds it is highlighted. ‘The Sailor’s Wife’ is a heartbreaking ballad, with just piano accompanying dual vocal. It’s a stripped down folk dream with visionary lyrical themes (the story of a suicidal love at sea?)

‘Incitatus’ is a doom filled nightmare, the eccentric streak of the band coming to the surface as the vocals play along like a nursery rhyme, the melodies childish and playful. It’s vivid, rich and ethereal, and really is a joy to listen to. Slow paced piano provides an interlude before the Cabaret theme is revisited with ‘Double Nine’, a combination of driving chords and excellent strings, with the song channels musical demons. ‘Through Ten Walls’ is vampish and glamorous, all black lipstick and mascara. It’s the most downbeat song of the album but doesn’t feel too dreary, just coasting along at an acceptable pace.

‘Tastes Like Sympathy’ starts with soft spoken vocals before fading into a pulsating beat, the instrumentals swaying like the ocean tides. There is a cloak of elegance across it, the track feeling resilient yet fearful. It’s a great piece of fragile pop. The vast energy begins to fade by the time ‘Victoria’ arrives, this last push feeling like a big effort for the band. In places the song is triumphant but mostly feels lacking. The ‘Finale’ is an atmospheric waltz which ends the album on a powerful (albeit a dark) note.

‘Feast of Hammers’ is a scintillating release from an exciting and inventive release from Birdeatsbaby and will no doubt gain them a vast army of fans from across various genres, which will do them nothing but good. They have masses of potential, that’s no doubt.

Koshiro Gig - The Fleece (17-01-12)

Bit of a delay on this post for the most recent Koshiro gig. It was such a life changing night that it's taken a few weeks to recover! Okay, well maybe not that monumental, but it was enjoyable none-the-less, and a great first show of 2012 for us. It was our first show with new bassist Jason Sweet and a return to The Fleece (one of our favourite Bristol venues) along with some awesome metal/hardcore bands. It was refreshing to play on a bill where we fit in seamlessly (as on occasion we can find ourselves on a bill where we are either the heaviest or most accessible, which doesn't always do us favours). Such a great crowd, some fantastic participation (including a guest appearance on stage - see the video of 'Last Chance Saloon' at the bottom of this post) and a really fun set to storm through. The songs were heavy, and so were the other bands on the bill. It was a joy to behold and resulted in some brutal bangovers in the morning!

First up were Red Exit Girl from Newport, whose tightly knit thunderous songs blew us all away. Their energy was second to none and they really got the crowd pumped up. The beats were beastly and the breakdowns even more so, we definitely recommend this band and hopefully we will share a stage with them again soon.

Medik injected some beautiful melody amongst their sweeping hardcore punk, and there were some sing-along moments along with their boundless energy. A really exciting band!

As main support to Avenge the Heartache, we were considerably sweaty and tired during the young Gloucester band's headline set. There were a few teething problems, and the band perhaps seemed slightly out of their depth headlining the night, but they were full of confidence and performed their songs with efficiency. There were some delightful riffs and excellent screams, and maybe even an 'A Day to Remember' cover in there somewhere if memory serves!

Our set in full was...

- Divides
- Telekinesis

- Ghosts
- Last Chance Saloon
- Medicine

- Buried At Sea

Here are some photos from the night taken by Becky Little! 

Plus some videos of every song from our set courtesy of Cerise Banwell!

Next up for us is an Artscare Records exclusive night at The Croft in Bristol in support of In At The Deep End’s History of the Hawk, also including Stinky Wizzleteat on the bill. Here’s the poster below with all details!