Cancer Bats + Johnny Truant + Hexes @ Birmingham Barfly – 13th May 2008
First up tonight are London boys Hexes who sound great when they really get going, but the vocals sound weak at times, lost in their mix of punk, hardcore and electro. With so much going on, their music provides plenty of diversity, but can be difficult to follow at times, the electronic backing behind ‘Kiss The Guns’ sounding a little out of place. The room is fairly empty for their set, however they still receive a decent reaction from those who turned in time to catch them.
Next, The Barfly is hit with the full force of Brighton’s Johnny Truant, and it’s safe to say they’re about as weak as a slab of concrete. The crowd’s failure to really get anything going in the pit is surprising as the band are spot on, delivering enough brutality to prompt people to tear the place apart. Singer, Olly Mitchell doesn’t look impressed with the lack of movement; however this only serves to make their performance even stronger, adding to the anger of ‘A Day In The Death’. Only as crushing guitars of final song, ‘The Bloodening’ ring out do any of the crowd get themselves moving; it seems Mitchell was right about them being here for ‘a relaxing metal show’.
The crowd may be struggling to get into it tonight, but Cancer Bats frontman, Liam Cormier isn’t standing for that. Diving headlong over the barrier midway through opener, ‘Hail Destroyer’, he then remains there for the entire set and starts the mayhem himself. It doesn’t take long for the fans to catch on, tables and bodies flying as they rage through ‘Lucifer’s Rocking Chair’.
The Canadians have recently begun to receive a great deal of attention from the alternative music press, even appearing on the front cover of Kerrang! this week, however it is difficult to imagine how their live show will work if they gain more fans the way that many bands featured in the magazine do. The intensity and unpredictability of their performance works so well in these smaller venues, whereas if the crowd grows in future, they may be more restricted, at least to staying on the stage.
The rest of the band are forced to take a back seat as the crowd circle in around Cormier, but they don’t let that put them off, still giving it all they’ve got as the singer spits out ‘Pneumonia Hawk’, unfortunately without the contribution from label mates, Alexisonfire’s George Petit, who features on the single. Despite being described as punk by many, their sound is more hardcore with a rock n roll edge, however they definitely live the punk lifestyle, sleeping in squats, living out of their van and touring as much as possible.
With so many bands around today who are content just to run through their greatest hits, take their money and leave, it’s so refreshing to see one so in love with playing live. Music is clearly these guys’ passion in life, and it transfers from them to anyone in the room. This, along with their exciting and furious performance, definitely makes Cancer Bats a band to look out for live.
Review – Helen Catchpowle
Photos – Steve Gerrard