Nails @ Birthdays, London – 26th June 2014
In 2014 there are plenty of bands pushing the boundaries and the limits when it comes to extreme music but few have managed to match the furious fusion of hardcore, D-Beat, grindcore and death metal found in the music of California four-piece, Nails. Having recently signed to Nuclear Blast, and with consistent critical acclaim, this is a band worthy of your attention.
Stopping over for a one-off UK show in London, this sold out gig has a definite sense of occasion about it and the room is already dripping with sweat well before the band reach their stride. Bodies fly from the tiny stage within seconds of one another as the band fire out their abrasive yet somehow uplifting songs of control, hate and misery. Vocalist Todd Jones (who used to play in hardcore band Terror) is a formidable frontman but Nails is very much a band, with each member adding to the landscape of the music.
New album, Abandon All Life, clocks in at less than 17 minutes long but still manages to include ten tracks, so, in a live setting, Nails get to cover a big chunk of their entire catalogue, ensuring no-one goes home disappointed.
References range from Converge (Kurt Ballou produced the new album) to Celtic Frost and EyeHateGod, but Nails make a noise very much their own and tonight, in the basement of a seemingly average bar in Dalston, they leave a very heavy mark, yet, with all the negativity within their lyrics, you can’t help but leave feeling positive and enthused.
Review & photos – Steve Gerrard