Thanks 38th!
The gig was outstanding! Pretty good showing, although we didn't make anywhere near the £2000 required at the bar to get room hire free (bah!), but the crowd was really decent, and all the bands put on bloody good sets!!
First up was Wasted Angels: they're a Manchester-based RAWK band, slight punk influences, but no-messing, straight up heavy rock, played superbly well, with great stage presence. These guys had a tough job opening, but they really set the tone for the night - tight as you like, really professional outfit, and lots of smiles all round. Cracking stuff!
Next up Ikonoclass (or, according to the posters, Iconic Last, lol!). We'll put the telecasters to one side (!), but Ikonoclass put on a mixture of covers and original material. The audience was dancing along (singing along to Hard to Handle, too!), and they played - again - a really tight set. Great stuff!
Then 13Gauge. Well, I'm not in a position to say impartially how our set went, but from our point of view it was excellent! Lots of really nice comments afterwards from people, and lots of people moshing along (I really wasn't expecting this!!! In the words of our vocalist during the set: "one of these bands is not like the others..." (sung)). We also got the PA mix on CD after the gig and listened to it in the van on the way back up to Oxford, and I we were really chuffed with the sound! Possibly the finest moment, however, came again from our vocalist with: "We have come to punch cancer in the face!". :D
Last up: Dogstate. Their first gig. WOW. Talk about finishing off an already blistering night, Dogstate put up some metal/rock with fantastic tones, very tight and clear playing from all involved, and fantastic guitar solos from Rich (who very much reminds me of Rich Ward from Stuck Mojo in his playing). The drummer was hitting the kit nice and hard (which makes us happy!), and I for one couldn't tell any missed notes in the whole set. And they really engaged the audience, too!
I would recommend checking out these bands - especially if you get the chance to see them live.
A really good night had by all (at least, all that I spoke to, hehe). If you're very lucky, I might get some clips of the brutal Vociferator in action (I was SO happy with the tone from this baby last night!! Scorching!).
Thanks also for all your wishes of support on here.
Roo
