Skindred, Therapy?, Black Spiders, Turbowolf - O2 Academy, Bristol - 14th April 2012 (Live Review)
Monday, 16 April 2012
Written by Dave Ball
I, like many others, regularly complain about how expensive ticket prices have become over the last 10 years or so. Clearly, someone involved in organising the 2012 Jagermeister tour took notice as this was a tour of unquestionable value with 4 bands on a bill that cost just £5 per ticket. It’s a bargain before you even enter the building.
The week long tour concluded at Bristol and, as with earlier dates, the first band onstage rotate each show. We’re treated to a set packed full of energy from local rockers Turbowolf who go down very well to a pretty full room despite being first up. Their look has a psychedelic, Led Zeppelin vibe and the music lives up to the look. You can tell they just love being on stage and performing.
Next up are Sheffield-based Black Spiders who have spent the past few years gaining plenty of critical attention through a string of support shows with the likes of Airbourne and Black Stone Cherry as well as being festival mainstays with Metal Hammer awarding them ‘Best Underground Band’ in 2010. Their debut album ‘Sons Of The North’ is clearly a favourite of many in the crowd as they’re received with plenty of enthusiasm. Lead singer Pete ‘Spider’ Spiby has a great live voice and there’s a good range to their songs with hints of blues and traditional rock and roll mixed in with the heavier sounds. You can tell this is a band who have toured extensively as it’s as tight a set as you could ever hope for. Keeping up their impressive work rate they’re out on tour with Thin Lizzy across the UK soon.
Northern Irish trio Therapy? Are the third and most established band on the bill. Having released their debut album ‘Babyteeth’ as far back as 1991, their commercial peak came with 1994’s ‘Troublegum’. Therapy? released their 13th studio album ‘A Brief Crack Of Light’ earlier this year in February. This is a vastly experienced live act who know how to get a crowd going. The venue is at capacity when they take to the stage to the type of roar normally reserved for headliners. Their 45 minute set quickly fly's past. Clearly still loving what they do they tear through their bass-heavy songs grinning from start to finish as if it’s their first time on stage. New single ‘Living In The Shadow Of The Terrible Thing’ gets a good sing-a-long showing they still retain a relevance despite existing well outside the mainstream these days.
It’s the trio from ‘Troublegum’ that closes the set which really gets the place going though. ‘Nowhere’, ‘Knives’ and ‘Screamager’ send the crowd into fever pitch, the whole room a sea of bouncing bodies. It’s a brilliant set by a band who are still just as good as they were in the mid 90’s even if they’re not likely to ever get another Top 10 ‘hit’.
Finally, after a bizarre soundcheck which included the mic being tested with a rendition of the 'Home & Away' theme song, the lights drop and the theme music from Star Wars announces the entrance of headliners Skindred. Frontman Benji Webbe facing the crowd in a white suit, complete with top hat and sunglasses, before the power dies and we have a 5 minute break while the problem’s resolved.
Returning and keen to make up for lost time the Newport ragga-metal quintet blast straight into their trademark metal riffs with Benji’s unique style shaking the building right from the get go. Rightly referred to as one of the most electrifying live acts anywhere, they’re on a mission to convert anyone who hasn’t previously seen them. Latest album ‘Union Black’ is drawn from a fair amount but they work their way through all four albums during the set with highlights including ‘Cut Dem’, ‘Destroy The Dancefloor’ and set closer ‘Nobody’ from their 2002 debut ‘Babylon’.
It’s a set packed full of energy which is reciprocated throughout by a crowd completely at one with the band. Returning for a one song encore, the now infamous ‘Warning’, complete with the patented Newport helicopter (check it out on YouTube), Benji is at his charismatic best throughout the 65 minutes or so involving the crowd in both banter and singing as well as telling everyone of their dual performance at Download 2012 with an acoustic set Friday as well as their full performance on the Saturday. If you haven’t already seen this band you have to check them out next time they tour, undoubtedly one of the most entertaining bands you will ever see live.
At £5.00 a ticket, if one band was OK and the others were below average it would be pretty good value, at £5.00 with every band on absolute top form it would’ve been good value at several times the price.
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Northern Irish trio Therapy? Are the third and most established band on the bill. Having released their debut album ‘Babyteeth’ as far back as 1991, their commercial peak came with 1994’s ‘Troublegum’. Therapy? released their 13th studio album ‘A Brief Crack Of Light’ earlier this year in February. This is a vastly experienced live act who know how to get a crowd going. The venue is at capacity when they take to the stage to the type of roar normally reserved for headliners. Their 45 minute set quickly fly's past. Clearly still loving what they do they tear through their bass-heavy songs grinning from start to finish as if it’s their first time on stage. New single ‘Living In The Shadow Of The Terrible Thing’ gets a good sing-a-long showing they still retain a relevance despite existing well outside the mainstream these days.
