EARTHTONE9 & THE FIVE HUNDRED

Bear with me on this, because it is relevant. Probably. I parted company with most metal and metal-adjacent acts a good few years ago. There are exceptions. On Tuesday night, I hauled my tired and broken carcass down to that raddled old whore of a city that is London to see one of those exceptions. Amenra blew what was left of my admittedly tiny mind when they co-headlined NAC a few years back with Boris. Despite how much I loved that show, adore their records and was massively excited for the show, the sold-out Scala gig was all a bit underwhelming and, well, disappointing. Heading to the Waterfront to see Earthtone9, I was a bit bemused at myself. Having dipped into the back catalogue recently, I just couldn’t work out why on earth I was bothering. And my gig buddy for the evening was no more enthusiastic. But, and it is a huge but, EARTHTONE9 ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT, in a way Amenra didn’t.

All bullshit aside, a band that I don’t really get on record delivered a properly, properly good show. Vocalist Karl Middleton and guitarists Owen Packard and Joe Roberts have been playing together on-and-off for 27 years and it shows. From the intro from Roberts, it is clear that, as serious as these guys are about the music, they are also here to have fun and even a bit of a giggle. There are no airs or graces from but they are clearly intent on putting on a show. Middleton’s vox tonight aren’t quite as strong as on record - first night of the tour nerves perhaps - but he is well into it. Both Packard and Roberts are fearsome guitarists. Producer, engineer and guest bassist Lewis Johns keeps a low profile but plays exactly the way the songs demand. Star of the show may just be “new boy” Jay Walsh who lays down some incredible drumming whilst delivering intense black/death metal style vox, apparently effortlessly. Now, I’ve never seen anyone drum like that or bellow like that separately - let alone at the same time - without looking like they’re about to burst a blood vessel or three. How Walsh can do both at the same time and look so comparatively relaxed is beyond me.

Tonight’s show is a celebration of 25 years of third album arc’tan’gent and they play it in full (if not in order). Like I’ve said already, Earthtone9 may not be my thing on record but the goth-metal fusion of Binary 101 is an exception and the version played tonight is IMMENSE.

So, a band that I don’t really like on record, who play a style of metal that isn’t (normally) my thing have delivered a cracking set that I loved? The only real disappointment was that the Studio was far from full tonight and, as enthusiastic as the small crowd was, the band deserved more. Whatever, I got the felling E9 would deliver the same intensity whether playing to 40 people or 40,000 and I want to see them again.

On paper, the openers, Nottingham metalcore band THE FIVE HUNDRED are the better band, with their musical chops and their clear intention of bringing an arena or even stadium experience to a small venue. I can’t fault the enthusiasm or energy or musical ability or self-belief but it seems to be very much a case of style over substance, bluster over soul. It all came across as a bit po-faced, pompous, cliched and overblown. And, whilst they can play - like, really really play - the songs are rather hackneyed. I can’t fault the commitment but it wasn’t for me.