Cancer Bats at Electric Ballroom UK Show Review
The Cancer Bats seem destined to be placed in fairly mismatched bills. Only once have I seen them on a lineup that really felt like it fitted musically, between Ghost Of A Thousand and Gallows. In the past I’ve seen them support Moneen which was ridiculous. Moneen?! Heavy metal supporting melodic, heart-rending rock. Who the hell came up with that bill?
Tonight they take the mid-billing slot of the Never Say Die tour which also includes The Warriors, This Is Hell, Parkway Drive and Comeback Kid. It’s a solid lineup with a lot of quality (particularly Parkway Drive, new to my ears but definitely now on the ‘to watch’ list) but I come back to the first point - this is mostly screaming hardcore with perhaps more than a touch of ’scene’, on show in the queue outside the venue which is filled to bursting with studded belts, trucker caps and massive fringes. Cancer Bats seem to get included on these kinds of bills because they’ve got a hardcore-influenced sound and perhaps also just because they’re young and fresh. But theirs is more of a metal-riffing, balls-out, rock and roll sound, performed with a swagger and as if each band member should be downing from a bottle of JD between songs.
Ignoring their suitability on the bill, the set is high quality, tightly performed and frenetic to the last. Taking to the stage with a battle cry of “Let’s get fucking rowdy!” it features both new tunes and heavy hitters off debut album Birthing The Giant, including Shillelagh, 100 Grand Canyon and personal favourite French Immersion. Every track kicks off at an explosive rate and sounds like it was developed by listening to Led Zeppelin while watching Dukes of Hazzard next door to a Pantera gig - all powerful riffs, meaty breakdowns and rabble-rousing vocals. Although they’re from Ontario frontman Liam drawls between each song like a metal-fried Louisiana redneck with a ‘fuck’ every other word.
Maybe it’s a good thing, I’m all for a little bit of lateral thinking when it comes to getting people to open their ears to new sounds to expose new audiences. It would just be good to see them playing to a more ‘metal orientated’ crowd or on that kind of lineup, it’d make for a completely different show. Either way they’ve stamped their mark on London once again.
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