It’s always a good sign when you finish work on a Friday, travel to another city to meet some friends, walk into the venue, get yourself a pint, and the first band walks onto stage. Perfect timing you may say.
Black Falcon 100524 The Underground, Bradford Photo: Neil Bolton
Night of Ruin is the Friday night pre-show before the full day Ruination Festival that takes place at The Underground in Bradford. Black Falcon is the first band and they make a good impression. This four-piece have a good crunchy sound with tunes bursting with Les Paul guitar solos. I am not sure, but I think this band today has a smaller member count than usual. You would not know it from the heavy sound they create and the response from the healthy crowd. Their music and stagecraft are a perfect start to the evening.
Damn Craters slower more melancholic take on the stoner genre are next on stage. The vocalist is prominent in this music and has a capable and angry voice. He is however, dressed like Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory about to make a trip to the pool on holiday. They have a slight Deftones feel to their music. Their latest single Those Other Fools appears early in their set and fits in well with their earlier offerings. They go down well, despite the quizzical faces concerning the singer’s attire.
Sloth Metropolis 100524 The Underground, Bradford Photo: Neil Bolton
Sloth Metropolis come forth, and the first of several questions enter my brain, the first being WTF? Several gentlemen including an electric violin are in front of me, mainly wearing colourful smocks. The violinist begins to shred this instrument like a thrash metal warrior. How the hell am I supposed to explain the music to you? I can’t, it is expertly performed, and entertaining though. This leads me to the other questions I have. Am I watching performance art? Yes! Do I like performance art? No! Am I enjoying this? Yes! In fact my feet are firmly secured to the floor of The Underground. I am transfixed. Our masked vocalist now appears as, I think, a middle-class teacher, and the show continues. The musicianship is excellent and the show is mad. I can’t tell you what I watched, but I can say I enjoyed it.
Wolves in Winter 100524 The Underground, Bradford Photo: Neil Bolton
Wolves in Winter bring some kind of normality to this celebration of stoner doom music, and they do this well. I notice the powerful vocals of singer Jake are a little lost in the live mix but their emotionally charged sludge fills the room effectively. Tracks from the excellent album The Calling Quiet fill the venue and pour onto an appreciative crowd. With members of Iron Rat in this band performing a day early, a big doomy authority is evident tonight. Heavy slow riffs cause heads to bob and applause to reign. This music is so solid you can get hold of it, and the vocal talent on show is intoxicating. It's a magnificent set.
Morag Tong 100524 The Underground, Bradford Photo: Neil Bolton
Headliners Morag Tong bring this extra show to a close with their slower, bulky riffs. With a singing drummer, these guys display why they have been chosen to headline. This London band have the power and skills to warrant such a position. The vocals range from clean to growls, all sitting on a bed of intense heavy slow riffs. The heads that were bobbing earlier are still bobbing now, just to a slower beat. If the doom and gloom of the slower sludge music is your bag, you are in your element. They bring an excellent evening to a close. If this is the pre-show then it’s a wonderful indicator for the main event.
Time for a Bradford kebab!
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