LIVE REVIEW: Infected Rain / Semblant / Elyose / Miruthan /Skin on Flesh - The Underworld, Camden, London 13th January 2025

An early start for Rich at Camden's Underworld. Dubbed the Motocultor Festival, five acts meant the first outfit were hitting the stage by 6:15pm. 

First up were Skin on Flesh, a rock outfit started in the 2020 pandemic in Berlin by bassist Michiel Sybers and vocalist Laura Jiménez  who blended in a kind of post punk/punk feel. There were plenty of foot tapping moments and hooky choruses. The delivery was a little bit sloppy but in a good way that benefitted the type of music, but any stop/starts were nailed to perfection. The songs didn't sound the same which is always a bit of a trap when playing this genre, and intros to tracks differed, some starting with just the bass, as in the second track and a guitar vocal intro too. 

There were some harmonious dual guitar and intricate parts which I wasn't really expecting in this type of music, although they occasionally got lost in the mix. Jiménez had a good presence and pogoed about the diminutive stage, trying to get the crowd going. She could sing as well as shout, though the vocal dropped out in some of the quieter moments. The songs were short and to the point. You don't normally get a 30 min set with around eight to nine tracks in it. 

Miruthan entered theatrically to an atmospheric backing track , that gave way to a down tuned death metal onslaught. A be-costumed five-piece from Australia comprising vocalist Mvumbi, guitarist Nzambi, bass player Witch Doctor, drummer Wrath and female backing vocalist Priestess, they played the part of what looked like the undead risen from the grave. The bass had a good tone and the guitar was dirty but not too distorted. There plenty of movement around the small stage that led to some bumps. Some really tight playing though and during Story of the Cannibals, which was a highlight, Nzambi went walkabout in the crowd. Well they are Australian. 

Before the last track, Mvumbi pleaded with the crowd to buy some merch so they could fly home, which got a few laughs. There were a few heavy breakdowns in the set but solos were lacking, and Priestess's vocal was lost at times, but it was quite an entertaining set of six songs. 

Third act were Elyose, a gothic/industrial duo from France, who sing exclusively in French. Vocalist Justine Daae and guitarist Anthony Chognard had released their 5th full-length album just three days prior to this gig, and I had coincidentally just listened to it briefly. Justine cut a slender figure on stage, threw herself around a bit, whilst Anthony whirled around like a combination of Scott Ian and Frankie Bello, which loosened his fret wrap, much to his annoyance. They were joined on stage by a drummer, and had backing synths loaded up. 

Justine joked that with the audience being English and her singing in French made it a cultural evening! And they say the French have no sense of humour! The snare was cracking throughout this set, and Anthony added some virtuoso moments to his guitar playing with the occasional tapping passages. Justine tried to get the crowd involved, but I suppose the difficulty in singing in another language is being able to get people who don't know the tracks to sing them. 

This was a real worldwide line-up, with penultimate band, Semblant from Brazil. This time, even though there was a backing track intro, all other electronic parts and interludes were played by keyboardist J. August. Guitars really came through in this set with the mids sitting nicely. There were good moments where the melodic vocals of Mizuho Lin contrasted with the gruff growl from Sergio Mazul. Plentiful solos from both Sol Perez and Juliano Riberio's guitar and the keys. Even bassist Johann Piper got involved and banged out some tapping and slap bass in different parts of the set. These were tastefully done and kept in the music. 

Plenty of double kick and machine gun snare from Thor Sikora who also hit the cymbal flurries and syncopation in the drumming, again complimenting rather than detracting or overshadowing the rest of the band. Piper, not content with playing single notes, started throwing chord patterns in as well as tapping, while Mazul showed that he could sing as well as growl. They celebrated ten years of the album Lunar Manifesto with The Shrine, which showcased an abundance of rolling drum fills and more tapping from Piper. What Lies Ahead received the loudest response and it was no wonder, with its hooks, vocal interplay and dynamic elements allowing the song to rebuild the tension. Semblant finished a triumphant set with We Ride, and it's maiden-esque guitar motif. An enjoyable and professional performance. 

Time for the main event, and Moldova's Infected Rain were straight into the technical timing changes with The Realm. The heavy riffs and flying dreadlocks that adorned this track along with some lovely twinkling metalwork hits set the scene for rest of the evening. Guitarist Vadim 'Vidick' Ojog threw himself around on the breakdown and definitely had the fun that vocalist Elena 'Lena Scissorhands' Cataraga asked the crowd if they were ready for prior to second track, Pandemonium. How Ojog was able to play such a great guitar part whilst he performed as he did is a mystery. 

Lena recounted a story of what happened last time they played Underworld; a girl fainted in the crowd and her hair got caught in a hook in the ceiling and the lock was torn off. Vivarium showed that she can both sing and shout, although it was evident that the crowd couldn't clap in time. And speaking of timing, there were changes abound in Fighter with 4/4, 2/4 and a three-bar turnaround, and the classic 3/4 to 4/4 in Dying Light, which had SOAD overtones. Maybe it was the Moldovan vibe coming through the downtuned guitar which sounded really low in the latter, almost bass like and it was maybe masking the bass a little. There were some nice runs by bassist Alice Lane, who was drenched in sweat, and they could be heard when played further up the neck.

Highlights included The Answer is No, with its almost disco beat and double kick from Eugen Voluta, Orphan Soul, a hooky and dynamic track and the Earth Manifesto, featuring heavy breakdowns and a bit of a rap. which really got the crowd going, Lena banging her head like there was no tomorrow. The end of Never to Return saw the band leave the stage, but they did return with the riffy Because I Let You, and then finished on a Lena influenced circle pit and Sweet, Sweet Lies, with what seemed like a Morello inspired guitar motif, dynamics and good use of the sequencer that was a staple through the night. 

At times I felt that there was an over reliance on pre recorded/sequencing at times (and not just tonight). I also missed solos, and a good singalong chorus. However it was a very energetic, sweaty, crowd pleasing performance, and I understood at the end why a section of carpet had been put down on what would have been a very wet, slippery stage.

Review by Rich 'Tricky' Hudson