Two nights in a row in Camden is one too many, but I allowed a promise of dreamy vocals to get me on the Tube again. Wouldn’t you know it, I was in for a delightful double-opener, double-headliner set at The Black Heart.
The River
Post-rock is a funny term. Beyond rock. After rock. Why not call it neo-rock? It’s still very much down and heavy on distorted guitars, but it’s not really renewing the formula. Rather, what it captures is the post in post-apocalyptic: the lone survivor overlooking the wreckage, the loneliness and endlessness of a barren landscape. Awash in earthquake waves, the heavy riffs of The River layer one over another, soothed by the lullaby voice of Jenny Newton. It’s music for the early hours, for an empty house with doors thrown open, for “A Hollow Full of Hope”, as their latest album knows.
Teiger
By far, the revelation of the night for me was London trio Teiger – I just can’t resist a Phrygian scale, with its smoky conjuring of ancient Greek Gods having an epic eternal go at each other (or have I just played too much Hades). My initial awe at vocalist/siren Talie Rose Eigeland was soon turned to jaw-dropping incredulousness as the band dived into an incredible cover of Portishead’s anthem of seduction, Glory Box. To hear it live, under such capable hands, after years of dancing to it was magical. A stellar band of magnetic creativity, with an effervescent, almost jazzy feel in the drumming. Watch out for these cats.
Lodestar
The first of the two headliners of the night marked a return to the stage by 90s experimental prog rock band Lodestar, and the guitar must have been bottling up 20 years worth of shredding, because my God, was the room shaking. You’ve not heard so many metalheads giggle as the air turned fluffy with bass. They could not have made their comeback at a more appropriate time, as their songs chant “Another day, another disaster” – we’re really just spinning in circles, aren’t we? Incredible playing from guitarist Alan Haggarty, as vocalist Heitham Al-Sayed commanded from the microphone. Highly recommend giving their 1996 self titled album a listen, it’s such a wild ride of riffs and dips into other genres, all while staying consistently badass.
Final Coil
Ending the night with melancholy headbanging were Leicester-based post-metalists Final Coil. The ebbs and swells of the cosmic battles their songs depicted would not sound amiss on a videogame soundtrack, but despite the heavy downbeats, despite a literally bowed guitar (first time seeing one!) and the Nightwish-like scale of their lyrics, there was something so beautifully earnest about their performance. So much of metal’s power can get muddled with empty bravado, but Final Coil chose to walk in much braver, much more vulnerable territory: what can you say, without the shield of distortion? What can you hear, in the lull of the groove, when the voice rises truthful and clear?
To end, please remember: of course Black Sabbath’s final concert is a historic event, but there are future Black Sabbaths playing your local pub tonight. Go find them. They won’t cost you a kidney either.
Special thanks to Teiger for extending the invitation.
Artists: final coil, lodestar, teiger, the river