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Review |
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This was my first time I'd been to Hamptons, and
I was keen to see how
it compared to other Southampton venues. Despite
being a small bar, with
a stage that looks like it's been forced there,
that backs onto a plain
glass window onto the main road, the sound was surprisingly
good, and
that's all that matters really.
Only one band were listed as support on the posters,
and I'd probably
have been extremely confused had my friend not
recognised the first band
to hit the stage; the unlisted Stranger In Moscow,
a four-piece who
apparently, according to my friend, used to be
“fucking shit.” However,
after reforming relatively recently, now are making
some awesome tunes.
The opening track instantly captivated me, and
although the rest of the
set trailed away slightly, for that opening song
alone, they've done
well. Although quite interesting to watch, (with
the drummer and bassist
almost looking out of place, and the vocalists/guitarists/keyboard
seeming to work on stage very well together,)
the music was pretty
awesome, with incredible vocal harmonies, and
a good mix of softer and
heavier tones.
Next up were Joey Nightmare, also not mentioned
on the posters,
featuring a female vocalist. Musically, they had
the tones and style
very similar to Minus The Bear, and vocally, more
like Paramore but male
backing vocals that seemed, all in all, half-arsed,
and the drummer can
apparently only play 'disco-beat.' The lead vocal
though, fantastic, a
very good voice indeed, however I'm not sure it
fitted over the music.
Taking Minus The Bear as an example, the vocals
are quite basic and
plain over the top as opposed to quite expressive
pop-punk vocals. But
don't get me wrong, these guys (and gal) have
serious potential, it's
just almost like there's too much to think about
at once. But that might
just be me. Surprisingly musical.
Hunting The Minotaur brought an altogether heavier
sound to Hamptons,
that may have been briefly touched upon in the
first set, but not very
much. That said, the tearing riffs coupled with
the powerful screams of
the front-man, who, could easily be mistaken for
a twelve year old, went
down very well with the crowd. And the band's
rapor with the audience,
particularly the singer's comic quips, made the
set extremely enjoyable.
Energetic, heavy rawk n' rawl, Hunting The Minotaur
stay on the right
side of the melody fence to create a sound which
so many bands push too
far until it becomes offensive noise.
And then for the main event, Haunts, whose recent
album release will no
doubt get them a long way, once it bleeds further
into the market.
Opening with my personal favourite “London's
Burning,” vocalist Kevin
Banks put his deep dark vocal into action, whilst
wearing an interesting
leathery-plastic-hoodie-bat-cape-type-thing. And
they just all seemed to
work so well together, including four-part vocals
in places. The choice
of set-list was a relatively obvious one, given
that they have one album
which lasts little over half an hour, including
“Love Is Blind,”
“Underground,” “Low Slung City
Skyline,” and “Live Fast Die Young.”
For
those who aren't familiar with Haunts, they've
got a dark indie vibe
going on, (haunting, being an obvious adjective
to use,) which I've yet
to encounter elsewhere, and is performed as if
it were the album itself.
Tighter than a duck's ass, yet considerably better
to listen to.
All in all, a really great night. Every band well
worth catching again,
and the headlining act certainly stole the show.
Destined for greatness,
without a doubt.
Haunts – 5/5
Hunting The Minotaur – 4.5/5
Joey Nightmare – 3.5/5
Stranger In Moscow – 4/5
Review By Thom |
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| Haunts |
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| Hunting
The Minotaur |
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| Joey
Nightmare |
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| Band
Related Links |
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| Review
Score Code |
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- Top Cheese
- Brilliant
- Pretty damn good
- Ok I guess
-
What Was That? |
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