Not even this heatwave can keep us away from JT Soar. We sent Rob down for another raucous trio of bands, brought to Notts by expert promoter Buttonpusher...
Unfortunately Trigger Thumb had to drop out due to unforeseen circumstances so a-tota-so step in to fill the void and open up the evening in style. Other than a slight freneticism during set up they show no signs of a band drafted in last minute and greet us with a controlled and calculated performance of dynamic math rock. The trio bring a slow and steady pounding assault punctuated with choppy riffs and intricate rhythms - hard and delicate all at once. The room is filling, demonstrating the ‘sold out’ status of tonight’s show. a-tota-so respond in kind, building their sound in chaotic fashion whilst maintaining a key and vital understanding of rhythm, even at the most frantic moments. At times it could almost be described as bouncy, with swaying and soaring drum beats leaving the crowd thoroughly warmed up.
Next up: EGO. The name really says it all. To quote a member of the audience, “three different size lads all wearing the same shirt, all rocking it”. Leopard print, hair wax, lashings of sneer and attitude. EGO go hard from the off and mic distortion adds to the menacing presence they bring as they completely capture the audience’s attention. For me they resemble the early career of Letlive; an enigmatic front man, a brash uncompromising style and some tight lairy hardcore to tie it all together. The front man struts and postures through the harder and faster moments and he becomes threatening and brooding in the slower moments. He shows an intense relationship with the mic, resembling a predator prowling and stalking, toying with it but never letting it get too far away. They carry a real gritty energy with the fuzzy powerful guitars, but unfortunately this is not maintained. The successful formula of the earlier songs which were so well received appears to have been revised, and not for the better. Throughout the rest of the set the occasional chorus holds an engaging groove, which piques interest form the crowd, by they are sadly short lived…like Pissed Jeans but without the same respect for dynamics.
And now for the exalted headliners, The St. Pierre Snake Invasion. Sold out. Big Hype. Do they match the expectations? ‘Course they can. This band are meaty and melodic – they just get it. They get how to be brutal and hardcore, without being macho arseholes. It is screamy, shouty abd noisey, with moments of peace and melody. Biting and snarly lyrics, spat at you and bellowed. Think Reuben and Botch, smashed together into some violent musical love child. They tear into the set, creating their own microcosm of punk in the heart of Nottingham, and the crowd are hooked, rocking back and forth and getting more and more involved. Tracks from the new album Caprice Enchante feature heavily, and bloody hell it’s a good thing; packed with fast, snarling hardcore. Chanted and spoken word vocals carry an anthemic quality which is only amplified in a live setting, especially one as small and intimate as JT Soar. The intensity just builds and builds, song after song reaching a near crisis level, dropping Casanovacaine with the impact of a nuclear explosion. I Am The Lonely Tourist demonstrates the more delicate side of The St. Pierre Snake Explosion - a slow building sway comes before the raw power they wield with their instruments and voices. It’s the control of this power and intensity that makes them really stand out; they might go hard and fast throughout some songs but never to the extent where it is tiresome or dulled, keeping it exciting and engaging. This is a band to get excited about. They close the night and JT Soar is a sweaty and exhausted mess. Bliss.
The St. Pierre Snake Invasion, EGO and a-tota-so played JT Soar on Friday 28 June
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
