Rescue Rooms is always a phenomenal venue - having never had a bad gig there, it was all but a guarantee that Green Lung and Boss Keloid would be excellent, even before taking into account their respective live pedigrees...
With Boss Keloid having been playing for well over a decade, and the headliners Green Lung over half of one, the wealth of experience in the room was rich and it showed. Boss Keloid started the two -band bill with a one-two from their latest release, playing the song Gentle Clovis before they played what is all but the title track, Smiling Thrush. The third song of the set was Peykruve off of their album Melted On The Inch and this was sadly dedicated to the lead vocalist's friend Liam who has passed away. In a beautiful tribute, he mentioned how it feels like ‘his soul is in mine’ whenever the band play the song. Their heavy and progressive sound filled out the room brilliantly, with the entire audience held captive by a stunning performance from a phenomenal band. They played a further three songs, including nine minute epic Orang Of Noyn, before their exit, which was sound-tracked by huge cheers and a lengthy round of applause.
After an amazing set by Boss Keloid, it was headliner time, and Green Lung came on stage to another glorious round of applause. Starting their set with opening track The Forest Church off of their new album, the crowd started loud and stayed loud. Going into Maxine (Witch Queen) followed by Woodland Rites, the band were in fine form and had the crowd in the palm of their hands. With a beautifully designed backdrop and an elaborate figure on stage, the set looked brilliant too and matched their pagan sound to perfection. The band were marching through an excellent set full of singalongs, solos, and riffs galore; each song felt at once like a continuation of the last, and its own being entirely - which kept the flow of the gig alive and well.
As the main set neared its end, the band ripped into two stand out tracks from their last album as a brilliant double whammy, with Reaper’s Scythe leading into Old Gods being a highlight for myself and most of the crowd, judging by the noise! Oceans Of Time was the last song of the main set before they took their brief break, and returned for an encore of Let The Devil In and Graveyard Sun before a triumphant exit was made. Both bands were on exquisite form, and you’ll be hard pressed to watch a better two band bill for a good long time.
Green Lung performed at Rescue Rooms on 24 November 2023
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