Newcastle’s experimental rockers Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs brought their demonic earth-rattling blend of genres to Nottingham’s Rock City to show the crowd what the iconic stage was made for...
Although the psychedelic punk rockers The Lovely Eggs had to drop out, Pigs x7 found suitable replacements in fellow Tyneside punks, Blóm, who have joined them throughout their tour; and Norfolk fuzz-doom duo, Kulk. Combined, the show’s noise-centric bill can swiftly be summarised as the soundtrack to the apocalypse.
Newcomers Kulk had no trouble kicking off the show in the 2,000-capacity venue by generating an ear-ringingly loud set. Showcasing Norfolk’s burgeoning psychedelic scene, the two-piece combine various aspects of doom, fuzz, stoner rock and sludge metal, incorporating carefully choreographed drums, bass and a drone synth juxtaposed with brash shouted vocals. Not dissimilar to early records from Drenge, Kulk also exude similar vibes to electronic noise duo Giant Swan.
Following on, heavy fuzz-punks Blóm quickly break into their energetic live performance. The trio combine crashing percussion, iconic bass shredding, synths and classic feminine punk vocals singing conversational-style lyrics exploring themes of politics, queerness, and feminism to create a thunderous, high-octane cacophony. Despite the distinctly DIY sound they have created, Blóm’s members are maestros of their individual crafts.
Pigs x7 were originally booked to play Rescue Rooms, however after being rescheduled multiple times at multiple venues and following a rapid upward trajectory since their last sold-out show at Rock City’s BETA – including the release of their third album Viscerals last year – the psych-metal pioneers quickly proved why they deserved the upgrade.
Entering to industrial-psych spoken-word release Blood and Butter, Pigs x7 quickly assume their positions before plunging into Reducer at break-neck speed, unleashing their monolithic barrage of sound upon Rock City. Despite having toured for the past few weeks, the five-piece played with the vigour as if tonight was the first night of the tour and the last night on this earth, a true testament to the excitement at finally being able to showcase their glorious brainchild live.
Firing through a series of Viscerals tracks, frontman Matthew Baty – an accurately self-proclaimed "Poundshop Freddie Mercury", possessing equally captivating performance abilities – takes a moment to express his thanks to the audience for attending, before blasting into 2017 fuzz-fuelled groove Sweet Relief, followed by fan favourite GNT, from their critically acclaimed sophomore album King of Cowards.
Pausing again to address the crowd, Baty confesses that the band will not be doing an encore, stating that bands who do encores: “have not played their set properly because you have to play your last song as hard as possible and make yourself feel violently sick”. In quick succession, the band launch into their final track of the night, A66. Not disappointing on his claims, Baty and the rest of the band tear through the 8-minute epic, impossibly raising the volume on the already deafening set; and are met with a roar of exultant ear-splitting approval from the exhilarated crowd.
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs performed at Rock City on Wednesday 8 December.
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