It's pleasing to see that the fairly substantial numbers who've come for the supports sticking around for the main acts, a double header of big guitar noise in the shape of Run,WALK! And Blacklisters. They're amply rewarded, too.
I suppose that technically, Run,WALK! are a drum 'n' bass act, given that they consist of only a drummer and a bassist (who shouts unintelligibly, his vocals buried under a blistering churn of distortion). It's not, then, drum 'n' bass as anyone else would recognise it, and the bass doesn't really sound like a bass - or even that much like a guitar for that matter: run through a bank of effects pedals, the sound that shudders from the speakers covers the full sonic spectrum. It's a disjointed, discordant blast of US-style punk played at one of two speeds: fast or ferociously fast.
There is, however, something about their demeanour that I don't find altogether endearing, and after a while the wall of noise overdrive becomes rather self-defeating: while the studio recordings are raw and powerful, they do have a range of sounds and a fairly choppy definition, all of which is lost under an uncontrolled welter of noise.
The chances are I'd have enjoyed them a lot more if they hadn't had such a hard act to follow. Blacklisters demonstrate once again (this is the third time I've seen them this year, and the second time in a month) that they're a consistently outstanding live act.
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Frontman Billy hurls himself around and howls maniacally, but is more conversational than on previous occasions. He even encourages audience participation in the game they've been playing with Run,WALK! to come up with band names involving food-based puns (Sage Against the Machine was one example given). One of my friends suggests 'Rocket from the Crepe', but it falls on deaf ears. Small wonder: Blacklisters are not a quiet band, and in contrast to Billy's spasmodic twitching, Dan (guitar) and Owen (bass) are the epitome of nonchalance as they churn out their menacing squall, underpinned by a seriously dense bass sound and super-solid drumming. 'Trick Fuck' is particularly awesome on this occasion, although there wasn't a weak (or gentle) track in the set-list. Cracking.
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