Ruskfest

Ruskfest
31 May 2004
Ruskin Arms, London

Any metal fan who knows his Iron Maiden history must consider a trip to the Ruskin Arms as akin to a trip to Mecca, given its pivotal role in that metal legends history. Having lived in London for 10 years I can`t believe it`s taken me so long to pay a visit, but I`m sure it won`t take that long before I`m back.

The Ruskin Arms is a great venue, which is split in two between a large bar & the venue itself. Passage between the two was allowed all day and it was great to have the option to retreat to the bar every now and then. Best still, a BBQ had been arranged in the beer garden and it was absolutely free.

The only disappointment about the day was the turn-out, particularly early on and full credit to everyone from the Bloodstock board that made long trips down to London to support the event. It was great to meet all of you and look forward to sharing another beer in the future.

You wouldn`t have realised that there were only 10 people in the venue for opening act Xes 1 given their energetic performance. Hitting the stage running, or accidentally tripping in the case of vocalist Stich H, which to be fair was his only gaff of the set, these guys really gave their all. Quite often under similar circumstances bands will have a bit of an attitude for the lack of audience, however it`s the few that are there that bothered to turn up and Xes 1 were determined to give a good account of themselves.

I`d read comments that they were a bit Marilyn Manson like, however first song Self Destruct, musically reminded me more of Rob Zombie, but with clear vocals. There was an industrial tinge to their brand of rock from the electronic samples to the uniform futuristic black stage gear. Second song Linish could be their sleeping hit should it be allowed into the rock clubs. An infectious bouncy verse giving way to a big chorus, which had me at least nodding along.

Common with many bands today Xes 1 throw in a cover, in their case Wild Boys by Duran Duran. This saw some hilarious robotic dancing form Stich H and in fact his manic on stage performance kept you entertained throughout. That`s not to take anything away from the rest of the band as Lynke on bass and Brian on guitars made full use of the split level stage and Rami impressed with some excellent drumming.

A great start to the day then, with the only real let down being the two hour wait for the next band due to a cancellation meaning Xes 1 could have gone on later to more people.

Xes 1 set list:
Self Destruct / Linish / Wild Boys / Confidence / L.I.W. / J4C

So, after a long wait and a good few beers I.C.O.N. were next to take, what seemed like a very bare stage. This was due to the fact that they do not currently possess a drummer and use a drum machine instead. I`ll get it out of the way now, as everyone said it and the band apparently want it, they must get a drummer. The type of metal they play would really benefit from the ability of a drummer to add some groove to their tunes and the drum machine really did sound like a drum machine, particular the processed cymbals.

Anyway, with that negative out of the way, on to the positives and there were plenty of those. Full Circle started the set, vocalist Mark Sagar encouraging the crowd from the off. I.C.O.N.`s sound is based around the big guitar of Scot Knowles with chunky riffs and wah-wah infected solos which brought to mind Metallica.

Blindside had me thinking of Orange Goblin and Mark Sagar`s semi shouty vocals in particular compared to that band`s singer Ben Ward. Sagar tells us that being from up North they have no life and had to play an Iron Maiden cover. Wrathchild followed, though mid song Sagar lost his place and in these situations drum machines are very unforgiving.

Jay Shuttleworth on the bass with his shaven head has a look of Nick Oliveri and his distorted bass intro was a fitting start to a song called Grindin` Wheel. For the finale the guitars were D-tuned for the speedy 7 Second Warning.

Apparently, I.C.O.N. have being going down well at biker fests and I can see why and once the missing link on the empty drum riser is resolved they can really push forward.

I.C.O.N. set list:
Full Circle / Only Hope / Blinside / Wrathchild / Grindin` Wheel / They Stand Alone / 7 Second Warning

We`d already spotted Pain Control as they were unloading their gear in front of the stage while I.C.O.N. were playing. Probably not their fault, but not really fair on I.C.O.N.

Pain Control where the first band of the day to set up a t-shirt and cd stand and this professionalism was also reflected musically. This was the heaviest stuff of the day so far, with opener Words Fall reminding me of Death. Surprisingly so early in the set, Pain Control followed this with a cover of Machine Head`s Davidian and if the intention was to get our attention it worked as a number of people came through from the other bar on hearing the familiar "Let freedom ring…" refrain.

That cover provided a benchmark for the type of music Pain Control play, with a variety of death and thrash mixed in. Pure Aggression lived up to its name and had an Exhorder vibe to it, a band I was reminded of a few times through the set.

Adrian Carloss, their lofty singer, who also provided lead guitar, switched between death, shouty and clean vocals well and presented the tunes with a spiteful look in his eyes. With his BC Rich bass, facial hair and stance, Colin Brown was a double for DD Verni of Overkill. Rhythm guitarist, K Berry, was a muscle-fest covered in tattoos whilst at the back John Rae held down the beats.

512 with its piano intro and Subvert with Fear Factory beats added variety to the set and a second cover, this time of Reign In Blood closed the set. At twelve songs long their set was a bit lengthy and a lot to take in for a first experience of the band, where my preference would be to have been left wanting more. Nevertheless another impressive British band and the Bloodstockers agreed, perhaps one for the Darwin suite at that festival next year.

Pain Control set list:
Words Fall / Davidian / Pure Aggression / Truth / Purity / Liar / Child Love / 512 / Subvert / Masters Of The Sand / Origins Of History / Reign In Blood

Invey commenced a run of three bands also appearing at Bloodstock in September. Whilst not being the type of metal I would usually go for, they certainly grabbed my attention today. I suspect the band would probably shy away from being described as nu-metal, but it`s metal that the current Kerrang generation could go for in a big way if they get the right push.

Frontwoman, and Ex-Vogue model, Claire Natalie is the clear focal point for the band and commands the stage throughout. Her vocals traverse from singing to screaming to shouting and outright barking which is a complete contrast to her sexy breathy and seemingly shy between song banter.

Guitarist Ed Cridland, despite appearing to have no feet to this scribe who`s obviously too old to understand the youth`s fashions, certainly possessed a guitar, which positively roared through songs such as Not Listening and I Take It.

I`m not sure if the energetic style has contributed, but from behind the kit I just recall seeing a pair of massive arms of drummer Ben. Bassist Lee meanwhile sports an image in tune with the bands sound and plays flawlessly throughout. However, I do find at times female fronted bands rely a little too much on the focus on their singer and I felt Lee has the capacity to contribute a bit more energy to the live presentation.

Claire introduces Easy as the bands new single and video and it won`t be a surprise to see this get good rotation on Kerrang and Scuzz TV. In fact, I can`t believe Invey haven`t appeared more prominently in the mainstream metal press yet. Hopefully with the video and certainly if they were to get a support slot with someone like My Ruin, you could imagine them picking up a huge young following. It maybe a clever move however, to continue to play gigs such as this and Bloodstock to pick up a wider fanbase.

Invey set list:
Not Listening / You Don`t Know / This Hurts / Diamond / What You`re Giving To Me / Grind Me / Easy / Release / I Take It / New Heavy

Johan commented that Illuminatus sounded like something Harry Potter might shout whilst casting a spell and with this in mind coupled with a huge delay with monitor problems things did not bode well. However, how wrong could I have been and how well worth it was waiting for the monitors to be sorted.

To put a reference on them, although I am a fan of Anathema I always preferred them before they dropped the heavier aspects. Well this is where Illuminatus have arrived to save the day. Opener Emotion Sickness immediately had me drifting back to the Cavanagh brothers more metal days with its contrasts between heavy and light. Julio Taylor`s vocals neatly mirroring the fragility of the goth tinged sections and turning to a roar as the music reached a crescendo.

Despite me thinking they were doing a cover of Anathema`s Restless Oblivion when they commenced White Lies, Illuminatus aren`t just a copy band. Dave Crosby`s keyboards add a further prog dimension to their sound and at times the often over looked God Machine sprung to mind.

Illuminatus deal more in soundscapes than straight forward traditional songs, which follow an emotional rollercoaster ride. Jon Martin is clearly a very talented guitarist as evidenced by his poignant guitar refrains and leads. Whilst the tightness of rhythm section of Felix Rulhussen and Mark Freestone would suggest they have been playing together for some time.

A cover of For Whom The Bell Tolls caused a slight dip in the set for me as I actually preferred to hear Illuminatus own material, however it did point to an apparent Metallica influence in their own sound. Taylor`s occasional between song twiddling of a Radiohead riff would suggest inspiration beyond the metal scene and I would have been more keen to hear the "Illuminatusization" of something of that ilk.

Ejector Seat closed the set to a rapturous response. They were the clear band of the day for me and in fact I texted a friend at the end to advise him not to miss them at Bloodstock.

Illuminatus set list:
Emotion Sickness / Suburban Symmetry / No Title / Solitude / White Lies / For Whom The Bell Tolls / Ejector Seat

Panic Cell were the only band I`d actually heard before but that was only the track Save Me on a Powerplay compilation. The video for which has been enjoying good rotation which comes as no surprise as it`s one hell of a strong tune and sparks a lot of recognition when it appears tonight.

What we may have here maybe Britain`s answer to Soil and Drowning Pool. Certainly not nu-metal, but neither are those two bands, this is modern day metal equal inspired by Pantera`s brutality and the knowledge that the song is king.

Luke Bell, complete with one of the maddest beards in rock, ably balances between uncompromising yet tuneful vocals, which are sweetened in the chorus` by guitarist Kelly Downes backing vocals.

Downes and Harj Virdee`s guitars are massive throughout, none more highlighted than on the colossal riff off Shallow which once again, yes, gives way to a big, big chorus. Meanwhile the title track of Panic Cell`s debut album Bitter Part Of Me sees bassist Bobby Town and drummer Lee Turner leading the charge.

Panic Cell chose to cover Slayer`s Dead Skin Mask, though I`ve lost where in the set it made it`s welcome presence. I do however remember the pace being turned up for closer The End, complete with a blistering guitar solo.

I think for many Panic Cell stole the honours of the day and once again Bloodstock eagerly beckons.

Panic Cell set list:
Damn Self Pity / Nothing / Shallow / Bitter Part Of Me / A Thousand Words / Save Me / Dead Skin Mask / Away From Here / The End

I don`t know where to start with Monsterworks. In fact I don`t know whether I understood or liked them. I doesn`t help that my notes were becoming a bit illegible at this stage, however I do recall hearing that these guys had relocated from New Zealand which is possible why I had written hobbit next to the word singer!

At times the pace of their songs brought to mind Strapping Young Lad but I just couldn`t get my head round the beyond high pitch vocals and wasn`t picking any tunes up to grab me either, though that could have been the sound which was probably the poorest of the night.

I would be interested to check these guys out again having heard something beforehand, but for tonight it just wasn`t happening for me.

Monsterworks set list:
Latro Praelium (Intro) / Rogue / Insolence / Supermental / Prime Directive / Barricade / Timebomb / Body Of Fortress / Venom Of God / Shatterer Of Words

Motorheadache closed the festival and not being a big fan of Motorhead they didn`t really do much for me. The band mix Motorhead covers such as Bomber & We Are Motorhead with covers of bands who have covered Motorhead such as Metallica`s Enter Sandman. Lemmy lookalike Rob certainly pulls all the right poses, but after to a day of excellent original British metal and indeed, drinking, my interest wasn`t there for a covers band.

After very mediocre display by an unsigned British band at another recent gig I attended, my faith was restored today in the underground metal scene and to see all these bands for just £5 was an absolute bargain.