PDHM / Needleye / Swetbox / Djevara
1 August 2004
The Borderline, London
"How did they manage this?" some of you may be thinking. Two gigs on the same day?! Well, prior to Rockers Digest`s appointment with Twisted Sister the same day, we spent the afternoon at The Borderline, at the first of two gig by the same four bands. From 3pm there was an all ages show, with the same line-up performing an over 18s show in the evening. A very bright idea and a great way for younger fans to get a chance to attend a gig.
Djevara were up first and appeared to have drawn a contingent of younger fans. The band`s focal point is the confusingly named Bass, as he sings and occasionally plays guitar, who is a dreadlocked bundle of energy. Although not as rap based, the reoccurring comparison that kept coming to mind was Rage Against The Machine, perhaps more to do with Bass` voice than any Tom Morello riffing. Having said that the band certainly packs a groove and got a good few nodding along with the likes of Play With Fire.
Given the venue today, Meanwhile South Of The Border is an appropriate song and prior to it Bass demands that some dancing occurs which sparked some frenzied moshing from the very young crowd. Finally for Snapshot, Bass is mixing it up with them in the pit before falling to the floor.
On this showing Djevara are certainly worth keeping an eye on and have a new album out called God Is White.
Djevara`s Set List:
Child In Armour / Play With Fire / Greed N Mercy / Black Boy / Meanwhile South Of The Border / Snapshot
Swetbox seem so focused on their visual presentation they seem to have forgotten about the songs. The whole band are decked out in white looking like they`ve arrived here from a lunatic asylum via a killing spree. A doll and severed hand hangs from vocalist Vivid Angel`s mic stand, whose hair is as red as the fake blood smeared across drummer Wrathboy`s chest.
Guitarist Jrok would not look out of place in System Of A Down or Mudvayne with spiked sideburns projecting out at right angles from his face. Take away the vocals and musically they`re not that far removed from those two bands oddball leanings, but add the vocals back in and it`s a bloody racket.
I`m sure the point is that Vivid Angel isn`t supposed to be in tune, but her shouting becomes quite annoying quite quickly and it`s a relief that during The Elements, she gives up on singing and instead showers us with sparks from an angle grinder. The kids didn`t seem too bothered either as a large group of them left mid-way through the set.
Some of Swetbox`s Set List:
Selfish / Innocent & Pure / Me N`My Finger / Leave It Up To The Bitch / Ridicule / The Elements / Face Off
Needleye were the only band I`d seen before, which was nearly two years ago supporting Prong. My recollection of that gig was that I thought, a) they needed a drummer and b) they needed more hooks in their songs. Well as a constant flow of drums occurred on to the stage prior to their appearance it was apparent a) had been fulfilled, and was verified completely when Jair Diaz machine gun drumming drilled through opener Bleed.
On the second point, previously the band were chained to a drum machine with the samples taking precedence over the actual songs. Now, as evidenced on new song Deadskin Inside, they appear to provide garnish to a more organic sound.
With the use of samples and the precision riffing of James Howard and Mike Fletcher, comparison`s are obviously going to be made with Fear Factory, however, the band veer from at times grinding like Desensitized-era Pitchshifter to a death metal onslaught. Vocalist Duncan Wilkinson`s brutal vocal delivery is at times reminiscent of a more brutal Rob Flynn and he certainly was not shirking on performance even at this early hour.
Needleye Set List:
Bleed / Discharge / Deadskin Inside / The Fear / Cut Myself (A New Hole To Fuck) / Drain / Harmful Apology
PDHM were nothing short of a revelation today. Right from opener Burning Inside their infectious brand of groove laden metal demanded the attention of all present. Lee Kent`s fluid yet ferocious riffing is up front and in your face throughout and it made a pleasant change to hear a guitar with such clarity.
The band features two singers, with a more hardcore shouty approach from Alistair McGee which plays off well with the melodic vocals of Stuart McGee. Stage front is a constant hive of activity from the pair of them with Kent and bassist Tony Hopkins staying well out of their way, most likely to not get knocked over. Stuart is the real jewel in this band and possesses an amazing voice which at times brought to mind Life Of Agony`s Keith Caputo. His passionate delivery provides the hooks in the songs, which is something PDHM are certainly not short of.
In comparison to the rest of the set, Closure presents a slightly more laid back approach, not dissimilar to Stone Sour, and provides a good break in the set. Elsewhere, at times they border on hardcore, but never without melody and occasionally reminded me of another promising British act Panic Cell.
This was certainly a very professional performance and by right`s PDHM should be stepping up a level very soon.
PDHM Set List:
Burning Inside / Count Your Blessings / Fallen From Grace / Closure / Changing Times / As Good As Dead / 8 Ways / Distractions / Hell Frozen Over
LINKS:
PDHM
Needleye
Swetbox
Djevara
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