8 February 2020 at The Crowbar
At the new Crowbar (indoors at the Brightside) we hide in a sold out crowd away from the rain that we have been wishing for months. Beginning the evening with local lads The Royal Artillery, featuring Zed Charles on vox & guitar, Storm & Elijah from Chassm on drums & bass respectively. I have witnessed other “forms” of the Artillery but genuinely enjoyed this evenings offerings. With an eclectic blend of blues that made love to a sludge metal rock fuzz muff, thus was born The Royal Artillery. Catch them again on the 22nd February at The Outpost & then in Melbourne at the Bendigo in May. There are words floating around that there will be an album this year – stay tuned, they get you swaying.
The Royal Artillery Facebook (Side note Chassm are playing the Beardo Friday 14th February)
This being the first time I have seen Death by Carrot & not only do I like carrots but after tonight I must say I really enjoy the Death of them as well. The 4 piece consisting of 2 guitars, acoustic bass & drums with all members contributing to the vocal cacophony of sounds & quite pleasant they are too. The self-proclaimed stoner rock has vibes of Hillbilly blues with a bit of Hendrix & Purple thrown into the mix. Interesting & enjoyable – catch them before they leave the patch & head off on a tour round Oz. Their next gig before they leave QLD will be at Banshees Bar in Ipswich – its FREE – so just get yourselves there you won’t be disappointed.
North Carolinians Corrosion of Conformity hit the stage in an ear blast of bass & sludge hard rock. Born originally in 1982 with several reincarnations & albums it was definitely a flash back. After the recent passing of one of the founding members, their drummer, Reed Mullin the evening had a special potency. Tribute was given by lead singer & guitarist Pepper Keenan & the crowd responded with heart felt enthusiasm. The set consisted of classics such as Heaven’s Not Overflowing & Albatross from the 1994 album Deliverance. Poignant for these times, especially for our fellow Americans, Vote with a Bullet from the earlier album Blind from 1991 & another highlight was Who’s Got the Fire from 2000’s America’s Volume Dealer. If my eardrums had anything to say about it this morning was they definitely have the strongest volume I have been dealt in years. It was an entertaining evening, clarity of sound would’ve personally made it more enjoyable, but it is great to see a sold out venue to celebrate part of Heavy Rock History. Back in the day Brisbane was often overlooked for such heavy alternative acts & now I am forever grateful that we are on the map & the supporters show their appreciation. COC are off to Sydney this week so catch them if you can – as Pepper said “life is short” so get to ALL the GIGS!
Corrosion of Conformity Facebook
Line-up: Corrosion of Conformity, Death by Carrot & The Royal Artillery
Reviewer: Tina Summers