with HYMN and Satisfaction
Reviewed by Chris Swirles
I arrived at the venue unfashionably early to a small crowd already gathering at the entrance. My first observation was that at the tender age of just 35, I was significantly older than every other attendee at the gig. Regardless, there was a palpable excitement in the air and people were discussing the night’s line-up with bated breath, 3 bands which I had never seen before and had little to no knowledge.
Once the doors eventually opened (it wouldn’t be a real gig if it wasn’t running at least 15 minutes behind schedule would it?) Satisfaction (I assume a nod to the Rolling Stones classic) took the stage and woke the room up with a lively rendition of The Beatles’ Get Back.
I should have taken the hint from the guitarist’s flared jeans that the band had heavy 60s influences, this shone through as the band performed a set of both covers and originals all with their own stripped-back, psychedelic sound, booming bass, jangly guitar and seemingly a young Keith Moon at the back keeping a tight metronome.
Up next were HYMN. This was their first gig, but you wouldn’t know it watching them play as they have the confidence of a band that has been performing together for years. A booming bass with driving drums opened up the set, followed by the heavily distorted grungey guitar and emotional vocals delivered in a seemingly disinterested tone. Grunge, Midwest Emo, Post-Hardcore and Shoegaze influences all combine seamlessly to create HYMN’s sound.
If I heard this band on a cassette tape, I would swear it is taken directly from the 1990s, and that’s no bad thing. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for these guys going forward.
Finally, Vertigo Flowers were up. The room was filled with a dreamy, atmospheric guitar and the crowd moved towards the stage, you could taste the excitement in the room from this group of teenagers, and quite frankly, I’ve never felt so old.
Once enough anticipation was in the air the band smashed into a set of covers and originals all with a teenage angst that I was accustomed to 20 years ago. The band’s distorted rhythm guitar was supported by a lead guitarist with a seemingly endless array of effects pedals creating a sound that could easily be the 3-way love child of Hell is for Heroes, Deftones and Killing Joke.
Halfway through the set it was announced “Right, we’re going to move on to some heavier stuff now” and they weren’t wrong. After a few slightly more aggressive tracks (including a rowdy rendition of Deftones’ Be Quiet and Drive) the band changed gears once more and played a collection of more mellow tracks with more of a shoegaze vibe.
I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting from the night, but as I have eluded to already, the bands filled me with a sense of nostalgia. Hearing each band have it’s own strong influences from the past, putting their own twist on them, and then throwing it out there for a new generation to enjoy was great to see, be it Satisfaction’s love of 60s Psychedelia, HYMN’s 90’s Post-Grunge feel or the early 2000’s Nu-Metal vibes of Vertigo Flowers.
One thing I can be sure of is if this is what the kids are listening to these days, the future of music is definitely in good hands.
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