PRAYING MANTIS
Camden Purple Turtle, London, UK - 5th August 2009
Line-up: Praying Mantis, Fury UK, Core Of Nation
Review by Jon Wilde, (crappy phone) pics by Jon Wilde
I haven't been to the Purple Turtle before. It's always fun investigating new venues and, have to say, the Periwinkle Testudines turned out to be a top place. Big bar, good sized stage, separate areas to get away from the main throng and even toilets that aren't covered in suspicious looking solids and fluids. It's just over the road from Mornington Crescent underground station too which means it's a piece of pie to get to. Okay, the bar staff seemed more interested in having conversations with each other than serving anyone, but that's a small blot on an otherwise good spot.
The attendance was to be fair, pretty rubbish. By the end of the evening the venue had started to fill up, but I doubt it was even halfway to capacity. With tickets only costing a fiver each there's no real excuse for not supporting gigs like this. When the first band, Core Of Nation, came on, it might as well have been in somebody's living room.
Core Of Nation come from Sweden and have a talented but rag-tag selection of members. Bass player Ola looks like a Hell's-Angel-version of Ming The Merciless. He's a skilled string slapper without doubt, but he looks like he needs a bike between his legs and a phaser gun in his hand. Lead singer Kjelle, for whatever reason, reminded me of a goblin. Maybe it was the way he moved or his suspicious facial posturing, but the result brought a big smile to my face.
The sound was okay, although it's stuff you've heard a thousand times before. They were a reasonable opening act, and it's good of them to come over from Scandinavia to flaunt their skills, but I don't think I'd bother going to see them doing a headline set. With better songs, and less lyrics about plagues, I'm sure they'd be great.
Next up was Fury UK. First thing I noticed was their gear on the merchandise stall. Loved the Peter Stringfellow pants and definitely a fan of the branding with a big F, small u.r.y., big UK. The end result looks brilliantly rude and makes their t-shirts and, er, pants hugely memorable.
When the guys strutted on stage they looked like a death metal outfit. Drummer Martin McNee has a beard that would do Rasputin proud. He reminds me of a non-ginger version of Killswitch Engage's Justin Foley. Brothers Chris and Luke Appleton on lead guitar/vocals and bass/backing vocals respectively are no less metal, so it was a surprise when they started playing a heavy bluesy rock 'n' roll... not a double kick drum or downtuned chugging riff to be heard.
They got heavier as they progressed, but rarely to the level I expected and hoped for. Their songs were also reasonably uninspiring - being mostly devoid of monster choruses, memorable hooks or sing along verses. However... Fury UK were still awesome. You know why? Because these guys can play. BIG TIME!!! Martin's drumming was energetic and tight as an ants belly button. Luke, highly reminiscent of early 90's Jason Newsted, had a phat sound and plenty of stage presence.
The real focus though was Chris. He is an absolutely phenomenal guitarist. I struggle to remember the last time I saw someone as quick and skilled as this guy. With all the crazy faces he pulls he's as nutty as a squirrel's Christmas dinner, but his solos were off the scale. Go to the band's MySpace site and listen to their samples and you wouldn't know - the recorded guitars sound as tame as a sleeping chicken - but live this Manchurian shredder is the don. He hasn't got a bad voice either.
I truly hope they record something amazing sometime soon because they deserve songs to match their firepower.
A little later than planned, headline act Praying Mantis came onto the stage. As soon as they started you could hear the quality. Okay, none of them are up there with the man from F.UK, but the songs are in a different league.
Amazingly, the tracks from the new album sounded considerably heavier and better than the older stuff. Not to say the old songs can't hack it anymore because they can, it's just that the tracks from this year's Sanctuary album were a big step ahead. A technical glitch part way in meant the band had to leave the stage for a few moments but, when they eventually came back, it was business as usual.
Because of the late start and forced interval, Praying Mantis didn't get to play a particularly long set but, what there was went down very well. The crowd certainly enjoyed it, even if several of them seemed more interested in standing outside smoking a faaaaaag. Star of the night, though, was Chris from Fury UK. Keep your eye on these guys and see them if you get the chance. You won't regret it.
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