Kylesa/Hark/Skeleton

The Joiners, Souhtampton

Bournemouth based stoner doom crew Skeleton opened the proceedings and floor me with how much they have progressed since I saw ’em last at Venomfest. Much tighter and more practiced, they put in a very good turn. The songs sound huge and it’s a shame that the majority of the crowd haven’t arrived yet as they would have gained some new fans.

Skeleton 1–2–3–4–5

Next up were the super heavy riffs of Hark! Fronted by ex-Taint guitarist Jimbob Isaac. The power trio proceeded to pulverise the slightly growing crowd, wielding gigantic bonecrushing riffage like demolition experts. Isaac beckoned the audience forward but people still stayed a good 10 foot from the stage. This didnít please him and he proceeded to give everyone an evil glare, making the crowd even less inclined to step forward. This makes the music more intense and actually adds to the atmosphere in the venue. One word – massive.

Hark 1–2–3–4

Kylesa 1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9

For eleven years now, Kylesa have been touring their socks off, building a reputation as an intense live outfit. They took to the stage with minimum fuss and belted out their sludgey progressive metal with unbridled ferocity. Kylesa play the music THEY want to play they are not interested in pandering to the poplar metal charts. So their lengthy songs of intricate guitar work and drumming doesn’t appeal to everyone and that is in evidence by the poor turnout on a Thursday night. That didn’t stop the rest of us enjoying an excellent show. Towering riffs bigger than skyscrapers pummel the Joiners crowd and mystical eastern melodies snaking around crunching metal hooks was the order of the night. The two drummers were giving out almost tribal rhythms and the use of a Theremin by the guitarist Philip Cope added to the surreal sound emanating from the stage. At the encore Laura Pleasant crouched down with her guitar to a vast array of pedals and proceeded to twist and turn knobs, press buttons to produce a sonic crescendo of a finale.
Top bands, Top gig.

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Words, videos, and photos by Dan O’Gara.