Please welcome a new contributor in the More Fuzz team, Nina alias Mrs. PersianThunder. From now on she’ll be reviewing fuzzy gigs in London for More Fuzz, all pictures were also shot by the lady
The Unicorn pub in London consistently showcases new and underground bands for free. It is a small place, and often contains a gaggle of elderly non-musical locals that have even been known to casually sit at the bar doing crosswords whilst black metal bands play full pelt-less than ten meters away. And so it was that on the Saturday of a warm July evening, the locals assembled alongside a roomful of doom, stoner and psychedelic fans that were ready to sample a fresh cut of bands.
March The Desert
March the Desert have great musical ideas, but their song structure and general direction dissipate soon after the beginning of each song. Vocalist Sam Grange threw himself around the half empty room, hurling himself onto the ground and putting every ounce of effort he had into delivering an entertaining performance.
The band sounds more coherent live than on their more recent release, where the mix is a little out-of-time and underproduced. If you do decide to check them out, skip their new material and head straight for their first release. Grange’s vocals sound a lot stronger without effects and the overall sound of the band is a lot less oversaturated. “Desert” was by far the best song of their set, and contained the most structure. The band have potential, but need to work on their overall songwriting skills in order to make the most of their musical ideas.
Morag Tong
Morag Tong released a planet-crushingly heavy debut EP earlier on in the year and have begun playing shows around the London circuit. The band stood out among the rest that night and especially impressed as a tight, single unit that hadn’t stuck to any overdone formulas in terms of their sound.
Guitarist Adam Clarke experienced some sound difficulties after the first song as his guitar became a feedback magnet, but the band managed to quickly recover and took the issue in their stride. In-band communication was effective and subtle, with members giving each other intense attention while drummer-vocalist Adam Asquith shrieked ominous lyrics into his microphone.
The band makes great use of dynamics to create an epic sense of scale, making the riffs sound wider than a distant horizon. Guitar pedals littered the stage, and the band clearly worship their gear as their guitar tone was fat, rich and filthy. Guitarist Lewis Crane used an EBow a fantastical metallic twanging sound during an instrumental that made the whole room sound like it was a spaceship breaking up in the atmosphere of an inhospitable planet. It is mightily impressive that the band already had new songs to play live, and their sound is already evolving and improving. Morag Tong will go far.
Prisa Mata
Prisa Mata filled the room with groove, pounding drums and echoing screams in the vein of a Conan tinged Weedeater. The band put on a solid performance and filled the packed room with incredibly loud riffs. A girl was seen clutching her hears with her mouth wide open for a good minute whilst adjusting to the impact of the band. Prisa Mata released a split EP with Fuckjar in March.
Deadwound
Deadwound are a very new outfit comprised of members from Bast, Minoa and Silent Front. The band sounded a lot like a slightly slower but less miserable Conan with rough, wailed vocals. The band also heavily resemble Sea Bastard in terms of their sound, it will be interesting to see what they produce in the coming months. For now they gave a tantalizing performance that held the attention of the room for the entirety of their set.
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