Tonight's bargain show saw US Grindcore band Graf Orlock play at the hard to find Aatma bar in Manchester's Northern Quarter. Joining them were Manchester's own noise rockers Big Machine and US Hardcore act Ghostlimb. The show saw a good turnout with even a couple of distros selling hard to find vinyl releases!
Manchester based Big Machine make some big sounds despite only being a duo. They stepped in at the last minute after Mums were forced to pull out after losing their pedals. Best of luck to Mums and I hope the pedals are found! Big Machine played a set of high energy Noise Rock with just a drummer and a guitarist, with both adding vocals to the mix. Their guitarist Sacha Zucconi churned out some gnarly screams, whilst drummer Nick Colman would offer a mix of screams and clean vocals. Their short songs were made of jagged twists and turns, leaning towards a Math Rock influence. Nick Colman really stole the show with the most impressive and versatile performance this evening from behind the kit. He was just awe inspiring to watch, with an acrobatic way of playing every part of his kit. The only real downside of their performance were that the guitars and vocals weren't quite mixed loud enough compared to the drums, taking away some of the aggression. Some of the clean parts of theirs songs fell a little flat. Big Machine's sound reminded me of Leeds based Clenstch (who I reviewed earlier in the year), as well as Shellac and The Hyena Kill. 8/10.
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Travelling all the way from California to play a bargain show were Ghostlimb, a Melodic Hardcore trio featuring the guitarist of headliners Graf Orlock. Ghostlimb channeled a lovely balance between more Extreme Screamo/Hardcore combined with a pinch of old school American Punk Rock. The trio were full of good riffs, though the gravelly screaming vocals could have benefited from a more varied tone. Ghostlimb weren't quite as crazy as the two bands they were sandwiched between, but were still enjoyable enough and could give their songs oomph when required! 7/10.
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Our headliners Graf Orlock hail from Anaheim, California. Graf Orlock's trademark is to combine lightning fast, spazzed out Grindcore, punctuated by samples from cult films to introduce each track. The quartet successfully implemented the film samples in a live environment, through the use of a sampler. The way the band would kick in to mad bursts of grind all in unison at the perfect moment was a sheer joy to watch and got the crowd's energy raised. Since there were some sound issues across the whole night, the backing vocals from the guitarist were much louder than their frontman, but he still managed to command the stage, often spilling out into the mosh pit and crowdsurfing. Their frontman had a really raw, throat shredding scream. Graf Orlock's songs were frequently noisy and unpredictable, injecting a sharp sense of humour as they bantered with the crowd. Their performance was suitably brief but very intense, with lots of energy. Graf Orlock come across as the kind of act that Grindcore purists might scoff at, but their live show cannot be denied, as they are simply a lot of fun and know how to have a great time! 8/10.
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August 9th 2016 @ Aatma, Manchester.
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