65 Days of Static, Kong at the Oxford Academy.

It was an instrumental sort of night in Oxford last week but not the sort of instrumental music you can sit down and relax to. No this is the sort of instrumental music that makes you want to punch people in the throat one minute and weep with lonely sorrow the next. This is the sort of music 65 Days of Static and Kong make.

Kong were the first band I saw of the night and I must admit I had never heard them before so I wasn't really sure what to make of them. At first glance they look utterly ridiculous dressed all in red wearing those super freaky see through clown masks, this band clearly like their theatrics. Kong sounded like 65 days younger angrier sibling following the same instrumental route but favoured disjointed, messy riffs compared to the more refined 65 days approach.

In difference to 65 Days Kong had included vocals which were at some points better suited to a punk metal gig which lead to a few confused and slightly scared looks from some of the crowd, clearly not expecting such a viscous noise. Kong is a particularly apt name for this band and their powerful, primal and sometimes scary noise. Plus they are clearly fucking insane.

With song names like Blood of a Dove and Whet Your Knives you know Kong are out to intimidate, frighten and bludgeon your ear drums into submission. If you are a fan of 65 Days slightly harder material I strongly recommend looking this band up.

This is Kongs video for Leather Penny, probably says more than I ever could.



And so with Kongs visceral noise still bouncing around my skull 65 Days of Static took to the stage. In my opinion this band is a musical equivalent of an excellent shag. They tease the listener with tantalising instrumental opening that slowly become more and more powerful before exploding into a glorious orgy of crashing guitars, pounding drumbeats and harmonious synths.

They played through a collection of new and old songs and my two personal favourites Retreat! Retreat! and the near on perfect Radio Protector. If you have never heard this band before they are fully instrumental and let their musical talent do all the talking for them. This is good honest instrumental rock with a hefty dose of emotion thrown into the mix. They are a joy to watch live and my only regret is that I'm yet to see them at a festival because I imagine watching them teamed with a spectacular light show would probably reduce me to a weeping mess. Here's Radio Protector and I honestly think no one can dislike this song.

Rinoa, While She Sleeps, Hold To This and Sons of the Sand.

Rinoa said a final farewell to their fans this year as they gigged for the last ever time with support from While She Sleeps, Hold To This and Sons of the Sand. This time they brought their savage noise to The Croft in Bristol.

The venue itself was pretty basic, the best sort of environment for this sort of gig. There was also a local Grindcore/Death Metal mini festival playing on the other stage downstairs which attracted an interesting mix of two scenes for each gig.

So after nearly walking into the wrong gig I made my way to watch the first band on the bill, Sons of the Sand, in a room only about twice the size of my living room. These guys weren't your typical hardcore band they had slightly more melody and included long instrumental sections throughout their songs. However they did leave in the harsh vocals to my delight.

Hold To This are a more traditional example of hardcore. Think heavy riffs laced with snarling punk vocals rather than screaming. They were an excellent choice to follow Sons of the Sand because they were slightly more energetic and woke me up a bit. The lead singer had all the right attitude and swagger for a up and coming hardcore band and spent most of the gig in the crowd starting pits and shouting in peoples faces. In a slightly more touching moment one of the people on the receiving end of this treatment was the lead singers dad who then got a little kiss on the cheek after the song. Awww.




Probably my favourite band of the night While She Sleeps rolled out with all the dramatics and arrogance of a hardcore metal band picking up momentum within the current scene. These Sheffield metalers know how to entertain and perform a solid set. All 5 members of the band thrashed around the stage, jumped up and down for the entire set clearly still keen to be recognised as the next name in metal. I like this though there is nothing worse than a band playing energetic music and staying still. The band played through pretty much all of their début album 'The North Stands For Nothing' and judging by their performance these guys should expect good things to happen. By the way be careful if you fancy google imaging these guys you might get a graphic surprise if your safe search is off.

Finally Rinoa took the stage for one of their last ever shows and they performed with all teh emotion and power of a band wishing to end on a particularly high note. For anyone not familiar with Rinoa they sound more like the first band on rather than While She Sleeps and sometimes some songs sound similar but you can't ignore their talent. Arguably more instrumental than vocal orientated this is more rhythmic hardcore. When the vocals do kick in however they had such an abrasive harshness I did actually wonder if the lead singer had damaged his vocal cords. So after performing a blistering set Rinoa said a last emotional goodbye to Bristol and left the stage to a rapturous applause.

Why everyone should go to at least one metal gig in their lifetime.

So metal, not everyone's favourite genre of music as it's often associated with church burnings and goat sacrifices. However hopefully by the end of this post you'll realise it's not all about covering yourself in the blood of a virgin and dancing around a satanic pentagram.

I can remember my very first metal gig which constituted of a selection of local bands from the Oxfordshire area playing in a very dingy village hall in my home town. I was reasonably apprehensive as I heard rumours of 'pits' and 'hardcore dancing', both of them involving kicking the fuck out of anyone near you. I put my fears behind me and went along anyway and was pleasantly surprised as there were certain unwritten codes of conduct for this sort of behaviour.

1. You don't have to 'pit'- The pit tends to open up but if you're not feeling particularly violent you can just take a few steps back away from the carnage and appreciate the band without getting the sole of someone's shoe imprinted on your forehead.

2. People look out for you - If you do get brave and fancy a bit of a brawl but the worst happens and you find yourself square on your back while you look up at what looks like a riot you usually find many hands grabbing you and pulling you back to your feet. How thoughtful.

3. The no bullshit policy - Chances are if you go in the pit you know you could get the odd fist to the chin/nose but luckily if this happens most of the time the music will stop and everyone goes their separate ways, with no need for any more conflict. Obviously this isn't always the case and you do get the odd person losing their mind a little.




Some other pretty excellent things about metal gigs are some of, what I can only describe as, 'events'. The first one being a circle pit where parts of the crowd decide to run around in a huge circle before a particularly heavy beatdown. These look pretty skill when you're watching them and are even more fun to be in. I was part of one of the largest Gallows had ever seen at Hevy festival which I'm reasonably proud of.



The second and arguably the most dangerous is a wall of death. This is where the lead singer often asks the crowd to split into two and on his count, and often when the tune reaches almost holy savagery, asks the crowd to charge face first into each other. Now I love metal and most things about it but there are some things I draw the line at and re-enacting Braveheart scenes at gigs is one of them, it's a pretty messed up concept to say the least but they do look pretty sweet from a far.

But above all the best thing is the energy, whether it's singing/screaming/guttural croaking the best lyrics with your friends (my Architects and Norma Jean chums will know all about this) or simply watching a band throw down to the highest calibre on stage other gigs rarely come close. Another fun part of these gigs is where the lead singer of most metal/hardcore bands get involved with the crowd instead of performing behind a wall of Goliath body guards which adds a nice personal touch. Now if only Eva Spence of Rolo Tomassi did that some more....

So yea, go and throw down or just stand and watch, either one is rad.