Editor’s note: Amy reviewed Burden of the Noose and By Any Means in Portsmouth. Sheggs reviewed Raging Speedhorn in Leeds with By Any Means and Stoneghost opening.
This evening I had the chance to see a band I haven’t seen since I was a teenager and I jumped on that chance! Raging Speedhorn are a band that bring back happy and somewhat hazy memories of nights spent in the long gone but never forgotten rock and metal venue Bradford Rios. A place where I made lifelong friends and even met my husband to be!
Well, that aside, back to the gig! Whilst initially a quiet start to the night, The first band Burden the Noose certainly livened things up pretty quickly! Having jumped onto the tour at the last minute due to Stoneghost pulling out with a band member injury, Burden immediately got everyone’s attention with their brand of dirty sludge metal from the Midlands. I can honestly say I was not disappointed. An exuberant performance, with lots of motion and action. The music was great, Andy Barraclough on vocals astounding and Dirty Von Arse on bass kept the heavy riffs coming.
After a quick changeover between bands, By Any Means came out screaming! Hardcore at its finest, with Micky Higgins leading the way by launching onto a monitor speaker, launching said speaker towards my lens and himself nearly over the shoulders of a somewhat surprised fan! I can happily say I dodged, I lived to tell the tale, and got a nice hug after the show, with Mickey checking I was all in one piece (I am!). Based in Northern Ireland, these guys describe themselves as epitomising hardcore and they certainly proved it at the gig this evening. I can honestly say that between each photo I enjoyed every second of the raw energy these guys had on stage tonight.
Check out Sheggs’ review of the headliners. All photos by Amy of CE Photography.
