It’s tempting to jump straight to the headliner and start going on about them, but let’s build up to them. I mean, that’s half the fun isn’t it? I got to the venue nice and early to catch up with our photographer Alan (his draft images are on this review now, with the polished ones to follow!) and his lovely wife and friends before wandering around the concourse and bumping into another two Moshville Times-ers, Angela and Johnny. Small world!
As I found my seat, the rapidly-filling arena was enjoying the classic Australian folk song “Absolute Cunt of a Day” by Kevin Bloody Wilson, a little ditty I don’t honestly think I’ve heard since I was last over there about 20 years ago. This was the lead-in to the insane antics of King Parrot, a band as mad as a box of Tasmanian devils.
While we have featured the band before, and heard great reports of their live shows, I’m not otherwise massively familiar with them so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Whatever it was, this thirty minute set exceeded it. An absolute wall of grindcore mental-ness performed by a bunch of Australians who looked like they’d found the hidden stash of Red Bull and necked it all before someone caught them.
Seemingly never stopping moving, they rattled through almost a dozen songs including (if my notes are correct) “Epileptic Butcher”, “Target Pig Elite”, “Shit on the Liver” and their final song “Fuck You And The Horse You Rode In On”. A sizeable number of the enormous crowd seemed to know the band already with a knot near the front going as barmy as the band to every song. I’d been told that they are great in a small venue, but there is no doubting that they can get that energy out in to a big arena as well. It’s a tough gig opening for someone like Pantera, but they did it well.
Having said that… “Sausage rolls”, guys? Really. Sheesh.
Filling the main slot were a band that I know are used to playing on bigger stages. Power Trip lost their vocalist, Riley Gale, only five years ago as the band were really making an impact. Opting to continue after a couple of years, with Seth Gilmore fronting the band, they’ve continued that rise, blasting crowds with crossover thrash and ensuring that the songs Gale helped write get the airing they deserve.
With forty minutes to play with, the played fewer songs than King Parrot, but then Power Trip aren’t a grindcore band… Their chuggy metal sound at times isn’t far away from that of the headliners, enough to tug at your ears and remind you who you’re waiting to see in an hour or so. That’s not to say that Power Trip are derivative, hell no. Their songs stand up pretty damn well by themselves and they definitely got a huge number of the audience warmed up in a friendly, violent fashion.
Circle pits and crowdsurfers were very much apparent within a song or two, and the band very much demanded more movement… and they got it. There was an obviously large number of pre-made fans in the audience who were there to see Power Trip, and the whole place gave a cheer when “Drown” was dedicated to fallen brother Gale. As the following song progressed, it was genuinely spine-tingling to see half the venue headbanging in unison. Quite the sight!
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Anyway. That band. Or half a band. The “cover act” as so many people are calling them. OK, let’s address this gatekeeping elephant before we get onto the review. Pantera are, obviously “half the band they used to be”, but many bands continue without founder or long-standing . To use an extreme example, Queen were pretty much defined by Freddie but they (after some time) toured with guest vocalists. Megadeth is now essentially “Mustaine and friends”. Napalm Death consists of precisely zero founder . The Abbott family gave their blessing to the reunion. Two excellent stand-ins have been recruited. And, frankly, it would be criminal not to have these songs played live again.
Even if it’s taken twenty five bloody years for them to come back and play them.
Phil stated during the set, the last time the band played in Glasgow (indeed pretty much anywhere in the UK outside of a festival appearance that I’m aware of) was on the Far Beyond Driven tour in 1994… however they toured in 2000 as well (Reinventing The Steel tour). Regardless, every time they toured, they played Barrowlands (ing Megadeth in 1992, headlining in 1993 and 1994 … and 2000), so the Hydro is a little bit of a step up in size. Needless to say they absolutely fucking owned it.
The lights went down, the huge banner covering the stage dropped, and lights and flame pots erupted as they kicked off with “A New Level”, “Mouth For War” and “Strength Beyond Strength”. Within seconds of the start, I could see a huge pit in motion, bodies flying and wonderful, wonderful heavy metal chaos everywhere.
“Becoming” and “I’m Broken” led into “Suicide Not Pt. II”, and I couldn’t believe that we were almost halfway through the set already (based on checking out the setlist from earlier gigs). Phil called out to the younger fans and, quite correctly, pointed out that if they’d been listening to Pantera being played by their parents then that meant they’d done something their parents hadn’t… been listening to the band their entire lives. Certainly the young last sat next to me fell into that category!
“Five Minutes Alone” and “This Love” absolutely ripped into the crowd, and are two of my favourite songs anyway. Hearing them live again… oh, man it’s been too long. It’s fair to say, most noticeably at parts in “This Love” that Phil’s voice is definitely rougher than it used to be, and he can’t quite manage the gentler vocals. I’m sure they were playing “Cemetery Gates” on previous dates, and I wonder if this is why it was dropped. This isn’t a complaint, more an observation. Even Jon Bon Jovi and Toby Jepson have had to adjust their older songs as they’ve become older and their vocal ranges have shortened, arguably Phil punishes his throat more with his harsh style!
The simple yet explosive stage set was perfect for what we were witnessing. Two large video screens showing the band and a backdrop with CGI footage, though with occasional breaks such as that during “Floods” when home video footage (I still have those DVDs…) of the Abbott brothers was shown. A great tribute to two musicians that we still sorely, sorely miss.
Backing onto it, the Hydro quite simply erupted when the opening riff to “Walk” flowed from Zakk’s guitar, I suspect the most awaited song of the evening. “Domination” and “Hollow” followed and then… And then… Damn. I still being in rock clubs years ago and hearing the unmistakable opening chug of “Cowboys From Hell” and getting goosebumps. I was sprinting for the dancefloor. It’s not changed. Hell, live it’s magnified a thousandfold. Without a word of a lie, I’m getting tingles as I write this ing the song from tonight!
Many bands (coughSlipknotcough) would have called it a night by now, but these old bastards still had fuel in the engine. “Fucking Hostile” is a song that sticks in my memory as it’s the one that ended the Newcastle show in 1994… and it was only about 5 songs in. The kept tripping the power and after the third or fourth attempt, the band gave up and we all got refunds. Upside: I met all of them outside the venue, had my shirt signed, got my photo with everyone and got into the Manchester gig a couple of nights later for free.
Anyway, it ripped. By now, a lot of the audience were leaving as Phil, Rex and the two hangers-on (I’m kidding, sorry Charlie and Zakk!) were throwing their shit into the audience. But, no! One more song was left! “Yesterday Don’t Mean Shit” from Reinventing The Steel caused a handful to dive back into the venue for a final rager before the night finally actually ended.
It was a cold walk back to the car, but bloody hell was it worth it. I would tell you to make sure you don’t miss any dates but I’m pretty sure they’re all sold out. Who knows, maybe they’ll be back around in a couple of years and we’ll get “By Demons Be Driven”. Or “Good Friends And A Bottle Of Pills”. Or…
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Photos by Alan Swan
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