Gig review: Therapy? - Infernal Love Tour, Northumbria University, 27/02/16

Therapy? - Infernal Love Tour, Northumbria University, 27/02/16

Much like the subject of today's review, I don't like repeating myself. I wrote a glowing review of Therapy? last time they graced my hometown, so I'm going to have to think of a fresh approach which doesn't rely on me heaping praise on a band you've never heard of in a vain attempt to sound clever. Let's face it, that's all I ever really do since I rarely go see bands that I don't like. Having ran out of superlatives in my last review of a Therapy? gig in Newcastle, I'll try to keep this one objective, factual and brief. Here are some facts, most or which relate in some way to the events of Saturday 27^th February:

• I love Therapy? They've been there for me through every major event of my life since I was 15 and their name works on more than one level for me. I have a tattoo of their logo on my arm.
• Tonight they were playing their 1995 album Infernal Love from start to finish, as part of an ongoing 20-year celebration. It's a fan favourite these days, having been largely unappreciated on release.
• While Troublegum was the album which stole my heart, Infernal Love was the first one I bought.
• This makes me feel old.
• I met some friends in Trillians before the show. Drinks were downed. We moved on to The Five Swans by mistake.
• The Five Swans was full of posh looking, extremely rude students who were dressed like they had just returned from a fox hunt or Tory conference. And people watching rugby.
• 'Hunt' rhymes with the word I used to describe them. Realising our mistake, we left in search of food (two drinks later).
• The kebab wraps in Munchies are spectacular and I wish I had another one right now.
• The venue was worryingly empty when we arrived.
• Opening band The Membranes didn't play terribly well, were let down by some questionable sound, but were more interesting than 90% of the other punk bands of their era. More cerebral than snotty, their influence on Therapy? is obvious.
• With the absolute minimum amount of fucking about, Therapy? played Infernal Love from start to finish.
• It was glorious.
• 'Me Vs. You' is an incredibly sinister piece of music and they should play it more often.
• Their 'encore' was an entire set of other songs, starting with 'Still Hurts', taking in 'Potato Junkie', 'Tides', 'Teethgrinder', 'Helpless, Still Lost', and 'Screamager' among others on the way to a resounding 'Nowhere'.
• Jumping up and down on the spot is fucking exhausting.
• I can't sing but that doesn't stop me from trying.
• Two days later, my actions of the night of the 27^th are still causing me some pain.
• It is entirely possible that I'm too old for this shit.

Ok, that was easy. I'll try to stay objective from here to the end.

They played impeccably well. Rhythm section Michael McKeegan and Neil Cooper do so much more than simply keep time; the fat bass sound and drumming flourishes add so much to the dark personality Andy Cairns brings to the guitar and vocals. This is a band in top form: tight, precise and clearly still loving being on stage even at this point in their lives. Promising to return to a city they apparently have a lot of affection for, they are grateful to an impressed crowd (which thankfully filled out a lot) and even throw in a cover of The Police's 'Message In A Bottle' to say thank you.

It's unlikely that they'll do a tour to celebrate the less loved Semi-Detached album, or any of their subsequent releases for that matter, but if they do you know where I'll be.

I grow weary of this objectivity (not that I did a very good job of it...) . It's my review and I can sound clever with words like hyperbole all I want! Therapy? are untouchable. There's a good reason they remain my favourite band after all these years, and I won't get tired of repeating myself about them. Until next year...

Art vs. Outrage: Phil Anselmo, John Lennon and the half life of controversy

Art vs. Outrage: Phil Anselmo, John Lennon and the half life of controversy

“One ought to be able to hold in one’s head simultaneously the two facts that Dali is a good draughtsman and a disgusting human being.” - George Orwell, Dickens, Dali and Others

Is it possible to dislike what a person stands for, believes in or does, yet still appreciate and enjoy what they produce? Does it(and should it) make it harder to like something if you know that the artist is someone or something you dislike? Can you appreciate talent objectively, with no consideration of whether you like the talented person in question?

Ok, I cheated a bit with the Orwell quote because he apparently didn't approve of Dali's art despite appreciating his talent, but I think the point still stands. My Ipod, in a cunning attempt to test me, played a song by Down the other day. Normally I like Down; a supergroup featuring members of Corrosion Of Conformity (ace), Crowbar (ace), Eyehategod (kind of ace) and fronted by Phil Anselmo of Pantera fame. Anselmo had recently been filmed affecting what appeared to be a Nazi salute and shouting what sounded distinctively like “White power” to the crowd. With this fresh in my memory, it felt distasteful to listen to something Anselmo had performed on and the song was skipped. My liberal sensibilities and conscience appeased, my ego started to nag at me, almost saying “but you like that song. You're allowed to listen to it, even if the singer is apparently a big racist.” By this time I had moved on to another tune and realised that an inner dialogue between conflicting parts of my psyche is probably not healthy while you're out buying teabags and oranges.

To put this into a more relateable context, take the example of John Lennon. I am not a Beatles fan by any stretch, but I can appreciate their influence on popular music and the many artists that followed them. I also appreciate John Lennon's anti-war stances and willingness to use his celebrity to promote peace, however much of a douchebag it made him sound. He was also shot on the day I was born, but that's another story. What isn't remembered or acknowledged about Lennon is that he allegedly had a tendency towards domestic violence among other unpleasant things. Like Anselmo's apparent racism, this is abhorrent and inexcusable behaviour. But is this forgotten because of Lennon's lingering cultural legacy, or simply because he's dead? Should you think of a bruised Cynthia Lennon every time you hear 'Imagine'? Should I think of a burning cross every time I listen to Pantera's 'Fucking Hostile'?

Not a Beatles fan? We'll take a look at some other examples of moral and legal crimes: Jimmy Page, according to Led Zeppelin biography Hammer Of The Gods (Stephen Davis, 1985), had a relationship with 14 year-old Lori Maddox; singer Chris Brown was charged with assaulting Rihanna in 2009; Tupac Shakur was awaiting sentencing for sexual assault at the time of his death; Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was sentenced to prison for child sex offences; Pete Townsend and Bill Wyman have both been the subject of allegations regarding their sexual preferences; Metallica's James Hetfield apparently likes to shoot animals for fun; James Brown and Ike Turner were famously accused of domestic violence; Eminem has been accused of homophobic attitudes , not to mention domestic violence. Granted being a racist or homophobe, and shooting animals aren't criminal acts per se, but they're the sort of things that anger people and rightly so.

Millions of records sold between them. Millions of hero-worshipping fans around the world, and people inexplicably still buy Chris Brown records. Is it ok for me to dance to 'Get On Up', knowing that Brown may have had his wife's blood on his knuckles when he recorded it? Can I listen to 'Enter Sandman' knowing that my purchase probably contributed to the death of some poor bear. Am I still ok to listen to 'Stan', knowing that the man behind it is promoting backwards attitudes towards gay people? Sadly, I think the answer is yes. Time, it seems, is a great healer for better or for worse. I'll never be a Beatles fan but trying to imagine (pun intended) pop music without their legacy is difficult. Try to imagine the man who wrote 'Twist and Shout' smacking a woman around a hotel room.

Maybe it's the severity of the crime that drives the moral compass away from the record needle. You come across as a racist and people will rightly shun you, ostracise you from the community and as in the case of Anselmo promoters will refuse to have anything to do with you. Good. However if you beat your wife up, they'll make films of your life story and name airports after you. The weight of cultural legacy, it seems, outweighs social concern over treatment of women. Likewise, selling 100 million albums with Metallica means animal rights activists are quickly shouted down by 100 million voices, and being the world's foremost hip hop artist means you can be as homophobic as you like. Does this say more about social attitudes towards women, or did John Lennon just have a better publicist?

Take a look at another medium: director Roman Polanski is wanted for statutory rape in America and would be arrested were he ever to return. Does that dampen my enjoyment of Rosemary's Baby? Not one bit. Orson Welles was by all accounts a monster, particularly towards women; Alfred Hitchcock, a terrible misogynist, depending upon who you ask. Does this stop me marvelling in the artistry of Citizen Kane or Strangers On A Train? Not even slightly.

Does producing memorable art (however you cut it; I'm not getting into an argument about heavy metal being art) outweigh the crimes of the artist? It seems that our desire to be moved and entertained, to be made happy, outweighs our outrage. One thing to learn from these incidents is that generally the less you know about your heroes the better; you find something out about them that you don't like and it's harder to worship them. The example might seem a little trite but watching the Metallica documentary Some Kind Of Monster (Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky, 2004) made me realise that one of my favourite bands in the world is at least 50% comprised of petulant, spoiled, arrogant brats. Does that make me love them any less? No, but I do have to apply a degree of cognitive dissonance to forget who the people are behind the music.

Ultimately, we want to be entertained, or we wouldn't be buying the records to begin with. Personally, I find it difficult to overlook that the work I love may have been created by somebody I would hate, but if it's good enough, if I connect with it on the right level, that of, say, Master Of Puppets or Rosemary's Baby, then I can get over it. It may sound like a cop out, but quality goes a long way: John Lennon, Jimmy Page, James Brown, Pete Townsend are all beloved musicians, talented in their own way, and have made a difference to countless lives. Oddly enough, I haven't had the same moral dilemma when it comes to Lostprophets. Is this because of a 'worse' incident? No, I think it's just that hearing about it made me realise they were shit to begin with. Pantera weren't. For the time being at least, I'll miss the music, but not the man.

Gig Review: Cancer Bats, Newcastle Academy, 26/01/16

“So who are you going to see tonight?” people asked me out of politeness, not really caring bout the answer, half expecting it to be somebody they've never heard of.

I've been sheepishly responding “Cancer Bats,” expecting a twisted face at best, a 'what the fuck is wrong with you?' at worst.

People normally don't have much to say after hearing the name. But the name really shouldn't put people off because the Toronto quartet are gradually repairing a Canadian musical reputation so badly tainted by Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Bieber and Nickelback. They have some work to do.

I had initially dismissed them as a less interesting Every Time I Die; kind of an unnecessary soundalike hardcore band. But I wasn't listening properly and across an impressive career (now on album no. 5) they've grown on me and now tickle my musical taste buds like maple syrup; the southern rock licks, the breakneck riffs the infectious grooves al gel together beautifully. Even the songs I didn't like before are now favourites of mine, such is the infectious energy and positivity these guys throw out at will. And that's the key thing: yes they're aggressive in their delivery but they are never less than positive and optimistic.

Arriving in time for appropriately-titled opening band Incite to close their set with some Pantera/Lamb Of God-like grooves and breakdowns coupled with DM vocals, I saw that the smaller Academy room was a lot fuller than that last time Cancer Bats graced it. Personal tragedy may have curtailed next band Lord Dying but it certainly didn't stop them delivering a set of Crowbar-like sludge with a dash of Slayer's slower, more evil moments. Impressive vocals and some seismic riffing left me impressed enough to buy a CD before they'd even finished. That members of the other bands had to fill in on guitar made for a nice collaborative atmosphere, the kind of thing you want to see at shows like this.

I am a big fan of Woking quintet Palm Reader, rating Beside The Ones We Love as one of 2015's top albums, so I was suitably excited to see them on the bill. Although the guitar players look like two metal heads had wandered in to join a much more hip band, they don't disappoint, delivering a set full of passion and fury, sounding clear and tight throughout their many breakneck tempo changes. Keep it up, lads.

Cancer Bats open with 'True Zero' from recent album Searching For Zero. While the album has grown on me, I wasn't taken with it at first. Production-wise, parts of it sound like the mix is off. The same can be said for the sound tonight, with the opening few tunes sounding a little tinny and thin, with drums way too high in the mix. It's a shame, and a relief when it's fixed because they really do sound good; a road-hardened band who are tight and intense. A band you couldn't imagine phoning it in even for one night. Singer Liam Cromier is an immediately likeable frontman, full of energy and charisma. His voice is better than it used to be, and while he's never going to be the most dynamic singer, it suits the music. He doesn't do 'clean' vocals per se, but his scream has enough personality to make him stand out from legions of similar singers.

Guitarist Scott Middleton is a riff machine of Dimebag Darrell proportions, and while Cancer Bats' songs rarely call for guitar solos, his groove-heavy riffs are rattled out with an easy confidence. It's appropriate that they do a sideline in Black Sabbath covers (Bat Sabbath) because the band mixes the grooves and riffs of Birmingham's finest with the frantic hardcore delivery of Black Flag. That Middleton's riffs on the likes of 'Pray For Darkness,' 'Sorceress' or 'Pneumonia Hawk' don't get lost in the tempo it testament to their quality.

The set gives a fair hearing to all five albums and while they are understandably promoting their new record, the highlights for me are from 2012's brilliant Dead Set On Living. 'Road Sick' and 'Bricks and Mortar' are uplifting and anthemic, while 'Drunken Physics' is as nuts as the title suggests, all tempo shifts and lyrics about the Large Hadron Collider. Such is the confidence of this band, though, that they can throw top tunes like the cathartic 'Rats' (the set closer last time round) and the riff driven 'Hail Destroyer' in mid-set and still have enough killer material left for the end. They mix the tempo up throughout and the value-for-money 19-song set doesn't get dull at any point.

Cromier's stage banter is priceless, stating his affection for 80s stadium botherers Foreigner on several occasions. His enthusiasm is infectious and never wanes, making what could be an angry and aggressive show turn out to be actually a lot of fun, and credit to them for refusing to be po-faced hardcore/metal scenesters. They play Beastie Boys cover 'Sabotage' before ending with catchy new song 'Satellites' before thanking us and buggering off.

So next time anyone scoffs at me for going to see a band with such a ridiculous name, I'll politely explain to them that I probably had a better night than they did.