Metal 2 The Masses, the road to the Bloodstock festival, is back with Circle Pit at The Big Red. Tonight, we see bands who competed in other heats but never managed the votes they deserved. Four bands will play and one will go through to the next round. As usual results are provided 50/50, 50% panel and 50% of the people in attendance of this astonishing metal competition.
So, in the words of LL Cool J, “Don’t call it a comeback, they’ve been here for a while.”
I get here a bit late, well just as the first band start performing. I don’t think TFL (London Underground) knew M2tM was on today as they wouldn’t have decided on engineering works or sorted out the delays. But, bless ‘em, maybe they need to up the prices of travel to help with the work they do.
Punk rockers Lack, of Heat Three, are on first. I arrive as their blistering tune “Therapy” explodes around the Big Red. The three guys play tight and show their comfort in this environment. Those riffs are certainly on the heavy side of metal, with the occasional catchy rock poetry. They blend a set of punk tunes and metal vibes while blasting through tracks such as “Skeletons”, “Damn”, “Everyone” and “Borderline”.
Next are Crusm from Heat Twelve, a grindcore crust band from London and back to perform in front of a swelling crowd of fans who made the trip to see the front man handcuffed to a severed hand as they scream through a set of throatastic vocals, heavy bass, and a kick drum used intensively. The riffs bring out air guitarists in the crowd and this became the enabler for a nice little tentative mosh pit. How can you not love a good old fashioned mosh pit? Crusm would be a superb band to hire for a great divorce party.
Third up are four-piece alternative rockers, Leashes, who played Heat Two of this manic metal cacophony. Their set entailed a high influence of electronic Deftones, with tunes about feminism in “Mother Superior” and protecting the earth giving us “Inside Out” which reminds me a little of Linkin Park. They introduce us to “Sweet Delirium”, “Destroy” and finish their set with “Drowning”. Leashes bring a different sound to the nights event, a nu-metal flow showing their eclectic talent.
Final act of the night are South Londoners Total Consumption, Heat One attendees… Heat One, all that way back when there was no sugar tax. These guys kick it right off even with a few issues with the mic that got sorted straight away. They take the stage to Ric Flair’s entrance theme with, luckily, no “Woooo”s. I wondered why the vocalist was wearing a white paper body suit… until during the beginning of the set, he enticed the crowd to wipe Nutella chocolate all over him while screaming their way through their set.
The Big Red was packed with people listening to these guys. The heavy bass and guitar riffs gave the dwellers the chance to start an all old school moshpit. Tables pushed away from their locations, beer spilling to the floor and the odd person falling on their arse, later helped up, hugged, high fived and allowed to carry straight back on. Total Consumption are worth the chance to see again and witness their Nutella-core music.
The end of the night. Votes are in. Who’s going through to the next round? Your winner of the night is Leashes!
I feel I need to add that during Total Consumption’s performance no other pot of Nutella was harmed this evening. Please remember, Nutella isn’t just for a metal gig… it’s for life.
Photos by Danni Garner
