The search for the next band to represent the London area at Bloodstock Open Air 2020 goes on at The Unicorn pub in Camden. Last Sunday, four more bands competed for two places in the upcoming quarter finals.
Thetragon were the first on stage. Despite having great music to showcase, unfortunately that didn’t reflect as much as I’d like to have seen in their performance, with some noticeable discomfort being noticeable on stage. Those who’ve seen my previous gig reviews should know already that one of my pet peeves are static musicians who simply play away their music without putting on a bit of a show and who look uninterested… and unfortunately some members of the band were a bit guilty of this.
When I go to a gig and I don’t know the bands playing I tend to not look them up so I have no expectations and Nautilus really surprised me with their set. Their sound shows different influences from some well known cult bands without ever sounding too close to those bands and keeping their own identity. Without having to jump around the stage or doing any sort of acrobatics they manage to put on a good show and each song followed the previous one beautifully.
I love a bit of grind. Grind is love. There is something quite satisfying about infantile jokes and complete nonsense of the genre. Total Consumption delivered on everything that the genre is known for with some catchy riffs, fast blast beats, and songs about phalluses, vaginas, and even Madeleine McCann. The singer is also a bass player in one of the bands that competed last year, Detoxen, and in his performance in that band he had exactly the kind of stage presence that I was hoping for. Good mood and silly jokes all around, nothing but a good time.
Last but certainly not least was Opensight, who took the stage with the energy and confidence of a well-seasoned band. In terms of stage performance they pulled all the stops and offered something worthy of a world touring band playing the bigger venues. Their sound reminded me slightly of The Mars Volta and Fantômas, a great combination of influences that results in something great to hear and that keeps you guessing what you’re getting on the next song.
In the end the votes of the public and the jury decided that the bands making it to the quarter finals would be Nautilus and Opensight. Congratulations to both bands. Metal 2 the Masses will be back at The Unicorn tonight with 10 Gauge, Hot for Doom, MIND and Thrasherwolf who will also be competing for 2 spots at the quarter finals.
Photos by Luis Rodrigues. Additional pics (below) by Shotison Media
Thetragon: facebook | soundcloud
Nautilus: facebook | instagram
