Every so often, you need a bit of filth in your life. So leave it to Simon Neil and Mike Vennart in the form of Empire State Bastard to deliver that needed filth. But listening to their recent debut album, it sounds like they need the filth, too. It’s a blast of pent-up aggression and catharsis, very much removed from their day job of Biffy Clyro but it’s patently obvious they’ve got the kudos and ability to deliver such a stark difference.
As soft sounds you’d expect to hear in a film noir set in New York City (well, it is the empire state, after all) fill the room, it very much sets the dark and moody atmosphere for what’s to come. And firing straight out the gate by the time the room is comfortably full is Benefits. Loud, dissonant and pissed off at society and the world at large, it blends noise rock with post punk with a brutal sound. There may not be guitars on stage but the dual electronics, who flank the intense Kingsley Hall, create a wall of sound whilst he speaks and bellows his lyrics. He’s also able to verbally spar with audience members who shout at him, whether they’re joking or not, it doesn’t matter as he rolls with it and makes it all the more endearing. It’s obvious where the Middlesbrough band aim their ire and the anger is real. But the authenticity doesn’t stop there – it’s punk at its core, showing their working-class credentials. It’s a short, sharp set which gets us in the mood, the kind of aggression, violence and pointedness on IDLES’ early work and generating the same sort of excitement.
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Empire State Bastard don’t exactly come roaring out of the gate. Mainly because three quarters of them assemble on stage before drummer Dave Lombardo arrives after a lengthy moment. But it’s Dave Lombardo so it’s allowed. Though once they’re all together – the gloves don’t come off. They’re ripped off. Kicking things off with “Tired, Naw?”, the full-blooded version of “Tired, Aye?” (which puts in its own appearance later) is transformed into a new monster. Rather than Simon Neil’s vocals scrapping with Lombardo’s battering ram-like drums, there’s now a full force backing Neil and instead of the two elements fighting, it’s now the four of them working together to deliver an eviscerating performance.
Which is exactly what they do over the course of the hour. Playing everything from Rivers of Heresy as well as a few other songs entitled “The Blues”, “Corpse in the Chateau” and “Sold!” peppered throughout, the unknowns aren’t introduced with much, if any, fanfare. However, they do sound pretty complete and could be the next set of material we get from the noise rockers. What is prevalent is their faithfulness to the source material when it comes to the debut album. Despite sounding like there’s ten people on stage, there’s a mere four but between them they create a gargantuan racket. In particular, Mike Vennart is simply using one guitar to make up a massive portion of the band’s visceral and filthy sound. Moreover, it’s giving him a chance to shine and show off his guitar prowess to the fullest as it crunches, squeals and grinds against the harrowing drums.
Whilst not strapped to a guitar for a change, Neil doesn’t explore the stage much on a horizontal level. Instead, he plays with verticality, constantly writhing on the spot and contorting himself into strange shapes and scrunching himself as small as possible when delivering his harsh vocals. A true reflection of how they sound on the album, they’re vicious and cut right through the music without eclipsing it. Indeed, it doesn’t sound like he’s pushing himself out of his comfort zone and if he wanted to go further into extreme metal territory, he comfortably could. Interestingly, during the cleaner moments, there’s some tight harmonies from Vennart and bassist Naomi Macleod, which in this genre isn’t all too common but it works to provide light and shade and prevents it becoming too oppressive.
There isn’t a sense that this band are interlopers into the noise rock scene and whilst some people in attendance are here because the band are a curiosity, the majority of the room are here for a legitimate love of the genre as well as this band and their incredible album. Lombardo’s presence isn’t to lend legitimacy to this and it never feels like a vanity project. This is an explosion unleashed on a willing and knowing crowd. It’s a sonic assault that refuses to let up and shouldn’t be used as a gateway band to explore the nastier sounds a guitar can make. With an exciting debut year almost behind them, it’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for them and if there is more material on the horizon, hopefully it’s on the same high par with what we already have.
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Photos by Gareth Young
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