Saint Vitus
Live review at Relentless Garage, London, with Mos Generator and Witchsorrow, Sunday 17th March 2013
Words and photos by Antony Roberts
The Garage brought shelter from the gloomy rainy Sunday for doom fans this weekend yet London decided to be fashionably late. Witchsorrow took to the stage with roughly 40 people spaced out inside it’s large interior. Opening with “Aurora Atra” the 3 piece break the normal stage mould with drummer Dave and his kit sandwiched between Nick and Emily front of stage. It made for an interested show, rather than being buried at the back I could watch him smack the hell out of his kit right under the front house lights. Witchsorrow may not be breaking any ground with their material firmly routed in traditional doom but if it ain’t broke, then why fix it? Witchsorrow do it well, throwing up a good mix of Sabbath and Vitus vibes, some extremely slow sections, and some faster paced full rock out moments. Thankfully for the band as the set went on the venue started to fill up, the galloping third song “Breaking The Lore” had people venturing down front and nodding away. Finishing with “God Curse Us”, the title track had singer Nick doing his best Dickinson impression “Scream for me London”, and those that made it down early responded, singing along to the repeated chorus.
SETLIST:
Aurora Atra
The Agony
Breaking The Lore
God Curse Us
“God Curse Us” is out now on Rise Above Records.
Find Witchsorrow on Facebook here.
Mos Generator walked on to a far more packed venue as latecomers had arrived in droves as they set up. I won’t pretend to know the band, despite hearing the name for years tonight was my first experience, but their impressive live performance had me purchasing their latest album after they had finished. 70’s style hard rock with seriously catchy choruses, the second track “Lumbo Rock” had me thinking of Clutch in the way it grooved. Great riffs, some fantastic bluesy solos, laid back sections, and sing along choruses. Special mention must go out to the track “Godhand Iommi”, which started with a speeded up version of the riff from Black Sabbath’s “Fairies Wear Boots” and went off into a instrumental full of Iommi riffs mashed up into a noodling freestyle jam solo. Great stuff.
SETLIST (according to the singer at the bar – in his own words – “we wing it every night but I think this is right”):
Lumbo rock
Lonely one kenobi
Silver Olympus
On the eve
Godhand Iommi (instrumental)
This is the gift of nature
“Nomads” is out now on Ripple Music.
Find Mos Generator on Facebook here.
Monday night I had 2 tickets to see Vitus in Brighton, purchased months ago, but the freak snow that came in had people stuck overnight in cars along the south coast. With the roads out I waited an hour at my local train station to see train after train cancelled realising I was never going to make it. All I could do was hope that the weather would clear so I could make it instead to London…you’ve read this far through the review so you know the end to that story. I don’t really want to write this up and come across all sycophantic fanboy but shit when a band play like Saint Vitus at the Garage it’s hard not to. Seeing a reformed Vitus at Roadburn in 2009 was one of the highlights of the year but in a small club it’s something else.
Let’s see – a setlist mixing up absolutely essential earlier songs with some of the newer tracks, check, Wino and Chandler handing out whiskey to the audience, check, the band hanging out having beers and photos with the fans after the show, check. Vitus were made for small clubs, it’s the stamping grounds that they used to unite punk and metal fans back in the early days. “White Stallions” even managed to open up a sizeable pit down the front, something you don’t see to often at doom gigs.
I could go on and on about every head that shook, fist raised, riff rung out, and I know the term is banded around too often, but this was one of those gigs you truly just had to be at. Throughout the set Wino contorted his body and face, staring out wide eyed, his distinctive vocals bellowing as powerful as they ever were. Chandlers guitar sound was monstrous, and if he wasn’t playing with the back of his hand, or behind his head, he was playing with his teeth (unfortunately not during first 3 songs when we were allowed to take photos!). The new songs fitted in perfectly alongside their classics, already feeling like familiar friends. Finishing up with “Dying Inside” and “Born Too Late”, Wino asked for the house lights to be put on so he could see everyone. The whole venue sang along, Chandler left the stage to join the fans and play down in the audience for an end to the best show i’ve been to so far this year. Shame on you London for not making this a sold out show, you seriously missed out.
SETLIST:
Blessed Night
I Bleed Black
War Is Our Destiny
Look Behind You
Let Them Fall
The Bleeding Ground
Patra (Petra)
The Troll
The Waste of Time
White Stallions
Thirsty and Miserable (Black Flag cover)
Encore:
Dying Inside
Born Too Late
Lillie: F-65 is out now on Season Of Mist Records. A HUGE thank you to Gunnar for arranging a photo pass so I could have photos to accompany the review.
Find Saint Vitus on Facebook here.
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