ORANGE GOBLIN, SOLACE, FIREBIRD
ISLINGTON ACADEMY - 19/12/10
19th December 2010 found London covered in snow, the unprepared transport infrastructure grinding to a halt, me in a foggy daze from not sleeping after a twelve hour night shift, and Orange Goblin celebrating 15 years of drunken debauchery with another London Christmas show. The printout on my ticket had Valiant Thorr as the first act on, and doors opening at 6pm, but after a pint or two of scrumpy in the local hostelry to fortify myself, when I got into Islington Academy, Obiat were finishing their set with a final psychedelic howl to a rather empty venue. I’m sure it wasn’t the quality of the act, who’d impressed me earlier in the year opening for Voivod, but with the problems in getting to the venue, it did not bode well for a good turnout.
One quick changeover later and Bill Steer’s blues machine, Firebird was on stage, the numbers of the crowd swelling with a fresh intake of snow dusted fans. Every time I’ve seen Firebird play, the line up has changed, and it was no different now, Greyum May replacing the blur of Smok Smoczkiewicz with his own concentrated stillness. This new dynamic left Steer to provide the stage presence, working the stage like the pro he is, throwing shapes, whilst all while showing himself to be an absolute master of his Les Paul. ‘Blue Flame’, ‘Jack the Lad’, and ‘Silent Stranger’ had a timeless quality, sounding as if they hailed from the seventies blues rock heyday rather then from their last release, the masterful ‘Grand Union’. Steer may have first found fame with the buzz saw playing of grind gods Carcass, but again, he showed he was so much more. Instead of ripping through notes at warp factor 10, he teased genuine emotion and feeling from slow sustain and bent chord solos. 2011 promises a new release, ‘Double Diamond’ through the excellent Rise Above label, and I’ll have my order in for it.
Next up was one of those treats that only the Orange Goblin Christmas show seems to bring; Solace’s guitar titan Justin Daniels wandered on stage, armed only with a can of beer and a huge grin, whilst Goblin’s Joe Hoare plugged in his own Les Paul to duel with Bill Steer in a fantastic rendition of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstitious’. I don’t think anyone could have expected this at a stoner-metal gig, but it was an unmissible treat that made the show even better. Daniels displayed a creditable set of Motown vocal chords, whilst Joe Goblin matched Bill Steer’s funky playing.
Next up were Solace. Now, some bands can fill a stage with lights and pyros, others grab your attention by moving around and filling the space. Solace simply lined up at the front of the stage like a firing squad, blasting volley after volley of metal into the ever swelling audience. Whilst they are riding high with their latest release ‘A.D.’, an album that would have been in my top 10 of the year if I’d bought it earlier then the end of December, the set only had two tracks from that superlative album, ‘The Disillusioned Prophet’ and ‘The Eyes of the Vulture’. The rest of the set covered their ever growing back catalogue, and each was played with an unmatched quality, the audience bouncing to every chord. It’s been a few years since I last saw Solace, and good as they were then, this current line up are at the absolute top of their game. I can only hope this all too brief tour of the UK will be followed up soon, although I doubt I could survive the battering a full set by these masters of Doom.
When Orange Goblin finally took the stage, the venue was pretty darn full, with a solid push to the front, and as soon as Ben Ward strode forward in an alcofueled rush of beer and tattoos, the pit became a skating rink, the slush and snow stamped in from outside by the audience being mixed with gallons of flung beer that is a signature of their shows. Why anyone would want to chuck drink around, especially at the ridiculous £4 plus a pint at the Academy is beyond me, but yours truly and many others found themselves on the deck time and again, moshing to classics like the openers ‘Ballad of Solomon Eagle’ and ‘Monkey Panic’, to stomp along favourites ‘They Come Back’ and ‘Some You Win…” Every element you could want from a Goblin gig was there: Ben dominated the stage, leading the well versed crowd in chant-alongs; Joe blistered away with his guitar, his skill as a soloist shining through without dominating; Martyn Millard’s bass thundered; and Chris Turner’s drumming powered on the whole proceedings. Thrown into the mix of their own material was ‘Symptom of the Universe’, their own superlative contribution to a recent collection of Sabbath covers, a track that got a massive reaction, the pit positively exploding to that classic number played so well.
By the time Scorpionica closed the proceedings, I was drenched in beer and sweat, battered and bruised, and infected with a grin that lasted as long as the bruises. Orange Goblin are showmen supreme, their skill honed by 15 years of touring. It was 2007 that saw them bring out their last release ‘Healing Through Fire’. I can only hope 2011 sees them swell their catalogue with a new album, so that the next tour brings fresh material for fans present and future to enjoy. Who knows, but what I do know is that if they continue their tradition of Christmas shows, I’ll be there, cider in hand, and smile in place.
Spenny Bullen
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