Condemned @ Banbridge Football club – 24/09/10
September 29, 2010 No CommentsIt’s a chilly Friday night in Banbridge and people from all around are heading to its prestigious Football Club for an intriguing night of metal…
“Dwell in Sun”, a three piece band from Banbridge, take to the stage first and grace us with their dark, doom metal. With a reputation of having songs longer than even Dragon Force could manage, there were rumours they were going to play one song for their entire set. This however, turned out not to be the case. They took to the stage and smashed into their great bellowing tunes, with great determination. At this point it was getting increasingly difficult to take photographs close to the speakers, as the sheer amount of drone was literally shaking my camera lens. With vocalist Andrew Spiers screaming his lungs and head off, creating amazing vocals, really made for great listening (Though I’m sure the ‘regulars’ who just came for a pint at their local bar probably disagreed). With ‘Owlcrush’ personally being their best of the set, they certainly showed the audience what they could do.
Gacys Threads (C) Laura Rose McBride 2010
Gacys Threads, Belfast’s finest metal hardcore band, took to the stage in Banbridge, and the crowd really started to take shape. I’d seen Gacys Threads earlier in summer, supporting Fear Factory’s iconic appearance in Belfast, so I knew this set was going to be worth watching. As suspected they took to the stage with great energy and musical talent. It didn’t take long before a few mosh-pits started to break out – a rare occasion for the football club. Gacys Threads definitely earned themselves a few more fans tonight.
Honey For Christ - ker-razy hair tricks (C) Laura Rose McBride 2010
Honey for Christ were the next band to take to the stage with their enthusiastic brand of heavy metal. They didn’t take long to bring the crowd to life, and it was clear to see they had a few fans present. They performed with great stage presence, and the lead singer, Andy, definitely won over a few new female admirers. The crowd seemed to really enjoy their performance and suddenly there was a lot of wind milling hair in every direction. Honey For Christ literally blew me away, standing out as the band of the night.
a very happy looking 'Condemned' man (C) Laura Rose McBride 2010
Condemned were the final band to hit the stage. Their straight up death metal got the crowd going with their blast beat filled songs, brutal vocals and classy guitar playing. By now most people present were in the pit, or head banging at the sidelines. This was a very energetic performance, by the band and the crowd, and the atmosphere in the room was amazing. A great finish to a brilliant showcase of Northern Ireland’s finest metal acts.
By Laura-Rose McBride