The Labotomies + guests @ Auntie Annies – 15/09/2010

September 16, 2010 No Comments

Before I had arrived, I wasn’t feeling too pleased about the usual wet and windy conditions of Belfast. Nevertheless, I got into the bar and knew I would be in for some rock’n’roll and surely some serious beer drinking. I had no real idea what sort of night I would be in for, having only seen one of the bands before. The line-up was all local lads and first up was the Runaway Bears.

This little rock band has been gigging for a few years now, and have just finished working on their first EP, produced by Mike Mormecha of Mojo Fury fame. As you see them play you can’t help but love their pure enthusiasm for what they do, it’s infectious. The last time I saw them live, they had seemed nothing more than a Rage tribute band.  However, it is safe to say they have come on leaps and bounds since then, producing really smooth riffs, almost making you forget the band are still so young. As the bassist switched to the synth, they finished up their set with a stunning little instrumental number – their best of the night.

Next up were the Chocolate Love Factory, another little three-piece but one with a much more diverse style – hard rock leaning towards prog with some funky grunge thrown in for good measure. The front man, Rory Donaghy, was really giving it his all before he settled down, vanishing some of his nerves. As the set went on though, I really started getting into it, especially with the drummer really going at it. And of course, all the tongue lashing and pulling faces really does it for me.

As the Assailants took to the stage, I didn’t really know what to expect, as a friend had told me that the singer was a barman from Annie’s who had the night off. Although, I did like their style: striped tops and Addidas jackets. As they played I realised that these guys were definitely something special. This Belfast band have only been gigging for a year, yet despite that, they have the confidence and pure craft of a much more experienced band. They are a ska outfit, with some serious hardcore overtones and even a bit of reggae in the mix. They really stoked the crowd, with their blend of crazy screaming and mad banter, it is safe to say that this band were my favourite of the night.

To finish off the evening, we had the utter powerhouse that is the Lobotomies. Their style is pretty straight forward: pure hardcore punk. They came on, beers in hand (and by this stage, it was safe to say the crowd already had their fill in beer). This act hails from Belfast, and they definitely “know the craic”. As soon as they started everybody was blown away by their sheer volume and force. Usually bands wait to get into their stride before going crazy, but during the opening song, their front man “Kev Bones” was out into the crowd with his guitar, thrashing it out with the best of them. Their sound was tight and more melodic than you usually find in the genre. However there is one criticism I had, which is that after a while the songs tended to blur together which took the edge off for me. At the end of the show, they got a raging applause from a very satisfied crowd for a more than satisfying night.

By Jonny Philpott

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