Rolo Tomassi @ The Owl Sanctuary
I thought I’d take my raging hangover to a metal gig. Only one of us was going to leave alive.
I thought I’d take my raging hangover to a metal gig. Only one of us was going to leave alive and for a while it seemed my hangover was winning as Employed To Serve took the stage and musically kicked my head in. Tight as fuck and twice as heavy, this five piece were like pitbulls straining on a leash that could snap at any moment. Frontwoman Justine owned the floor while the three guitarists barely stayed the right side of explosive on stage behind her. Impressive, epic sounding post-hardcore that really should have resulted in blood or broken bones.
Followers John Coffey were slightly less impressive, an odd act to sandwich between ETS and the headliners. They sounded occasionally like The Wildhearts but with less balls (musically speaking) but more often like middle-of-the-road nineties rock with a bit of shouting. Not my cup of tea, sorry chaps.
I must admit I had never heard anything by headliners Rolo Tomassi before that evening, having them pegged as a completely different band and, after having heard some of their stuff, was worried about how to put what they do into words. They’re one of those bands that defies definition and that’s always a problem when you’re the one writing a review. Their music was technically unfuckingbelievable and at the same time completely effortless - these guys and gal were like no one else. Vocals switched from guttural screams to soaring wails in a split second, backed by ridiculous guitars and keys that left me open-mouthed on more than one occasion. Rolo Tomassi have successfully turned me on to whole genre of music I never appreciated before (heavy as fuck but clever with it). They also killed my hangover. Fanfuckingtastic.
