Wednesday 23 April 2014

Hit The Deck - Bristol 2014



Hit The Deck is a one day music festival which takes place in Bristol & Nottingham. The festival is split across different venues around the city. In Bristol the festival occurred at 02 Academy, The Thekla, The Exchange and The Fleece.




The only failure about this Festival is that there was a lot of bands to see, many of them playing at the same time across the city. So, my main issue was to make a selection.

I started the music marathon with Grappler at the Exchange. I knew them only by name (Denis Vittoz, the drummer is from Grenoble, and so do I) and I wasn't sure they'd be my thing. I was wrong! Even if it's difficult to label them into a precise style, I'll say they offered a powerful hardcore show. While the frontman was in the crowd, the rest of the band was keeping themselves busy. The vocals of Jon Desmond make you feel quite uncomfortable, staring at the first row just like if his words were going to get them a smack. And the mob answered with circle pits. A real dark and strong gig, perfect to start this day of music. 
If you missed those guys, don't worry. They'll be back in Bristol on may for this event




After that, I carried on with Bastions.  I already introduced these guys here when I saw them live at Bridgend a few months ago.
I must say, it didn't really grab me this time. Maybe because of the choice of the set list. I thought there were too many "tough" songs and that's why they lost me in this show. But I must be the only one to think that, regarding the incredible receptive audience to their songs.




Once filled up with kickass sound we're on our way to The Fleece, change of direction which offered a welcome break for our ears! 
Arrived in the concert hall, Seahaven is playing the end of their show. The Californians offer a pop-punk ballades which could have been the proper sound track for a teenager Tv-show! 
I only saw two tunes of their set. It was enough to appreciate their performance.






Gnarwolves followed behind. Their real good mood was what struck me. The band from Brighton get on stage in front of a compact crowd. The band's got its own audience. Certainly because the buzz continues to grow around the three piece band - You really should keep an eye on this band. 
From the first notes, fans leaped onto the stage and they never stopped crowd-surfing during the show. I must say that their classic punk rock songs seem to be done to do that! 
This show was all about craziness and fun, just like we should describe Gnarwolves.




The last (but not least) for my first edition at Hit the Deck: Brand New at 02 Academy. 
These guys do not play live a lot, so they were expected this night. 
The New Yorkers long-awaited started the show playing a cover version of Nine Inch Nails' "Wish" that set the bar terribly high for me. But I wasn't disappointed at all by the rest of the show! 
Nothing has been as quite good during this day. 
The front man, Jesse Lacey, even a little moody, offered a rad show. He created the perfect atmosphere between the crowd and the band, just as there was an "us and them". It's visceral and raw.
The audience sang during the all show. I could easily understand that Brand New's songs were a genuine therapy for some people from the pitt! And maybe it's the only thing I could critic: the overdose of nostalgia and too many over-romantic songs.  
However, I'm really grateful I could assist to their show and I can only advise you to try to them live. 






No comments:

Post a Comment