Live Review: Gama Bomb w/Raised By Owls and Bangover at the 229 in London!

At this point in their career in Metal, Irish Thrash overlords Gama Bomb have to be considered stalwarts of the scene. The kind of Barnacle that’s so firmly attached the bottom of the ship that there is zero chance of scraping it off without putting a hole through the hull. Our first introduction to them came with their third album “Tales from the Grave in Space“, a record which was part of a run given away free on the cover of Metal Hammer Magazine alongside the likes of “The Age Of Hell” by Cleveland bruisers Chimaira and “Hardships In Season” by Stampin’ Ground project Romeo Must Die. That was 2009 when the band were signed to Earache Records and solidified the bands reputation… for being rooted in the Thrash sound of the early 1980’s and inking lyrics that often refer to the horror, action and science fiction movies, cartoons and computer games of thar era, all injected with their trademark sense of humour. So with a new EP “Necronomicon Automaton” out during this very tour, what do they have in store for us in London?

London Trash crew Bangover [7/10] have a long history with Gama Bomb having not only previously opened for them live but also having their forthcoming album “Hibernation Deviation” mixed and mastered by guitarist Domo Dixon. They open their adrenaline fueled set with a blistering rendition of “Close Encounters Of The Thrash Kind” before bursting into “Blood, Sweet and Beers“. Hilarious new song “Thrashional Rail” is a masterclass in integration of humour while speaking every ounce of truth before “Texas Chainsaw Thrashacre” finds the band using a lap steel guitar to add a southern twang to the leads. A third and final cut from the new album in the title track concludes the set, the band claiming the concept of a bear ingesting a lot of cocaine as their own before being greeted to fists in the air and a mosh pit throughout.

Having survived Bloodstock Open Air Festival last summer and released a cover of “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit for charity over the Christmas period, Raised By Owls [9/10] are an Extreme Metal act who share a sense of humour with Gama Bomb. Their t-shirt slogans “Jesus probably isn’t that bad” and “Awful music for awful people” maybe familiar to Cradle Of Filth and August Burns Red fans but it’s done in jest in an era where some bands take themselves a little too seriously. Which is probably why Mr Blobby armed with a pair of two way dildos joins the band on stage as they tear through their first couple of songs. A non stop Death Metal party from the first second, Raise By Owls hammer through songs about getting pulled by Glenn Danzig in a Goth club “Strictly Come Danzig” and the title says it all “Going For A Pint With Corpsegrinder” getting the crowd warmed up. Masters of crowd interaction with savage vocalist Sam Strachan leading the way, mid set they have a game show with prizes for best headbanger, best gutterals and best Barney Greenway dance spread over an unholy trinity of unhinged masterpieces before “I’m sorry I wore a Dying Fetus t-shirt to your Babys Gender reveal” goes down a storm. From the shrill Death Metal vocals to the razor sharp riffs and pummelling percussion they have it all in their arsenal, the satirical humour the thing that separates them from the pack. Naturally the aforementioned Limp Bizkit cover finishes the set with the obligatory crouch and jump up moment and by the end it’s all blood, sweat and spilled beers. Tonight, to those who haven’t witnessed them before, Raised By Owls prove that they have plenty of substance to their style and if you’re sleeping on them then they’re having the last laugh.

Tonight’s headliners Gama Bomb [10/10] take to the stage like returning heroes blasting the audience into space with cuts like “Slam Anthem” and “666teen” at the start of a collosal twenty song career spanning set of old school Thrash to put a smile on the face of heaven the hardest of Metal heads. Between song banter, vocalist Philly Byrne pouring beer into the mouths of those on the front row and endless mosh pit action helps ensure that everyone will be waking up with a Bangover. The sing-a-long anthem that is “Sea Savage” gets a necessary airing but the arrival of band mascot Snowy ‘The Gamabombinable Snowman‘ is saved for “Bring Out the Monster” later on in the set. How about some new material? The title track of the bands now one day old EP “Necronomicon Automaton” is an absolute ripper, the band joking that we’ll rate it as such in five years but for now it’s an opportunity to go to the bar… or the toilet. They’re in sublime form tonight and as beers flow “Miami Supercops” brings the crowd surfers out, which feels like something of a deathwish in a venue with a relatively low ceiling. Their Thrash Punk cover of “If I Should Fall From Grace With God” by The Pogues is a masterclass in how to turn a pop song into something with a lot more verve, swagger and punch. Once more with feeling? Gama Bomb bring out the Nunchucks and give us “Ninja Untouchables / Untouchable Glory” and leave the crowd in a sweaty heap.