Live Review: Harbinger w/Defences, The Glowing Juniper & Bandana at The Lounge Bar in Alton!

The small but perfectly formed grass roots venue that is The Lounge Bar in Alton is our destination for tonight’s entertainment with a pair of bands who played the Pins & Knuckles sponsored main stage at this past summers 10th Anniversary of Tech-Fest putting on an intimate show that will no doubt bring back a few memories. Its no secret that we’ve been following the rise of tonight’s headliners Harbinger after witnessing them at a now defuncted smaller venue as part of a co-headlining run with Loathe and given that they’re now regularly touring with international heavy hitters makes tonight all the more special.

Giving off distinctive Post-Grunge and almost Life Of Agony vibes are opening band Bandana [7/10] who have a new vocalist making a live debut not only with the band but… ever. That being said there are no nerves on show as the set is nailed with verve, swagger and a little bit of Stoner Blues Rock in “Down Stream“. They save their most intense cut for last in “Nightmare Sequence“, a introspective lyrical narrative accompanied by a familiar bass line giving it real impact, building on the charming earlier material with something a little sharper. The components are all there and as a collective once they’ve got a few shows under their belts they’ll develop a little more stage presence and things will naturally elevate.

All Hawaiian shirts and bucket hats, The Glowing Juniper [8/10] are an instrumental sight for sore eyes. The four piece create a melting pot of music that flows together like a river to the sea with sublime meandering melodies that rise into harsh riffs before falling away again. As delicate as they are abrasive, it’s the kind of music you feel and comes across effortlessly, transcending Post-Metal and Hardcore into the land of the Progressive. Their bassist doesn’t even bother getting on stage, playing the full set from the pit like it was an old school floor show and the band as a whole just look like a group of musicians living their best lives. The suggestion is that tonight may be the beginning of the end for the band and if it is then that would be a crying shame because they’re the brand of fun that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is the life blood of the underground Metal.

One of those bands who are deceptively heavy, Defences [8/10] seamlessly blend soulful clean vocals from Cherish Duesbury with harsh uncleans from William Young and the pair regularly go full on beauty and the beast. Unlike the last time we saw the Alternative Metal quintet, tonight they seem far more relaxed, as if here to let off some steam and have a good time, which translates into the performance as things feel a little bit looser and freer. The quality of their material shines through with cuts like “Gravity” and mentioning they have a new album waiting in the wings they whip out a new song that has a heaven sent DJent riff. A particularly intense rendition of “In The Black” is a special moment before grand finale “Shatter” so it very much looks like we’re going to be talking about the five piece for a long time to come as they depart the stage all sweaty smiles.

More often than you’d probably expect these shows can be whose who of musicians supporting the scene and curiously enough Our Hollow Our Home vocalist and guitarist Tobias Young is tech and merch dude for Defences tonight. He’s not the only familiar figure in the audience either as Arcaeon bassist Eifion Sweet is here to support his friend and Harbinger drummer Joel Scott while Sore Teeth and Stone Soup guitarist Chris Gilday enjoys a few cans of Red Stripe. Now they would make an interesting band…

Fresh from a run of shows with Pittsburgh Pennsylvanian Deathcore brutes Signs Of The Swarm, tonight’s headliners Harbinger [10/10] are in fine fettle, a well oiled live machine ready for all out war, armed to the teeth with a career spanning set. They rip out “Compelled To Suffer” and “Instruments Of Guilt” early on with vocalist Dylan Alves putting on a downright feral performance throughout. Scything through the crowd with Groove Death Metal riffs galore, Harbinger keep the energy at ridiculously high levels with Mosh and circle pits going off left, right and centre, guitarist Charlie Griffiths adding scorching backing vocal moments. “The Dance Of Species” gets everyone up off the floor and while they swore they’d never play “Darkest Days” again, it gets resurrected tonight much to our delight, it’s scream-a-long chorus a good reason to keep it in place. As if that wasn’t old school enough, “Subsidised Slaughter” from the bands debut EP “Paroxysm” also gets a rare outing and sounds as fresh as a daisy, surprisingly in keeping with the bands current sounds thanks to that beefed up guitar tone. The rhythm section of Joel Scott and Kris Aarre sounds as tight as ever and how they manage to remain on the stage with Alves constantly on the prowl is a mystery. Bringing the bloodstained curtain down on the show and reducing the venue to rubble, Harbinger bring out “Guile” and “Hate File” to round off a triumphant set, the twist in the tale being a false ending for one more breakdown and chorus which is nothing short of epic!