Live Review: Summer Bash 7 hosted by Mercury’s Well (Part #2)

Keeping things strictly local, Reading Electronic Post-Hardcore mob Masquerader [8/10] are celebrating EP “Closer To Death” with their own brand of sonic abrasions. Blending dissonant synths with a five string bass and intricate drum work, we get treated to math infused rhythms and Post-Hardcore vibes, their contrasting elements working incredibly well in incendiary harmony. Tonight the trio have got more energy than the Energizer Bunny and squeeze another ten percent out of all their material, including “Vertical Video” and “I.Am.Masquerader“. It’s quite literally like they’ve been mainlining energy drinks and have become the bull, breaking their kick drum pedal after one song. Fortunately Liam from Mercury’s Well is in a generous mood, lending his gear so they can continue to inflict their damage in Prodigy meets Glassjaw fashion.

Tonight is one of a just a handful of shows that Gutlocker [9/10] have played with their new vocalist, a man yet to be officially named and shamed, making them an intriguing prospect. A man mountain who some of you may know, he’s not only a powerhouse performer but a perfect fit for the Groove Metal four piece who hammer out a set front loaded with cuts from their album “To Be Alive” as if their lives depended on it. “Send Them All In” sounds as savage as it ever has while the hummable yet heavy riffs and funky bass of “S.F.S” feel decidedly freer, as if the band have had a weight lifted from their shoulders and are just here to have fun. It’s arguably one of the hardest tasks in Metal to replace a frontman and the relaxed nature of their performance no doubt comes from their sense of relief at doing so without having to cancel a single show. Throwing their instruments around and making faces is what they do best and my my, tonight they do it well. They even have a Lamb Of God inspired new song with a guitar riff written by bassist Ben Rollinson that has a colossal breakdown to close the set with, something which bodes very well for their not to distant future.

You might think that as Summer Bash is a Mercury’s Well [10/10] hosted event that they’d headline but their preference has always been to play earlier and enjoy the last couple of bands. They take to the stage at 8pm, armed for the apocalypse with a set list secret that not even we have advanced knowledge of. After a joke about not having a cover in the set the band play a few moments of “Sad But True” by Metallica before leaping head first into the scream-a-long that is “Fire!“. A rousing rendition of the inception level madness that is “Mercury’s Well” by Mercury’s Well from the album “Mercury’s Well” complete with bloodcurdling screams from bassist Tiffin is an early set highlight as the Progressive Death Metal trio are in their element. The reason for the secret set list is revealed when they introduce a new song in their set titled “The Haunting Part III“, one of an unholy trinity of songs comprising a new fifteen minute long EP they’re currently writing. Dissonant guitars and thunderous percussion send chills down the spine and curiously enough, Simon Davies vocals are more caustic than usual. The trio meander through chord progressions, experimenting with longer instrumental passages with bluesy melancholic vibes and it all works incredibly well. The thing about seeing Mercury’s Well live is that the nuances in their songs rise to the surface more than they do in their recorded works, their slightly eclectic and eccentric ways a guilty pleasure. The darkness of “Nadir” with the lyric “let the darkness swallow you whole!” is a powerful set closer, bringing the bloodstained curtain down on their set after a sing-a-long moment and a spellbinding solo, making it nothing short of an utter triumph.

Southampton Punk quartet Buds. [10/10] are here to have some fun and dedicate new song “Picking Wounds” to Grandfather Big Dave in amongst a set of fearfully addictive, catchy songs that most of tonight’s audience have been signing along to since they were released. Make no mistake, it’s not Buds. first rodeo and they’re always welcomed back to Summer Bash with loving arms, the four piece knowing how to work a crowd and get them involved. “Building Blocks” is a mighty fine example of what they do, a sing-a-long yet loud tune that you can pour your heart out to and make your own. Tonight their energy is infectious and even if they are playing a set sandwiched between two heavier bands, they ensure that not only everyone has a good time but no one has a voice left for tomorrow. Big Dave would be proud.

Bathed in warm gold light Hidden Mothers [9/10] find Catharsis in the darkness of their lyrics and melancholia of their music. Gentle tempo shifts move like the Sahara desert sands in a warm breeze, the quartet building soundscapes in Post-Metal that bleed dissonance. Combining dream like sequences of aching clean vocals with brutal roars of violent anguish makes them captivating to witness and songs like “The Grey“, “Violent Sun” and “Haze” are simply spellbinding. Like all the bands today they’ve made an effort, putting on Hawaiian shirts and flower necklaces and but when bassist and unclean vocalist Liam Knowles picks up his microphone stand and places it in the front row so he can turn and face the other three members of the band, its a special moment. Luke Scrivens clean vocals are mesmerising at times and its easy to get lost in the moment listening to Hidden Mothers, the subtle textures of Ari Malekpour’s guitarwork an absolute pleasure. He’s playing with injury tonight, his shoulder taped up due to a trapped nerve but that doesn’t do anything to alter the fact that the performance is sublime.