Hot Water Music

This gig meant so much to me that I told my mum I was just going into town but actually drove the 240 mile round trip up north to Leeds with my two partners in crime, Jake and Tim W (OF DiS message board fame!) Was it worth it I hear you ask? Of course it was! (Except now I’m grounded!)

First up tonight are Sunderland’s Mavis. This energetic 3 piece describe themselves as a bunch of “spazz-core rockers” but I’d go more along the lines of an upbeat indie rock band who are able to bring out the best in their emo, punk and hardcore influences on a whim. Tonight’s set is tight and lively with songs ranging from the more emotionally charged to bouncy pop-punk. The set climaxes with guitarist and fellow DiSer James Jam cavorting around his stage, spewing out distortion on his guitar, as is the way of all great rock bands; A nice way to end I thought.

And so we come to Leatherface. Having been a fan of Hot Water Music for over 2 years now, I was ashamed to say on entering the venue that I’d never heard or seen any of Leatherface’s material. (HWM are big fans!) Frankly, on tonight’s showing, I now count that as a blessing. Leatherface play a dull and meaningless form of what I hate to call punk rock. Their singer’s growly voice only adds to the torment and I found that my excitement of being in the same room as HWM was slowly being eaten away by each and every song of Leatherface’s overly long set.

Thank God then for Hot Water Music (I do on a regular basis). The instant they hit the stage, the mood of the venue changes and as the opening to “A Flight and A Crash” rings out, the crowd start to go suitably spastic. The duel vocal attack of Chuck Ragan’s guttural roar and Chris Wollard’s more melodic voice works even better live than on CD and as each song passes, the energy levels soar even higher. All the band play their hearts out for the entire set; you can tell as they leave the stage covered in their own sweat! Their vigor passes over and spreads amongst the crowd, creating a fearsome and frantic live performance. A number of song’s from the bands newly released “A Flight and A Crash” album are aired and live, they regain the rawness and intensity which was lost somewhat by Epitaph’s over-production. Classic songs such as “Our Own Way”, “Better Sense” and “Manual” are where Hot Water Music shine most though; Chuck leaps among the crowd who sing along constantly, loving every second. All in all, HWM are one of the most ground breaking and diverse bands doing the punk rock rounds at the moment. Their emotionally charged, anger-fuelled punk sound is like very few other bands in the world and live, the intensity and power the band creates is an awesome thing to behold. Definitely one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to. And now I have to recommend that if you drive, make sure you do it while listening to “jole” by the Bouncing Souls really loudly with the windows down; It’s a lot of fun.