Review: Turbowolf, Marble Factory

The gods of rock are fickle and capricious; they give with one hand and take away with the other. So whilst they punish the discerning rock fan by forcing him/her to choose between Turbowölf at the Marble Factory or the superb but underrated Amplifier at the Exchange, they reward the packed house at the former gig with two excellent support acts.

First up are Telford based Hyena, promising “loud, noisy splatters of rock n roll”, and that’s pretty much what we get. Or breaking it down: groove based monster riffs that hint at their influences (QotSA, Sabbath, Cobain / Grohl vocals) without slavish homage. The tunes are catchy and rather twisty-turny with some well executed time changes. Grab free download Mental Home and watch our listings for their next local gig – you won’t be disappointed.

Dolomite Minor fill the second spot with a massive wallop of thunderous drums and punishing relentless guitar riffs – producing a tremendously full sound for a two piece. Their set manages to avoid the limitations of the two man line-up (duos can often end up a tad one dimensional) with some clever rhythms and memorable tunes, and plenty of light and shade with the guitar. Vocals are unassuming but fit well and much like Hyena, the crowd was supportive throughout. Watch out for future dates and check for ear worm Talk Like an Aztec.

Concluding the UK tour dates with a hometown gig Turbowölf burnt the stage down. They’ve honed the live show to perfection and become an eight-legged gonzo / garage metal act par excellence. They have two speed settings for the riffs: fast and faster, but they aren’t afraid to lead in to a song with samples and some slower riffs; and the garage keyboards lift the tunes out of genre constraints. Chris Georgiadis manages to combine superbly eccentric pronouncements with constant cheer leading and both herculean stage diving and vigorous crowd surfing (ending up on the bar at one stage). The rest of the band keep up the energy levels throughout, Andy Ghosh cranking out the guitar riffs and solos with none of the metal clichés; Lianna Lee Davies & Blake Davies providing the foundation for the songs, the former pumping out supple bass runs and the latter battering the drums in to submission.

It would be difficult to pick out any single song as a highlight, but Solid Gold and Rabbit’s Foot spring to mind, but then Seven Severed Heads was pretty awesome too, as was, well, pick any tune. The material may be boisterous beyond belief but there are plenty of killer hooks and choruses to complement the heaviosity. In summary Bristol has a great band in the making here: given the right breaks they deserve mega success and you need to see them soon, not just to support a local act but because with any luck you won’t have the opportunity to see them in a small, sweaty heaving local venue for much longer.