Music / Reviews
Review: Therapy?, SWX
King Creature are a very likeable band straight outta Cornwall (there’s your second LP title right there fellas), and they played a very palatable half dozen tunes to warm up the crowd on a bitingly cold Tuesday night. The band play modern metal that takes in the classic tropes from ye olden days and is leavened with the good stuff from post-grunge metal; a combination that translates well on stage.
Thus their set was heavy but not too stodgy; there were plenty of squally solos (kinda Slash meets Zakk Wylde) coupled with some nice twin lead work; a pounding, powerful rhythm section and strong vocals. The songs were well constructed, catchy, and didn’t outstay their welcome: Low Life being the stand out tune.
is needed now More than ever
The band were well drilled and covered every inch of the stage (fair play to Therapy? King Creature had a great sound and plenty of lights), frontman Dave Kellaway worked the crowd mercilessly, insisting on audience participation at every opportunity and getting a pretty decent response. Matt K Vincent & Dave Evans meshed well on guitars, some inventive riffs and the aforementioned twin lead work bringing to mind that classic NWOBHM vibe. The former also harmonised well with Kellaway, whilst Jack Bassett managed to batter the kit mercilessly whilst headbanging like a nutter.
So a fine set from a band rich with potential but just lacking the killer edge that would distinguish them in a crowded market place. Metal fans are spoilt rotten right now with a plethora of damn good young bands and the competition is fierce. If King Creature can capitalise on their potential and push the boundaries, they could do well. The harmonies worked well, and should be pushed more; the post grunge meets Lizzy guitar work also delighted and Kellaway has confidence a plenty – it’s not often a support act gets the crowd singing along. A band to bookmark and see just what they can do with their undoubtable potential.
Therapy? are an exceedingly difficult band to describe in terms of their sound, but they’re not difficult to describe in terms of their live shows, simply because they have an enviable catalogue of tunes and they play the fuck out of them every time they hit the stage. They played fierce but friendly, plenty of pummelling beats and brutal riffs but total engagement with the crowd and mile wide grins on stage; an outfit who were clearly enjoying every second of their performance.
Cleave is their fifteenth long player and is a fabulous recording – the half a dozen or so songs played slotted seamlessly in to a wide ranging set that featured fan favourites, deep cuts, and covers they’ve made their own. And ain’t it great to see a band twenty eight years in to their career still recording, still pushing themselves to create new work and not treating their sets as a victory lap packed with predictable choices?
As usual the band’s set was built on the battering, clattering drums of Neil Cooper, a musician who thinks relentless drumming is for lightweights and drove his bandmates inexorably. Michael McKeegan, despite his “Evil Priest” sobriquet, was his usual effusive, grinning self – bouncing around the stage all the while thundering away on bass, sinewy runs and muscular riffs locked in with Cooper. Incidentally Andy Cairns informed us that no less than Shane Embury had stated McKeegan “…knew too much about metal…” begging the question… how can you know too much about metal?
Cairns himself (sporting a sharp Mohican) orchestrated mass singalongs; pealed off ringing, stinging solos; pummelled the crap out of the riffs; careened around the stage and generally appeared to have a whale of a time, with a psycho stare in the gonzo choruses and a fuck off big grin during the instrumental sections. Cairns is a consummate front man, never missing an opportunity to engage with the crowd – and when he asserted his belief that music can bridge the divides in society, you knew he really meant it. He’s an undervalued guitar player too; his succinct solos embellishing rather than swamping the songs and his riffs ranging from brutal nihilism to uplifting headbangers.
And what about that oh so elusive Therapy? sound? Well the band clearly have a punk sensibility in terms of banging out short, sharp earworms (Exhibit A: Screamager, 2:48 of absolute sonic perfection); they have an uncanny ear for removing the bludgeon from metal and combing it with the fat-free riffs and velocity of hardcore (Exhibit B: er, most of the set). They have a unique ability to synthesise all sorts of disparate genres in to Therapy? music (Exhibit C: Teethgrinder, a frankly weird yet incessantly catchy melange of industrial metal and techno that grabs you by the hips and won’t let you stand still). And best of all they can marry brutality to absurdity with unexpectedly uplifting results (Exhibit D: Potato Junkie, a wicked, wicked riff with a laugh out loud, stupidly rewarding chorus. And yet also a razor sharp analysis of the burdens of gowning up in a divided country).
The oh so elusive Therapy? sound also means the band can take covers and make them sound familiar yet uniquely unfamiliar; like a half remembered tune from the last minutes of sleep. Thus Isolation became an unstoppable riff monster that lost none of the intent of the original and Diane (currently being performed hardcore rather than previous, darker versions) brought the house down. Breaking the Law was at once hilarious and celebratory, segueing beautifully in to their own Nowhere to close the six song encore. Extra house points for all the old thrashers who recognised the intro to Raining Blood casually lobbed in mid-song mid-set, (not sure which tune as your reviewer was caught in a mosh).
Of the new tunes Wreck it Like Beckett was a monster, with cast iron riffs and a weapons grade chorus, and Callow hit home with lyrics that gazed into the abyss during the verses and soared out over it during the chorus – another earworm of a chorus at that. The back catalogue was well served: Church of Noise was unexpected but delightfully received whilst the double whammy of Stories and Knives finally kicked off the pit (an uncharacteristically static crowd was enthusiastic but stationary for the bulk of the set). In fact it was a delightfully paced and selected set from a band willing to acknowledge its past whilst celebrating its evolution in to a unique behemoth.
Therapy? are a delightful band to follow: they’ve released a stream of consistently excellent albums and continue to push their art rather than rehashing their past ad nauseam; they rock like bastards every time they get on stage and have an enviable rapport with their fans. Hopefully they’ll be back in town sooner than their thirtieth anniversary in 2020 – Bristol’s afflicted rely on their regular support. Excelsior.
Therapy?: SWX: Tuesday, 20 November 2018
All pix by Shona Cutt
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
