A perfect way to end the month of June was the Southern Lord showcase at the Big Top. This tour consisted of Black Breath, Martyrdod, Burning Love and Enabler. This had to be the best metal tour passing through New Orleans, hands down. Local band haarp opened and the show was only 5 dollars. Seeing haarp for the first time playing on the floor was intense. I’d easily compare them to local doom band Thou. Musically, haarp sounds like Thou except for the vocals and appearance of the band. haarp’s vocals are growled rather than screamed; they were really tight instrumentally. I love how Shaun growled in people’s faces, too, although I’m more into high-pitched screams of Thou rather than the cookie monster vocals for haarp. After taking a glance inside for Enabler, I just saw a bunch of people standing around. If it had been crazy in there, I would’ve gladly watched them for sure. I missed out on seeing an ex-Fall Out Boy drummer, oh well. After skipping one band, I decided to watch the other three to get my money’s worth. Canadian punk rock band Burning Love was up next. Love’s vocalist was once in a much better hardcore band called Cursed, which is way better than Burning Love. They play punk, but it’s way too rock n’ roll for me. And the stoner rock elements such as the guitar solos didn’t really do it for me either. When they played fast they sounded good though. I actually started the pit for this entire show during Burning Love’s set. Their frontman was an odd one, walking around the Big Top in minimal clothing. Swedish band Martyrdod was next. This band’s sound is a mix of black metal, death metal and d-beat crust. Martyrdod appear exactly how you’d imagine—long hair, head banging and Swedish accents. Their music was interesting at times but they lacked the energy I like to see in a band live. Just headbanging; and more headbanging. Well that’s common in metal. Listening to the vocalist’s Swedish accent was cool though and he seemed enthused to be playing here for the first time.
Finally, closing the night, Seattle’s Black Breath hit the stage. The band I had been waiting for. Right as they started, the room filled with a wave of head banging. All of the true metal enthusiasts neared towards the front of the stage with raised pumping fists, while a few people were thrashing around in the middle. Black Breath, from start to finish, crushed everyone with their mix of crusty hardcore and thrashing death metal. They played a lengthy set, covering everything from their first EP to the latest album. They sounded how they did on their record. I preferred it more when they played the hardcore punk sound of the band, although the metal side with solos and thrashing riffs was wicked to see. I really expected more people to be at this show due to Black Breath’s hype this year with their album Sentenced to Life. I think everyone expected more people. While Black Breath do sound very similar to the band Entombed, Black Breath’s albums blow the last few Entombed albums out of the water. I could see them getting big.
The next day I decided to return to the Big Top to recover from the previous night of metal. I hadn’t seen Vapo-Rats since Punk Fest and I really wanted to see them again. I also wanted to check out the new local band the Worst. But I was really going for the Orange Country thrash punk band Media Blitz. The Worst were confusing; their vocals reminded me of STZA from Choking Victim but their guitar riffs sounded like they belonged in a technical pop-punk band. Occasionally, some skanky riffs were mixed in as well. I couldn’t tell if this band was going for a melodic punk or ska sound. Regardless, I think they have potential; they played a tight set. Also, they played on stage; they would’ve done better off playing on the floor. Media Blitz played on the floor, which was a great choice. It’s cool having the band on the same level as you. They played a style right in between hardcore and punk. There’s too little breakdowns to call it full on hardcore, but it’s faster and louder than most punk. Either way I look at it, they’re right in between. Frontman Jason Schwartz’s relentless vocals sounded similar to NYHC vocals if anything. Schwartz was a great front man, running back and forth while shouting in the mic and offering it to the few people who knew the lyrics. To top it off, they played a cover of Dead Kennedys’ “California Über Alles” before their last song. Media Blitz was refreshing to see because there’s truly a lack of hardcore bands here. Vapo-Rats closed the show. After listening to their 2011 full length Mischief countless times, I know they sound tight live. The frontman Brett LaFrance is usually all over the place, depending on the show. As much as I like Vapo-Rats, I think the rest of the band could work on their stage presence.
Ending all of these great shows was the best one of the summer: the Rooks, You Blew It!, Les Doux, Shark Bait and Brent Houzenga at the Big Top. Listening to Brent’s acoustic music from outside while talking to friends was a nice soundtrack. I could hear it perfectly so I didn’t feel the need to check him out. His music sounded nice, though. I decided to watch Shark Bait once I heard their music start from outside. Shark Bait is a 5 piece band from Lafayette that play post-hardcore/screamo (the talented kind) and this was their first time playing a show in New Orleans. The frontman was youthful and energetic and he screamed each lyric passionately. He’d often stoop down or crouch by the bass drum while screaming into the mic too. The other vocalist was one of the guitarists. I like the idea of having two vocalists; a screamer and a clean vocalist. The band’s melodic and jangly guitars reminded me of ‘90s emo bands such as American Football. The next band was Les Doux. Les Doux is a 3 piece from Hattiesburg. I had seen Les Doux in January at the same exact place, the Big Top, and they ruled then. Would Les Doux hold up to my expectations this go-round? Yes. They sounded tighter and they’re one of the most passionate bands I’ve seen in a long time. Each member was on vocals at different times, shouting as loud as they could. The guitarist, bassist and drummer were playing so aggressively and singing so passionately. Their closing song, dedicated to their friend who passed away, was an epic ending to their set. You Blew It! (from Orlando) played next and I really liked their live set; it was much better than their recordings. Local pop-punk band 3 piece the Rooks ended the show on a solid note with their catchy choruses, playing songs from their latest EP I Can’t, I Won’t, Give Up and a newer song called “Oil”, which is their most technical song to date. Some reasons I think the Rooks are one of the best local pop-punk bands: the bassist Greg has so much energy while playing; guitarist Brian’s humor in between songs; and Rob’s a solid drummer. That about wraps up all of the shows I’ve been to this past month, thanks for reading!
