The Louisiana, February 27th 2020
Brasher brought the energy, Ghost of the Avalanche brought the noise. And God Damn brought the whole show.
We knew we were in for a loud one when we walked past the outside of the Louisiana at 6pm and heard the rasping, full throttle roar of God Damn frontman Thom Edward clearly from the pavement.
It’s in sharp contrast to the trio themselves who are three of the most personable musicians we have ever had the privilege to meet.
God Damn have been prolifically releasing bangers for almost a decade now so we knew exactly what we should expect from Thom (guitar, vocals), Ash (Drums) and James (Guitar, Keys, Vocals).
The support however would prove a delightful, unknown quantity.
Openers Brasher
What a way to start the night. Brasher are all that is good about the new wave of Bristol based punk that is garnering a huge reputation for the city in musical circles.
Flamboyant, Enthusiastic and tight. Brasher dominate the stage and the front floor of the venue with boundless energy.
Fronting the band, lead vocalist Max is a pleasure to watch and the mix of gravelly vocals and body gesticulating like a cross between Stretch Armstrong & Mr Fantastic (look em up kids) is mesmerising to watch.
Stu and Mel crush the bass and guitar with the broadest smiles on their faces. Its always great to see band members playing for not only the crowd, but because they simply love what they do. And it has to be said are very accomplished at doing it.
And last, but not least…behind every good punk rock band is a steel wizard. A moniker we have no problem in labelling Lea with.
Thank you Brasher for setting up the evening perfectly with your infectious enthusiasm.
Next up were Bass n Drums punkers Ghost of the Avalanche
Showing what is possible as a duo, GOTA bring a ear splitting noise with lyrical depth.
Sitting somewhere on a huge sliding scale between Lawnmower Death and Royal Blood the twosome are able to ramp it up and pull it down with consummate ease.
A realness and rawness that sounds authentic to the 80s and 90s hardcore punk scene.
The only giveaway to the effort that has to be concerted are the veins on the forehead and neck of bassist Nick Wiltone. Which looked fit to burst on several occasions.
Blisteringly fast, air punchingly satisfying and chest thumpingly cathartic.
The perfect set up for the main event of the evening.
God Damn are back in a big way with their new self titled album. And their mini run of 5 dates in February feels like the band are cranking up the engines are getting ready to press down hard on the throttle.
These are three musicians that are confident in what direction they are going. And so at ease as performers both individually and collectively that their shows feel like a house party that we’ve all been invited too.
The way the band can switch from nonchalantly chatting with the crowd to blistering the paint from the ceiling is frighteningly impressive.
You could tell how much Thom, James and Ash are enjoying doing what they do best and armed with their best music to date they set about delivering a great performance.
The set is raw and visceral, leaving a static charge hanging in the air. Thom’s vocals are not so much a performance, but a exorcism of anger, angst and beautiful venom that sting the ears in the best possible way.
Drummer Ash Weavers smashes metal like he is trying to escape a straight jacket, all whilst wearing a manic smile of a man enjoying every second of what he is doing.
The band have struck gold with the added dimensions that James Brown offers on synths. It has opened a whole new range of possibilities and provides a real dynamic edge to both the recordings and live shows. And James is very much a showman be it on guitar or keys that means its impossible to not keep checking back to see what he is doing.
A feature of a live God Damn show is the extroverted release the music offers to those watching. And can be a little much for some people who forget their surroundings. So much so that one member of the crowd thought he’d become the bands forth member. Thom however dealt with the over friendly stage intruder with both humour and professionalism and we wont dwell on the episode because it only added to the overall enjoyment of the show for those watching.
At the heart of everything the Black Country based trio are fans of live music themselves just as much as anyone watching. And they kept that firmly in mind by playing a real mix of old and new throughout the set.
2020 feels like a rebirth of sorts for God Damn. And a style of both recording and live show that has simultaneously returned them to their roots whilst opening a new chapter for the band.
