Bristol Trinity Centre, 16/11/21
Aniimalia
Aniimalia roar on their first trip to Bristol..
As if a first stage appearance in Bristol isn’t intimidating enough. Doing it under the giant, iconic, stain glass arch of Trinity Community Centre must amplify any nerves.
Not that Somerset based four piece Aniimalia let that show in their performance.
Small in stature, but huge in presence lead vocalist @kirabeckettofficial delivers with energy & passion to a sizeable crowd for their opening slot.
A band full of chaotic riffs & potent lyrics. That brought a strong set featuring killer tracks such as “Flatline” & “Claustrophobia” to life. And primed the audience for the rest of the evening.
We suspect this will be the first of many a evening spent in Aniimalia’s company in Bristol. After an impressive outing that drew praise from both the crowd and the three other bands that would grace the stage later in the evening.
The Misery Kids
The fact we have woken up this morning to the news that MK have signed on with @wilfulpublicity (who count Iron Maiden, Don Broco & The Darkness already on their roster) is no surprise.
Having experienced their neon tinged brand of Emo Pop Fusion on Tuesday night at Trinity we can see why.
There’s a playful swagger about these guys that’s impossible to ignore. And it proved a hit with a large crowd under the illuminated arch of one of Bristol’s most iconic venues.
Parading new single “Turn Off The Lights” , along with other well received singles such as “Nerve” and “Never Enough”. The band prove to be a chimera , capable of appeal across fans of multiple genres.
Personable on stage and with a set of established, radio friendly songs MK have multiple boxes already ticked to propel them to the next level.
Wars
Those moments when a band that’s new to you strike the first chords and you’re like… “ooooo hello, this is gonna be good”. Definitely felt this as Wars exploded onto stage at Trinity, Bristol on Tuesday night.
Energy, passion, intensity all in equal measure from the midlands based noise generation machine.
In lead vocalist Rob Vicars the band have a vociferous outlet for their hardcore sound and put raw power behind every lyric. And those lyrics run deep, much deeper than expected. Giving the songs sway, between both a introverted and extroverted quality.
A dynamic, dynamite performance which had the impact of being the first night of a tour rather than the last.
Wars come across as a band that just f’ing love to be on stage. And two years of frustration are being unleashed on all those who stand before them.
A set that delivered frantic riffs, over power vocals as the midland metal heads stoked the fire in the belly of those watching.
I suppose the acid test when you see a band perform for the first time is, that was great, but would I download their music outside of the gig environment?
Well, let’s just say we’ve had new record “A hundred shivers” on repeat since Tuesday night
Area 11
The fact that the Trinity Centre in Bristol used to be a place of worship was quite fitting for the return to the city of Area 11. A band that the city has adopted as favourite sons over the past decade. And are followed with a religious devotion by their fans “elevens”.
Indeed the crowd behaved more like an evangelical congregation than gig goers on Tuesday. Packing every inch of floor space and arms held aloft as they strained to reach their four favoured sons.
Tom “Sparkles” Clarke, Jonathon “Kogie” Kogan, Alex “Pav” Parvis and Leo Tylor looked like they had come home on Tuesday as they closed out the final leg of their UK tour.The mood was celebratory, the music was banging and the sense of togetherness palpable.
It was a heady mix of older and more recent tunes from the catalogue that kept the crowd engaged from start to finish. “Oculist”, “Versus”, “Kaleidoscope” going doing particular well in the hall.
The highlight though, I am sure, for every person in attendance was the impromptu break mid set as Tom descended to the floor of the old church with just a stool and guitar in hand. Parting the crowd and proceeding to sit directly in the middle of the packed audience. Something special was in the offing as he instructed everybody to sit down and switch on the torch lights from their mobile phones.
What followed, an acoustic performance of “All the lights in the sky”, will live long in everyone’s memories. Including Tom’s, It truly was a touching moment for all those lucky enough to witness it.
Hard to follow that, but follow that Area 11 did… building the volume back up stage by stage until the show (now over running) built to a crescendo of noise. And what felt like a giant party as members of the other bands mobbed the stage, the crowd moshing, jumping and raising horns in unison.
Very much felt like we’d all been invited to the after show party on the final night of the tour. And its that feeling, fostering of togetherness between fans and band that has kept Area 11 in the hearts and minds of their supporters for so long.
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