On a freezing cold night here in Bristol, we find ourselves once again in the beautiful industrial surroundings of the wonderful Marble Factory.
Arriving early for what promises to be a night filled with some of the coolest guitar riffs—and dare I say it, even cooler solos—I take a wander around the venue. My aim is to soak in the atmosphere and get a sense of the crowd as more gig-goers stream in. The crowd is exactly what you’d expect for this killer double-headliner show: black t-shirts galore, beards for days, and far more double denim than I anticipated—a nod, no doubt, to our first headliners.
Taking the stage first are the Swedish psychedelic hard rock juggernauts, Graveyard. These guys instantly ooze coolness, laid-back vibes, and good times. Hailing all the way from Sweden, they blast a “hippie hole” straight through the crowd. They kick off their set with “Twice,” a hard-hitting, feel-good track from their latest album, 6—their aptly named sixth release. Watching Graveyard, it’s hard not to picture yourself jamming out with them in the 1970s.
The band treats us to a selection of songs from all six of their albums, including standout tracks like “Please Don’t” from Peace, “From a Hole in the Wall” from Innocence & Decadence, and the title track of my personal favorite album, Hisingen Blues.
Vocalist Joakim Nilsson’s ability to deliver such a beautifully powerful voice night after night is a marvel. His soaring notes are reminiscent of the mighty Robert Plant in his prime.
As the set progresses, the band puts the growing crowd into a hypnotic trance. Each member is mesmerizing to watch, making every note and lightning-fast snare roll look effortless.
They close their set with the crowd-pleaser “The Siren,” and from where I’m standing, it’s clear they nailed it. The thunderous cheers after Nilsson’s stunning vocal performance and the face-melting solo prove the crowd is more than satisfied.
The classic rock sound is alive and well, and its name is Graveyard.
Next up on this delightfully stacked line-up, we have the band that I saw the most t-shirts sporting their name, I am of course talking about the Sludge Kings, the riff-heavy, grammy nominated, alt-metallers ‘Baroness’
As the house lights dimmed and the stage lights pulsated to the eerie sound of an old air raid siren. One by one the band take the stage, starting with drummer Mr Sebastian Thompson, shortly followed by bassist Nick Jost, lead guitarist Gina Gleason and then the man with the best beard in the Biz, vocalist/rhythm guitarist John Dyer Baizley.
The band punched straight in with the chug-heavy song ‘Last Word’ This instantly hyped the crowd up, within the first few bars everyone was off their feet until the huge sing-along chorus, which filled the marble factory with a thousand-plus voices singing in unison, followed by the first killer solo of the set by the crazy talented Gina Gleason.
Even though this tour was about the newest album ‘Stone’ Baroness was all about getting that crowd moving and singing, so they played an amazing amount of songs from the back catalogue, including ‘Shock Me’ from 2015’s Purple, Tourniquet from Gold & Grey, Swollen and Halo from Blue Record.
Taking a quick break from the riffage and proggy goodness, guitar/vocalist John Dyer Baizley said a few words about how much all this means to himself and the rest of the members and how they appreciate all the love and energy, even mentioning that 12 years ago they were playing a little known Bristol legendary venue The Fleece. Dyer also mentioned a serious tour bus accident that the band were in a few years back not far from Bristol. The accident he was mentioning made the news and newspapers here in the UK. The bands bus fell from a viaduct near Bath in bad weather, which meant it was difficult to help the band and everyone on the bus. Several people were injured in the accident, including Dyer himself and two former members, even suffering from spinal fractures. Dyer was incredibly thankful and anyone could see that this wasn’t just a stage act.
The band then went on to finish the night off with a song that includes one of the coolest sludge riffs known to man, from the album Yellow & green, the amazing head-banging classic; Take My Bones Away
The amount of energy this band exudes is so impressive. I don’t know how anyone can jump around, head-bang and still somehow not miss a note like these guys. It wasn’t just a set filled with some of the best live drumming I have seen, nor was it the flawlessly smooth baselines or even the intricate solos and catchy as hell choruses but it was a performance caked in emotion.
Long live the mighty Baroness!
I am a self taught Photographer and an aspiring reviewer.
I have been in and out of bands for the past 15 years and some, so thought it only makes sense to stay in the scene that has been the most important aspect of my life since I can remember, live music.
Available for:
I am available for small gigs, larger concerts, recording sessions and festivals.
First attended gig:
The first proper gig that went to that I can actually remember was Muse supported by a then lesser known Elbow and I think the main reason I remember that is because it was the first big concert that I was allowed to go to with just my friends. Obviously Muse were fantastic by the way.
First gig shot:
Im pretty sure the first gig I shot was for a friends band at a local social club with some sort of £30 Argos camera. You can only imagine the fantastic quality of the shots.
Dream gig:
My dream gig to shoot would most definitely be either Tool, not just because they are amazing but their stage and lighting is magnificent. Or I would love to shoot another one of my favourite bands which is Explosions In The Sky and that’s just because they are incredible.
