Gig Review – She Screams Murder plus support @ The Old Wharf

Gig Review –  SHE SCREAMS MURDER plus support

The Old Wharf, Digbeth, Birmingham 11th March 2011

Having missed out on them last time due to my usual tardiness, going along to see them at their second headlining gig turned out to be a very good plan.

Supports were Incendia, Come The Light and Sanctified Torture.

Incendia from Stourbridge started the night off well, the singer was pretty damn good and there was plenty of hair flying around.

Come The Light had some good melodies going on and were much better than my initial presumptions.

Death Metal band Sanctified Torture received mixed reviews from my comrades, but that could just because we don’t usually choose death metal bands as a genre. I would have liked to see the band a little more connected. It was a bit like watching a solo vocalist with his backing band, the bassist being the stand out member.

And so to She Screams Murder….

Originally this was to be the launch night for their EP ‘Chronicles of Sanity’ but it has been rescheduled (date tba) so the band can get it just right.

Frontman David Woodhouse really knows how to get everyone going, encouraging the moshing, clapping, sing-alongs and generally getting the crowd involved. The camaraderie and banter between band members was refreshing to see.

Highlights included a new song which has one of those chorus lines that will hunt you down and follow you around all day.

‘Never be alone, never be alone, never be alooooone!’

Some bands don’t have that gift of making their songs stand out and memorable enough and I do like a good sing-along. They also more than managed to pull off covers of My Last Serenade and Rose of Sharon with these, and quite a few of their songs benefiting from the backing vocals of the other band members. In particularly those of bassist Andy Weaver who maybe could get up front with David more as their voice styles do complement one another very nicely.  Which brings me on to Tom Wills, also on backing vocal duty but man, he can play some mean riffs! One of the best guitarists of the local bands I’ve seen recently I reckon.

Promising one more became two more after some coaxing from the crowd. I did get rather excited at the suggestion of a possible Trivium cover but the random finale of ‘Beat It’ was bloody good…and I’m not a Jacko fan…and much better than the *coughs* Fall Out Boy version because it had more balls to it. The band were playing their hearts out and looking like they enjoyed it too. What would be the point otherwise? Go see them.

Stace

Stace@CraveMetal.com @StaceInspire
www.staceinspire.wordpress.com