Concorde2, 6th October 2008

Although never having a strictly mainstream presence in the music scene, the Melvins have enjoyed cult success backed by their dedicated fans for over 20 years. As a predominantly male crowd trickled in to the darkened Concorde 2, t-shirts were emblazoned with a range of band logos including Kiss, the Misfits and Ween. This appreciation of differing genres of rock seemed a good sign to me, indicating a cross-genre, perhaps even genre defying performance tonight.

First on the stage were Porn, purveyors of seriously dark, atmospheric metal music. The three-piece performed without a vocalist but the lingering guitars and explosive drumbeats filled the room and they did not any way suffer from the absence of a lead singer. It was the kind of music that you could shut your eyes to and drift away on the tide of droning guitar rhythms and erratic drum beats, transporting your mind to somewhere else completely – as I must admit I did at a few points during their set.

Big Business were the second act to take to the stage and played a set that moved more into the realms of thrash metal, providing a kind of musical bridge to the headlining act to follow.

Finally the Melvins made their entrance and rapturous applause erupted from the crowd. The visual set up of the band was near to symmetrical with the guitarist, bassist and two (yes, two) drummers on stage. I noticed something I have never experienced at a gig before: with the exception of the guitarist, all the other band members had performed in either or both of the previous support bands. This contributed to a feeling of musical evolution through the night, the final performance incorporating elements of the two bands seen before. There were full-on throaty rock tunes and also more psychedelic sounds weaving through the set, with even a rendition of the American national anthem thrown in for good measure.The resonance of hearing two drummers hitting the same beats in unison was truly amazing and tremendously powerful when combined with the two front men, Buzz Osbourne and Jared Warren, belting out powerful vocals. I was expecting a mosh pit of some description tonight and one formed gradually throughout the set. There was even the bonus of the obligatory crowd surfers flying overhead.

Words by Jen Blakely
Photography by Ian Greenland