30 November 2023 (gig)
04 December 2023
I had the rare opportunity of seeing three alternative rock bands in one night at a local venue in Guildford, Surrey. Luckily for me, all three bands were in the alternative metal sphere and deeply influenced by the grunge 90s sound.
The night started with Slug 13, a guitar and drum duo from Surrey. I was unaware of their local beginnings and found out from a fan at the gig that they had started up in the 90's as a trio called Slug. I was impressed by their sonic infusion of aggressive soundscapes and experimental echelons of feedback. With no vocals, I felt that I was listening to an angry metal version of Mogwai.
From there, we were enveloped into the sounds of The Hyena Kill, a four-piece from Manchester consisting of Steven Dobbs (vocals/guitars), Lorna Blundell (drums/backing vocals), Charlie Seisay (lead guitar) and Dan Jones (bass). They have been releasing music for over a decade and have recently brought out a new single called ‘Piece of Hell’, which marks their first release after their seminal ‘A Disconnect’ album was out nearly two and a half years ago. As many have done before me, I found myself making comparisons with Deftones from the get-go. I was immediately drawn to how much Steven was able to belt out Chino-esque guttural screams. Overall, the band has a sense of impending danger and a deeply atmospheric tension that was familiar to the nu-metal and alternative rock of the 90s. I remember an audience member shouting they “sounded evil”!
Playing us out, we had Brighton's own - El Moono. They are a quartet composed of Zac Jackson (vocals/guitar), Jamie Haas (guitar/backing vocals), Harry Logan (bass) and Chris Cartwright (drums). They are touring to promote their new single, Chains - the first single from their highly anticipated debut album to be released next year. As a band, they were a lot more comfortable on stage than the former two acts and drew the audience into their set. Zak was cracking jokes and sharing his artistic and dramatic flair on stage, as his lead singer demeanour was to perform directly to us. Musically, Zac’s vocals were akin to Brandon Boyd and Daniel Johns. El Moono’s vision for their music isn’t too far from an Incubus meets Silverchair dimension either. With elements of the experimental and high concept metal merging together, even at their most emotive, their music has a level of intensity that is exhilarating to witness live.
4/5
