Catharsis

Nottingham Old Angel

October 29 1999


Both the support bands pulled out for whatever reasons, so tonight it's just left to Catharsis. Surely the best and most obvious name for any band doing the alternative woe is me thing. And quite refreshing in attitude. Unlike most bands that get on stage and then whimper about the monitors being a little out "just a tweak, more, more less, waaaahhhhhhhhhhhh I'm going to cwy and cwy", Catharsis just don't bother with them. Well, if they're going to piss you off, it would seem the obvious thing right!

The bassist looks like he could be a serial killer, the guitarists and drummer should be in high school (they're American see, no comprehensives for them) and the vocalist spends no time on stage and is shrouded in darkness, just popping up immediately in your face everynow and again. The bassist is doing similar.

Musically, well what do you reckon with a name like that? It's pummeling kind of metal hardcore ish sort of thing, loads of lovely double bass drumming and true to form, there's a song in there with a riff straight from the Slayer school of riff-stealing. The vocals are a bit low to make much out, but though it's not sung, it's still not an entire yay fest. Coming all the way from the States to do a fortnights gigs, you have to admire their resolves, especially faced with people going "get on with it" and "you said the same thing last song" when our shrouded vocalist tries to say something. Well yeah, bands should come al l that way just to say fuck all shouldn't they. You've gone all the way to the pub, and you just say the same thing all the time yourself. Especially when the guy is rightly pointing out that the whole hardcore scene thing is nothing if it's just a scene to be seen in. You've got to do something to an extent. It's over in about 25 short minutes, but I was suitably impressed. Whether that means fuck all of course is a different matter, because some people obviously weren't, which is why they were exercising their new found additions to their vocabulary. Yeah, get on with it you lot, get on with it.