Saturday, December 5, 2009

Propagandhi & Protest The Hero - The Village 3/12/09

For this outing in The Village there’s an eclectic mix of hardcore and some intense technicalities, all delivered from Strike Anywhere, Protest The Hero and veterans Propagandhi.

Strike Anywhere [7/10] show little let up in their set going wall to wall with power and a stripped down oomph in their show. Having a couple handfuls of seasoned fans in attendance only adds to the positives of their short but sweet set.

The response, particularly, at the front for Protest The Hero [9/10] is deafening as they launch into the frenzied "Bloodmeat". The night’s set list is questionable as first album Kezia is eschewed and the first eight tracks of Fortress make up the performance. It’s definitely unexpected but considering the merciless vigour with which they deliver it’s a welcomed development.

Guitarists Tim Millar, Luke Hoskin and bassist Arif Mirabdolgabhi simply stun in their technical majesty displaying near unholy abilities. Meanwhile Rody Walker pushes his lungs into uncharted territory screeching and gutturally growling his way through "Bone Marrow" and "Sequoia Throne" et al.

Their show is their first in Ireland, one long overdue and on this occasion they’re the standout act. Furthermore the guys are more than happy to greet fans after the show and pose for photos, which is always a plus.

Propagandhi [8/10] certainly don’t fail in keeping the unstoppable energy going, inciting mayhem in the pit. Much of the new material from this year’s Supporting Caste often stand out as highlights with the title track and "The Bangers Embrace" being just relentless. The only downside of their set being front man Chris Hannah and bassist Todd Kowalski taking time between songs to rant somewhat about politics and war - blah blah we know we know war sucks. But that’s a minor complaint as top to bottom Propagandhi are solid as fuck.

But as the night draws to close there’s one thing that’s very clear, Protest The Hero rather convincingly stole the show.

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