Eyehategod
Sheffield Corporation Aug 2nd 2013
Its a rainy Friday night and by the time I have made my way to The Corporation its almost 9pm, the trains were massively delayed and full to overflowing which made for an uncomfortable journey that takes far longer than it should. Coincidentally someone tells me a few days later the delays were due to somebody having committed suicide by throwing themselves on the track. Anyway, I have missed the missed the support bands which were Iron Swan, a sludgy band from Nottingham who follow the Eyehategod template pretty closely and Iron Witch from Liverpool. Iron Witch are basically pretty much an Eyehategod tribute act, even copying the bands artwork and merchandise. They even have a reworked Black Flag logo with C4 packages instead of Xanax like the Eyehategod tee. Having missed their slot I can't say whether they are any good live but I did wonder what the Eyehategod guys made of it all. So anyhow, I'm waiting by the front of the stage, a sense of anticipation hangs in the air as people know they are soon about to see something special. One by one the various members come out and start setting up which heightens the sense of anticipation further. Eventually Mike IX walks on to the stage wearing his New Orleans Saints top and the crowd knows its about to kick off. The feedback that starts every Eyehategod show suddenly kicks in and Mike says the words "We're Eyehategod" and its off. The audience sway with the band members to the feedback just waiting for the storm to arrive, a bit longer, a bit longer, swaying in rhythm to the squalls of feedback and then BAM! the tsunami of sound engulfs the venue. The riffs come raining down like sledgehammers from the sky, the first song is New Orleans Is The New Vietnam which was the last release by these guys and does a good job of getting the proceedings off to a cracking start. The band rip through one riff laden groove fest after another, doing most of the songs which people have to come to love and expect: $30 bag, Sister Fucker, White Nigger and a few new ones which sound great and go down well such as Medicine Noose.
The band are heavy, heavy like a hundred AC/DCs but they have a groove too, I don't see many people dancing, I guess they didn't come here for that but you could dance to these grooves if you wanted to. Eyehategod are obviously influenced by punk, hardcore and metal but theres a swing and soulfulness to their music which no doubt comes in part from living in the cultural melting pot of New Orleans. You can hear a strong blues and classic southern rock influence in their music which in my opinion is what elevates them above the many bands that have tried to imitate them. This is a definite gumbo of a music form and all the better for it. Things are pretty sedate by the front left of the stage near me, people nodding their heads to the tour de force of riffs but not far to my right a pit opens up thats gets pretty intense at times as people go wilder the faster the song they play. Half 10 and Eyehategod are finishing, Mike says thats it as there is a curfew due to there being a techno event in the club above but by this time I have to leave past the club goers congregating at the entrance and get my train. I grab a shirt from the merch stall and head back into the rainy night my brain full of the sludgy southern heaviness that Eyehategod do so well. This band have to be seen to fully understand the passion and emotion they put in to their music, it drips with the raw heaviness of life to which the audience can relate and which is one of the things that makes them so loved and respected. Do yourself a favour and do not miss these guys next time they tour, you won't regret it.
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