The term Spartan could be defined by the Camden Barfly; it’s as basic a venue as one can imagine. There’s absolutely no frills or distraction for the punters so the bands have to perform. On Tuesday we were in luck with a trio of bands that revelled in this and turned in outstanding performances.
The oddly named Severezero are first up. A trio play solid punk but with a melodic touch that suggests they may be constrained by the genre. A very solid set and they worked hard to win over the small crowd.
Antlered Man had an uphill task with this writer for dissing Paul Rogers on MySpace and the name does conjure up visions of paganism and hobby horses. However, this has to be one of the most original bands around at the moment. Try to imagine a collision between Lard and Queens of the Stone Age. This was a sonic attack; at times a wall of vicious guitars but they just as easily handle gentler snaking eastern sounds. A pulverising performance.
It was going to be difficult for Max Raptor to follow Antlered Man, but if they were at all daunted it didn’t show it and pretty soon took control of the venue, and had the punters up and dancing. A punk band very much in the British tradition of short sharp songs filled with angst and borderline hatred at times. It was a short set but as they played everything of their excellent debut mini-album, Portraits, nobody went home disappointed. Highlights were a pumping powerhouse Parton Saint (of Nothing) and a ferocious The King is Dead.
Congratulations to whoever put this line-up together because this was a fine showcase of the diversity of British rock music. All three bands are well worth a listen and going to see.
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