Live Review : Evil Scarecrow + INTHEWHALE @ Rebellion,Manchester on February 3rd 2024

Within the ranks of our very particular community, Evil Scarecrow have ascended to the lofty position of national treasure. This distinctly odd and ramshackle act has not only carved out a niche in our collective hearts but they have managed to transcend genres and tribal barriers. Tonight's audience is pulled from all over metal’s multicoloured subdivisions. We stand united by one thing, a desire to dance and embrace the silliness in a world that is becoming darker by the day.

Openers INTHEWHALE have spent an awful lot of money to be with us this evening. On numerous occasions during the set, Eric Riely reminds us that as a DIY outfit that self-releases all their material they have had to bankroll this jaunt overseas themselves. The fact that there are only two of them means that their sound is inevitably raw and stripped back. There are definitely callbacks to the 90s grunge sound, and they remind me of the more unrefined and unfiltered proponents of that particular movement such as TAD and Green River. 

Given that this is day two of the tour there are inevitably gremlins in the system. Technical hitches blight them for the first few tracks, but having been doing this for nearly 14 years they are professional enough to rise above it and eloquently manage the curse of loose wires and malfunctioning motherboards. Even though they are far removed from the silliness and rampant mischief of the headliners they still manage to elicit a favourable and distinctly warm reaction from the gathered throngs. 

Peppered along the front rows, adorned with homemade robot masks and pincers, are a handful of devotees who sing along with Nate Valdez with absolute gusto. It is obvious why INTHEWHALE means so much to these disciples as there is a primal emotion at the heart of the material. In a world of soulless stereo, they feel analogue and disruptively corrosive. Eric drawls before the last track that they exist only to play shows that this and from the fervent reception their exit stirs up you can tell they have won over several new friends.

Around the second track, Dr Hell does my job for me. He describes mayhem happening on stage as heavy metal pantomime and he can't be more right. The beauty of the great British tradition of pantomime is that it wantonly laughs at its own absurdity. It is in on its own joke and lovingly sends itself up in a cacophony of double entendres and self-aware digs. This is exactly what Evil Scarecrow do. It's not parody metal because they are a bona fide metal band with bona fide metal songs. It's just that they are leaning into the veritable absurdity of it all. There is no victim of the joke here, instead, we are all laughing together at ourselves.

As ever tonight's show is one ridiculous set piece after another. ‘Robotron’ makes an early appearance, eliciting automated dancing that would make Peter Crouch weep. Link from Zelda makes a guest appearance during ‘End Level Boss’ and there is a fly-catching competition (to win a free DVD no less) during ‘Master of the Dojo’ which involves a lucky member of the audience wielding six-foot chopsticks. Yes, it's all puerile juvenile madness, but God is it heartedly enjoyable. 

They tap into that surreal silliness that has been at the heart of British comedy in a linear line that runs back through the Vic Reeves, Python and the Goons. There is also a great debt to comedy metal pioneers Lawnmower Deth and there is a wonderfully surreal and spontaneous moment when they realise Pete Lee from the band is in attendance and decide to write the ridiculously short ‘Lawnmower Deth Write Very Short Songs’, especially for him. He is inevitably dragged up to perform it and it just adds to the atmosphere of love and adoration that permeates this evening.

As I said everybody is in the joke and there is a wonderfully communal atmosphere around the place. It is obvious the band love their audience as much as the audience loves them and this is illustrated when an issue in the crowd means that ‘Blacken the Everything’ must jutter to a halt. The in-house medical team are quick to assess and deal with the issue and the band makes sure that the person in question is in good care before they elect to continue.

It shows once again that being a metalhead is being part of a community and more than any other band Evil Scarecrow lean into that ideal of inclusive belonging. Every song has its own set of daft dance moves that we can all do together, they are simplistic enough that even the most uncoordinated of us can still join in. By playing to the lowest common denominator, they ensure that everybody is part of their gang as the chicken dance pit for ‘Release the Kraken’, that engulfs the whole venue, beautifully shows.

The band are obviously moved by the response that they elicit. Dr Hell states several times that the reception is beyond their wildest dreams, and they create yet another new song there and then with a heartfelt ‘Whey-aih Manchester’. It is a shared adoration that has made the evening such a raucous success. Yes, all the trappings, props and appearances of Dave Mustang in various costumes (if they say it's him, it’s him) are fun, but the most important thing is the chemistry and emotional bond between band and audience. We love Evil Scarecrow because they are us. They love metal like us, they are vulnerable and silly like us, and they have the same desire for ludicrous escapism as us.

Tonight wasn't about a band playing to us to give us joy, tonight was about a group of connected people (including the band) coming together to celebrate those things that cojoin us and collectively gain joy from that. It was about belonging and not caring who you are or what you look like. It was about affirmation, and I'm absolutely convinced that everybody left the venue feeling a little bit better about themselves and the world in general and there isn't a better thing to be achieved on a cold Saturday night in Manchester.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Evil Scarecrow, INTHEWHALE