Jimmy’s Bar in Liverpool isn’t a venue I am able to say I’ve had the pleasure of visiting before, but my first impression is that it is the definition of a hidden gem. This bustling bar at the top of Liverpool’s Iconic Bold Street is the last place you’d expect there to be a Metal Concert, but one trip down into it’s basement reveals a venue that almost seems tailor made for this type of show. It was small, sweaty and intimate, the trademark trifecta of underground metal shows.  

Opening this impressively strong four card bill was Rhyl’s own GR/EF who did an impeccable job of converting me from interested onlooker to new found fan in the space of 1 song. For me, they came across as a band that had it all. They had the songs, they had the image, they had the direction, the stage presence, the professionalism. On a musical level, GR/EF are Nu Metal for a Nu Generation. They possess all of the hallmarks of the Nu Metal Scene, bone crushing Riffs that are as much brooding and atmospheric as they are heavy, vocals that reminded me a lot of Mike Patton and how he can transition from guttural screams to free flowing melody at the drop of a hat and a rhythm section that seamless steer the ship through its many sections – half time breakdowns turned into sections that make you want to just stomp your feet through the floor. As far as opening bands go, this was pretty bloody splendid.  

Second band on the bill were Reclaim. The first thing I noticed about Reclaim was that they absolutely oozed passion for the music they were playing and the bands they were paying tribute too. They came across as a band who wanted to play music that sounded like the bands they love, and whilst this meant that there was very little I hadn’t seen before on offer with Reclaims sound, it didn’t make it any less impressive. They provided a live show that was raw and intense that had some rather satisfying highs, however at times suffered from being a bit here there and everywhere. Whilst each song had an identity and sound in their own right, in the context of a live performance, it at times felt like a few different bands were performing as some songs sounded completely different to others in form, style and structure. What this short succinct glimpse of Reclaim did show me, is that they possess all of the necessary tools to create something that could be special. This is something that comes with time and therefore it’ll be interesting to see the trajectory of this band and what they end up achieving in the future.  

Spitfyre made up the final of tonight’s support acts before Ogun took to the stage. I first saw Spitfyre at the first Liverpool heat of Bloodstocks Metal 2 The Masses competition. On the night, you had to feel sorry for them as they had to follow on eventual winners Devils Henchmen and there was a feeling of “well how on earth are they meant to top that then” throughout the venue. Tonight however was a completely different ball game. There were no stakes and no pressure and it made for a much better, natural and pretty bloody good performance. Spitfyre are a classic rock/hard rock influenced band with songs that are littered with nods to the 70’s and 80’s. This comes together to create a sound that’s familiar, yet with enough of a contemporary edge that it doesn’t give the feeling that Spitfyre are just an 80’s cover band. Their songs are well structured, the band have a great presence about them and when the stakes and pressure of a M2TM heat are dropped and the band are allowed to be themselves, they show signs of being a band in which the sky’s the limit. 

Judging by the reaction and the rather impressive crowd size, tonight’s Headliners Ogun need no introduction.  They are bonafide underground legends in Liverpool and have developed a serious cult following. I have seen Ogun a couple of times now and always admired their incredibly simplistic yet utterly destructive brand of Thrash Metal. I’ve always found their sound to be incredibly accessible, I’ve said it in each of my reviews of Ogun, but they are the masters of writing songs that you can just headbang too. They operate at a level that heavy enough to fit alongside their Thrash Metal Mainstays but not heavy enough that it may put off a casual listener, it is this kind of accessible metal that makes it very easy to instantly attach yourself to a band like Ogun. Whilst the previous times I saw them I thought they were good, tonight was just different gravy. The band were up for it, the crowd were up for it, the sound was fantastic. All this came together to create a show and an atmosphere that gave Ogun the best possible homecoming they could want. They absolutely destroyed the place in just over 50 minutes and were the cherry on top of an incredibly successful night of local metal music in a City who is slowly but surely making a name for itself as being the next hotbed of Heavy Music in England. Ogun are one of the bands that are front and centre of this Renaissance.  

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Ogun, Spitfyre, Reclaim, GR/EF