Petrichor presents - Saturday 13th June.

Mist Rolling Inn- Nottingham- 7.30 doors.

Unmarked VHS is four different projects all masked up and looking intimidating, stood still before the show had even started. The vibe was right before any sound was made.  A mass of abrasive noise went off whilst and a strobe light was going off the whole time. You couldn't see what was happening, just bits of movement.  The strobe  added visual intensity to the pulverising, screaming sound being made. This shifted from screeching to roaring as it thickened up.  This was one of several gradual shifts in noise throughout the set, it didn't stay samey at all. This perform was a visual and sonic success for sure.

H'st used lots of chain on contact mic amplified steel sheet through a lot of pedals  used to manipulate the high pitched sounds. I liked how he used  distortion to compress the sharp noise. Sharp feedback was left to scream through the sound. Some good bass crunch and feedback combined together to form a physically tangible tension that could be felt in the air of the venue. Very rich textures achieved too. A lot of chatty feedback was woven into the sound. A sample from the film Devil Foetus is played out and the noise returns with deep, thick, bass crunch that coated the room. As he stripped the sound back the remaining elements resonated massively. H'st is an immense performer who delivered an excellent, outstanding set that mastered texture brilliantly

Fuck Radio. This set had an F64 video playing on a screen, some rap music played which shifted to another film with harsh distortion that was crackle heavy playing over the film. The world fuck radio stayed in the centre of the screen at all times. The noise was distortion, crackle and a lot of scrape dragging across the sound.  No performance could be seen as the performer lay on the floor controlling the  noise, which seemed to shift and morph with each film section on the big screen which was all from SBTV's F64 programme. I'd describe the noise as strident moving between shrill and crispy to deep and rumbling. A huge contrast to his set as Cariad the week before. Great work again.

Sword of Democles. Immediately glitches cut-ups of sound that made rapid shifts from eerrie dungeon ambient music to abrasive harsh noise. Played with his back to the audience. The movement of his noise seemed to strongly emphasise the high and low ends of his sound. His use of sharp noise had a real physical kick to it too. When he used choked glitches of noise over the ambient passages, it was a bold contrast.  The layering of noises within the harsh blasts was strong, he would use blasts of distrotion and chatty clingy wailing over it. This was a super rich, layered set from a unique, one off of an artist.

All four sets were very good and it was too hard to pick a favourite.  This was an excellent night. 

ZG 2026.

Bloody Head - Failed Experiments in Kindness.

Bloody Head – Failed Experiments in Kindness – Narcissistic Hypnotist Records - Cassette- 2017.

https://bloodyhead.bandcamp.com/

Track Listing.

1.    Black Slugs.

2.    Last and Foose.

3.    The Sound of No Hands Clapping.

4.    Death Trip Baby.

5.    Get Ingrown.

…….

6.    The Prizes of Incest.

7.    Brand New Baggie.

8.    Seizure Soon.

Having previously reviewed the first Bloody Head tape a few months ago, this new album has come hot on its’ heels. The project has now been around on the live circuit and had time to fester. Buying this cassette was exciting due to this and the strength of the debut; I was keen to see what has happened since my first encounter.

Failed experiments doesn’t fester and bubble in the same scum pit as the debut. Instead it has a bigger and better produced sound; this is almost a different band. The sound no longer splatters or spews as before, instead it is beginning to become a vortex of sound that is slowly built up; which is where things start to get really interesting. The original influences and points of reference shown before are also starting to die off, which makes things a lot more interesting. 

The vocals still shout, the drumming is still primal and the guitars now combine choppy riffs and build up to a sea of noise. The vocals at times become a part of the whole sound, sometimes they are almost buried within it; left to battle with the rest of the sound until they emerge triumphantly. It is as if the sound is at war within itself at times. With the newer expansive sound; I can’t wait for more. Failed Experiments is excellent, varied, and ambitious work. Bloody Head are starting to form a strong self-identity.

Choppy Noodles 2016. 

Jerry Price 

Viral Age 

Bloody Head Bandcamp.