LIVE REVIEW: Brujeria @ Slay, Glasgow
Time to roll some joints! The Latin Americans in the death metal cartel BRUJERIA have found the road back to Glasgow on their current European tour. These Mexican loyalists are known for their riotous and downright fun live spectacles. They’re one of these groups where any metalhead who hasn’t encountered a single note of their narcotic cacophony can leave an enthusiastic convert. Slay is once again host to another night of death/grind fit for a king.
Partners in crime for the headliners are the UK hardcore gang BORSTAL, a relatively new group formed in 2019, featuring ex-BRUJERIA drummer Nick Barker (who isn’t performing tonight), vocalist Pierre Mendivil from KNUCKLEDUST and guitarist Lee Kitchner from DRIPBACK. The sprightly act force-feeds the punters a metalised take on hardcore punk. This means an inventory full of bruising d-beats, gang shouts and fat grooves that smoothly translate into the live environment.
Mendivil spends a significant portion of the set getting down and dirty in the crowd, shouting in the moshpit and throughout the front of the crowd. He opens a song by giving a shout out to the musicians, writers, artists and ballerinas, the latter occupation receiving the heartiest applause from the punters. He implores everyone to find a creative outlet in these trying times. Slay‘s sound only sharpens their punk assault and the audience is very receptive, moshing and cheering after each song. Aside from Mendivil (who needlessly apologises for taking some weed cakes before the show that were fucking him up), the remainder of the band’s presence feels slightly underwhelming for the frantic tunes they’re serving up. Nonetheless, the audience’s enthusiasm only increases as the band ploughs on.
Rating: 6/10
When BRUJERIA plant a Mexican flag on a flagpole with a model disembodied head of the unfortunate decapitation victim from their Mantando Güeros album art on stage, you know it’s going to be a show to remember. Donned in bandido-style bandanas covering the lower half of their face, they strike a deep impression. Their energy is infectious off the bat, aided by not one or two but three frontmen. Naturally, this dynamism transfers to the crowd who are eager to transform an enormous portion of Slay into a mosh pit. Of course, this is peppered by a semi-permanent torrent of crowd surfers and stage divers to BRUJERIA‘s delectably repulsive death grind.
Given the concise nature of grindcore, the songs feel like a thousand fists to the face. They’re ugly, punchy, groovy and breakneck-paced. In between songs, the three vocalists, Juan Brujo, Pinche Peach, and El Sangron, ramble in alternating Spanish and English. The banter doesn’t last too long before they torpedo into another Hispanic anthem. While their songs shouted and growled in Spanish, the language barrier doesn’t prevent monolingual folks chanting along to many choruses, including Chinga de mecos, Castigo del brujo, La migra (Cruza la frontera II) and Consejos narcos. The grittiness of the original versions of the older songs fades live, but this serves the more friendly camaraderie of the concert. Last year birthed BRUJERIA‘s first full-length release in seven years, Esto es Brujeria. The title track opens the set, while Mexorcista and Mochado promote the album later on.
It’s hard not to find these hombres locos totally endearing. Piche Peach requests a joint from the audience and receives one. Without hesitation, he lights up onstage and passes it around to the other band members, smoking ban be damned. The best moment of the show is when BRUJERIA launch into the song Mantando Güeros, commanding a tidal wave of crowdsurfers and a staggeringly enormous moshpit. Juan Brujo and El Sangron unsheathe and wave their machetes, while Piche Peach wields the severed head. This is followed by the whacky Marijuhana, the Hispanics’ rendition of Macarena, seducing huge swathes of the crowd into beer-glazed dancing. Not your average death/grindcore activity, but BRUJERIA aren’t your average death/grind band. This was a severely ludicrously entertaining night all round. These cabrones are amazingly consistent at providing a killer live show. Viva la raza!
Rating: 10/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Glasgow from Duncan McCall here:
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