LIVE REVIEW: Boss Keloid @ The Bread Shed, Manchester
Throughout their career, the Wigan lads have excelled over the stoner/doom genres and have now translated them to give a justly progressive familiarity to their audience. As it was an intimate environment for their Manchester crowd in The Bread Shed, BOSS KELOID can still stir up turmoil of sharp riffs, anthemic songwriting with a dash of such progressive oddness that would make the evening snow melt. Their signature outlook has been refined over their past three records, which respectfully shifted away from the sludge beginnings and on the night, it was exciting to see how it unveiled to their listeners.
As forerunner Alex Hurst bellows “it’s good to have live music back”, the gracefulness that Gentle Clovis and the majestic Flatt Controller flowed smoothly was a signal that the crowd was in for an audio journey like no other. It allowed for their tough duo of Orang Of Noyn and Hats The Mandrill to provide an exploration of sound as it led to a thoroughly robust rock out. With more mind-expanding additions by Gendle and Smiling Thrush, their spectators were further engrossed of the aural soundscapes.
Throughout the evening, the rhythm section of drummer Stephen Arands and bassist Liam Pendlebury-Green are dramatic, providing groove and keeping the explorations on track. Guitarist Paul Swarbrick delivered unique tones with solos that are distinctive with Alex Hurst with a matured singing style that is hard to duplicate BOSS KELOID musically. The band encored their spectacle with the hefty Cecil Succulent and the vicious Chronosiam, which had the crowd harmonise the final chords with raised bottles and hands in the air.
As their final night of their successful tour drew to a close, there’s no doubt that BOSS KELOID are one of the most refreshing British bands to witness in such an intimate space such as The Bread Shed. The Northern quartet are much more that just an average heavy progressive troupe. There’s an intelligence with their playing and revealing current matters more exclusively through their latest offering Family The Smiling Thrush, which is a record that is highly recommended.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here:
