LIVE REVIEW: Cancer Bats @ Sin City, Swansea
Where would you expect to see one of the most notable bands to come out of Canada since ALEXISONFIRE, on a random Wednesday night? If you answered “opposite a Wetherspoons in Swansea”, you would surprisingly be correct. Nearing the end of their Psychic Jailbreak UK tour, CANCER BATS are playing one of the most infamous venues in Swansea: Sin City. Doubling as a nightclub in a student city, it might not be the first choice for a hardcore gig but it makes for an interesting blend of aesthetics.
Opening the evening is GRAPHIC NATURE. They immediately began carving a name for themselves as one of most exciting new bands to emerge within the British metal scene in a long time and there’s a very good reason why. Their live set is something of wonders at a normal gig but with a stage that is near-enough floor level they can elevate (not literally) their show to a whole new level. Lead vocalist Harvey Freeman can get into the crowd and encourage them to move properly, forming a wall of unrelenting crowd killers that don’t even back down in the face of the vocalist stalking around in front of the stage with a vicious fury. They are arguably the most visually cohesive group on the lineup, with the band themselves wearing hooded waterproof jackets for the entirety of their set – you really must respect their commitment. GRAPHIC NATURE carry themselves with the same energy as bands like SLIPKNOT did on their first release, using their raw and aggressive energy to electrify those who came out early to catch their set in such an intimate venue. Their ferocious confidence gives no allusion that they will soon be future royalty of the hardcore crowd.
Rating: 8/10
It’s always a tough act to follow an opener when they manage to invigorate a crowd in the way GRAPHIC NATURE have managed to, but doom punk outfit WITCH FEVER are more than ready to rise to the challenge. They don’t mess around and instantly throw themselves into their performance, lead singer Amy Walpole skulking from one side of the stage to the other, keeping their eyes fixed on the audience like a panther that has just set eyes on its dinner. Their sound is assaulting with all the force of a ten-tonne truck and the darker tones within mimic the droning sound of BLACK SABBATH – a sound that the audience can get behind. They take absolutely no prisoners and defy expectations with their sound and messages behind each song. This is pointed out as the entire group are catcalled by some lowlife that is soon to pipe down as soon as Walpole takes it upon their shoulders to lecture them in front of the entire audience – and rightfully so. While many bands may be apprehensive to confront disrespectful audience members, WITCH FEVER have no issues with letting the whole room know that they refuse to be confined by gender and that they are here purely to push boundaries with sound and image. They are exactly what punk should be.
Rating: 8/10
CANCER BATS have become one of those festival staples that turn up year after year and play a solid set that most of the audience is guaranteed to know two of three songs of, but this was far from a festival set. At Sin City, CANCE BATS are playing their own show with their own rules, or lack thereof, and make the most of every second they get on stage. Within seconds of their set starting, the entire room is enveloped in a mosh pit that circles around the central pillar in front of the stage – or as frontman Liam Cormier calls it, “less of a pit, more of a mosh moat”. He’s that enthused by it that he even tries his hand at a little Welsh (and is one of the few non-Welsh speakers to not absolutely butcher the phrase “shwmae bechgyn”).
Their set continues with the high energy levels as the fast-paced opening to Hail Destroyer echoes throughout the room. The pit ramps up in speed to the point where the rest of the room can catch a breeze and feel the floor moving with them. Their entire set feels less like a gig and more like a reunion of old friends, as Cormier and the rest of the band take the time to chat to the audience mid-set through the microphone. It feels unique and CANCER BATS may be the only band that can get away with it so seamlessly. Halfway through their set we are greeted by a guest appearance from Brooklyn Doran, whose name can’t even heard properly over the cheering of the crowd, as she gets up to perform with the band. And she really performs. True to the record, she belts her heart out to Hammering On and is just incredible – someone really needs to make sure she has a full feature on the next CANCER BATS release and is utilised properly.
As their set nears closer to the end, the room regresses further into chaos. Bassist Jaye R. Schwarze has ended up in the crowd with his microphone stand and bass engulfed by the mosh, and guitarist Stephen Harrison is swinging his guitar around his head at a rate that makes him look like he’s about to take off. This all peaks as soon as Sabotage begins; a crowd favourite cover of a BEASTIE BOYS song that will always go down a treat, even amongst the most casual of listeners. The disorder is accompanied by arguably the hardest mosher of the night, who gets up on stage to sing the track with the group – a fitting reward for someone who has screamed every lyric tonight. The closing track Lucifer’s Rocking Chair is a last chance for the crowd to let out their energy and they don’t disappoint, jumping in unison to make the floor bounce with them. CANCER BATS are a band that, despite their long tenure on the scene, will always manage to draw a crowd. No matter how many main stage festival appearances they have, they will always come back to play these intimate venues and give the fans the show they truly want, as they continue to just get better themselves.
Rating: 10/10
Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Swansea from Megan Jenkins Photography here:
Like CANCER BATS on Facebook.