LIVE REVIEW: Conan @ The Exchange, Bristol

Whisper it quietly, but the UK might actually be having a ‘gig season’ for the first time in eighteen months. Although not an official term, this timespan begins around September and finishes in May, neatly leaving the summer free for festival appearances. It’s been a long time coming, but the fact that these shows are so well attended goes to show just how much people have been missing live music; starved for far too long, any excuse to see it is grabbed with both hands. The Exchange in Bristol has taken advantage of this and is regularly holding two shows a night, with both its main room and basement taking in live shows. Upstairs, where CONAN is, it’s pretty much sold out, which always makes for a fun atmosphere.

SAIL, the South West sludge metallers who have been opening this tour, are certainly trying to make things fun and, indeed, festive, but it comes at a price. “We decided to all wear jumpers onstage because it’s the closest thing we’re doing to a Christmas show; guess how much we’re regretting THAT decision” comes the review onstage at the end of recent single Flood. Questionable stage clothing choices aside, the knitwear chic definitely makes them stand out; the huge MASTODON vibes are certainly more appreciated. With plenty of energy onstage and big, fuzzy riffs ringing out all over the venue, it’s a strong performance from a band who are really going places; it won’t be long before songs such as Starve and Old Tom will be household across those who frequent the likes of Desertfest.

Rating: 8/10

Fresh off the back of a crushing performance at Damnation Festival that garnered significant acclaim, CONAN are here, on the last night of their short UK tour, to continue their rise towards becoming the premier doom metal band from these shores. They’re not taking any prisoners either, opening with the nine-minute Krull from 2014’s Horseback Battle Hammer and filling the room with some of the heaviest music that The Exchange has seen since its reopening in the summer. Although the subsequent tracks that make up the dozen-song set come nowhere near to the length of the opener, the crushing power of every riff is relentless and, as a result, this is as close to a perfect example of why earplugs at gigs are important as you’re ever going to find. It also helps that the packed room in front of CONAN is immediately caught up in the magnitude of their sound and power; by the time they’re halfway through second song Total Conquest, the title has lived up to its name as every single head is banging in unison to each guitar note with perfect synchronicity.

Whilst closed due to the pandemic, The Exchange has, like many other venues, completely revamped its sound system and it wouldn’t be amiss to say that this is the sternest test it’s faced so far; it passes with flying colours. There’s no hint of muddiness or risk of the band’s instruments merging into an uncomfortable wall of sound, it’s as clear as the November sky outside the venue and that means the impact is at optimum levels, with every song allowed to breathe and travel through the room despite the mass of bodies that are occupying the floor. Speaking of bodies, as the band moves into the latter half of the set, pits begin to open up when the tempo of the songs allow it; there’s even a wall of death during Paincantation, a feat even more impressive given the track is less than a minute long. Horns For Teeth and Battle In The Swamp close out a triumphant final show and as everyone tumbles out into the biting November air, the general consensus is obvious: CONAN have slayed Bristol in a manner their barbarian namesake would be proud of.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Bristol from Normandy Photography here: