LIVE REVIEW: Imminence @ The Garage, London

Happiness can come from many different places. On a balmy Sunday evening as we exited Highbury & Islington tube station, we were met with the ecstasy of victorious Arsenal fans. Boisterous in their enthusiasm, hundreds of people flooded the street waiting to get home to enjoy a cold beverage. Another, much smaller queue was forming across the road at the iconic venue The Garage. Hoodies and t-shirts emblazoned with the various artworks of Swedish metalcore band IMMINENCE dotted the line, anticipation running high.

Taking the opening slot for a band as beloved as IMMINENCE was always going to be a tall order. Though it’s one PORT NOIR took in their stride as the three-piece walked on to a dark stage. It’s difficult to know what to expect with a broad umbrella term such as alt-rock. PORT NOIR leaned very much into the alternative with their chilled rap verses over moody guitars. Bar the sporadic blasts of white lighting, the stage remained shrouded in darkness.

In the first technical difficulty of the evening, PORT NOIR’s lighter tracks lacked a bassline leaving them feeling flat. Though that technicality didn’t matter too much to the crowd as they immersed themselves within the typically alt-rock Sweet Assault. Even those patrons who may not have been entirely onboard caught themselves bobbing their heads or holding a two-step with a little twist. Last track Deep Waters wandered into the territory of sounding the same as the other tracks we’d heard from them but, the addition of that bassline made it bloom in abundance. All in all, PORT NOIR were met with a lukewarm reception but the set became forgettable over time.

Rating: 6/10

Does a band need some form of introduction when they come out on stage? That was a question we asked ourselves when French NOVELISTS FR came on to little fanfare. It wasn’t until a portion of the band were already on stage and gearing up that anyone in the crowd reacted. The set which followed them perhaps argues they don’t need the pomp and circumstance of entrance music.

Straight away, we were treated to filthy breakdowns from Florestan Durand and Pierre Danel on guitars. Donning a sweatshirt and snapback, the charismatic Tobias Rische breezed through the vicious bars of their opening track. The momentum they had created from five minutes alone was insurmountable until they were hit with technical difficulties on Nicolas Delestrade’s bass just two songs in. After a few moments of silence and an embarrassed apology, round two was under way, filled with ferocious growls a cathartic cry of “I need a reason for moving on”.

Gravity was where the evening began to take form. After a small speech about how things are “about to get moving”, the crowd parted ways like the Red Sea for the first of many Walls of Death. Gravity oozed aggression as beads of sweat flew from people’s hair as they moshed. Do You Even Wanna Know’s drum groove was salacious in nature and was the perfect set closer as the crowd began to broil with excitement for what was about to come

Rating: 8/10

After a rather fitting playthrough of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, The Garage was plunged into darkness. Phones littered the room as recordings began. Atmospheric sounds rumbled through the speakers, vibration creeping up our legs. I Am Become A Name’s electronic pulsation paired with Eddie Berg’s breathy vocals brought the room to boiling point, the pressure relieved almost literally with the blast of Co2 cannons.

“It’s like the calm before the storm” Berg screamed in opening Ghost before being drowned out by the crowd’s singing. The 650 cap venue became abuzz with catharsis as band and audience became one entity for 90 minutes. Harald Barret and Alex Arnoldsson’s vicious guitars became a bed of undulating riffs for Berg’s treasured violin to cut through the tension.

IMMINENCE’s 90 minute set saw balls hit the wall from the moment the Swedes walked onto the stage. The density of Peter Hanström [drums] and Christian Höijer’s [bass] bottom end radiated through many a chest in a mix which bordered on metalcore perfection. Disconnected quickly pushed the crowd and the band themselves to their limits. The air became thick with heat as Berg threw himself into each scream and clean performance like both demanded equal attention. The attention Berg commanded as he paced the stage was akin to that of a caged animal. Though the eye was naturally cast to him whether he was running around the stage or static for Erase’s violin solo.

There were many highlights to IMMINENCE’s set that evening. Far too many for us to mention. Whether it be the acoustic rendition of This Is Goodbye not leaving a dry eye in the house or the crunchy breakdown of Infectious. It was the penultimate Heaven In Hiding which left us with the resounding thought that IMMINENCE is a must-see. The euphoria which erupted from the pressure of souls trapped for too long in a pandemic was simply majestic to witness. As we left The Garage and headed for Highbury & Islington station with our fellow sweat-soaked fans, we finally understood the jubilance of those Arsenal fans just a few hours ago.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Anne Pfazlgraf here: 

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