LIVE REVIEW: Pagan @ The Mother’s Ruin, Bristol

Back in the 1950’s, Motown legend Barrett Strong sang that the best things in life are free, something famously reiterated by THE FLYING LIZARDS with their eccentric new wave cover two decades later. Sure, the song would dismiss the notion and go on about needing money, but it goes without saying that doing anything without the requisite for opening your wallet is a rather lovely commodity. As such, tonight’s show at The Mother’s Ruin for PAGAN is packed, people more than happy to come and watch a gig whilst saving their pennies for the festive period.

It’s down to PUNCHING SWANS to get things going, the three piece from Kent playing noise rock sprinkled with a hint of the schizophrenic nature that made SYSTEM OF A DOWN such a household name. The deadpan humour goes down well too; they declare most of their material to be about birds, monsters, faces and, er, nipples, with second song Bloodface appropriately following this pattern. However, guitarist Greg Webster snaps a string during the rendition and, with no backup instrument to hand, this undermines the set considerably. They battle on admirably, but having to adapt on the fly is no easy feat and as a consequence things get a little sloppy. It’s frustrating, but full marks for doing everything they could.

Rating: 6/10

PHOXJAW need no introduction nowadays around Bristol; they’re hometown heroes on an upwards trajectory with debut EP Goodbye Dinosaur… currently stomping around heads like the Triceratops they allude to during the final song of another rousing display of post-hardcore glee. Shows like this are their bread and butter – they even declare the Ruin to be their favourite pub – but when they play there’s always a banquet on display. Naturally, they’ve got a sizeable crowd who threaten to collapse into the floor below when Weapons is aired and even bassist Danny Garland struggling to keep his rogue mic stand under control just adds to the frenetic nature instead of detracting. They really need a bigger stage though; for all that they use what they have, the sight of them going hell for leather when the space is available adds an extra layer to their shows and that’s constricted here. It’s still great, but it might be the last time they play the venue if their stock continues to rise.

Rating: 8/10

With a neon candle-cum-inverted cross attached as close to the stage as possible, PAGAN begin their second ever UK show with Il Malocchio Si Apre and Death Before Disco, the latter of which absolutely rules and does much to set the tone for what is a short yet strong performance. Debut record Black Wash has been a highlight in a very strong year musically and all but one of the tracks are showcased here. Although they mention how grateful they are that people are watching them, at no point do they seem overwhelmed, instead charging through Blood Moon, Wine & Lace and a raucous Imitates Me with vigour and venom. Like their supports they struggle with the tiny space and would fare better with more room, but nobody seems to care and the bounce that resonates during Silver is so massive it’s a wonder punters weren’t pinballed around the venue. To come over to a country for the first ever time on a headline run is ballsy enough, but PAGAN have exceeded all expectations already and – excitingly – they’ll put on far better shows on these shores than this one.

Rating: 8/10

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