LIVE REVIEW: Pagan @ The Star & Garter, Manchester

After bursting onto the scene last year with their excellent debut album Black Wash, PAGAN have taken their first step into invading the collective consciousness of rock fans around the world. The self-proclaimed blackened rock & rollers from Melbourne have picked up a rapidly expanding contingent of hardcore fans and are quickly carving themselves a niche with their disco-tinged sound – a sound which firmly plants the band in a league of their own. We got a glimpse of the power of the cult of PAGAN when the Evil Eye Tour brought the house down in Manchester, and what a night it was.

Tasked with getting the train rolling was Bristol-based three piece SICK JOY. Sporting a vintage aesthetic, dripping with old school cool, and a sound which bridges the gap between 90s grunge and more contemporary influences, SICK JOY quickly settled into their rhythm. Despite only having released one EP and a handful of singles, the band have been featured on a number of tours in a supporting role and have started to catch the eye of critics and fans alike, earning them a healthy amount of acclaim in the process. As soon as the band started their set, their wealth of touring experience became immediately clear – especially in a live setting, SICK JOY can hang with the big dogs. A particularly interesting component of the band’s sound is the vocal performance. A comparison that cannot be avoided is that the vocals draw a large amount of stylistic inspiration from Kurt Cobain, and then blend these elements with more modern flashes of genres like post-hardcore – the outcome is an excellent contemporary spin on the grunge foundations of yesteryear. Overall, SICK JOY played a confident, compelling set, and primed the room perfectly for the main act.

Rating: 7/10

Opening with Fluorescent Snakes, PAGAN began their set in high gear. Backed by a neon sign of their logo, an inverted cross/candle, the band instantly grabbed everyone’s attention, their eyes fixated on the stage like the brainwashing scene from A Clockwork Orange, only instead of invoking feelings of pain, there was only pleasure; and lots, and lots of headbanging. Quickly setting the scene for their dark, party atmosphere, the band continued to accelerate right out of the gate by jumping into their second track of the night Wine & Lace.

With a vocal style most likened to Maria Brink or Karina Ljone from BLOOD COMMAND, vocalist Nikki Brumen was characteristically at the very top of her game. Being able to belt out those extreme vocals on par with the album performance is impressive enough, but doing it while bounding around the stage in her usual expressive style makes the feat even more awe-inspiring. With a vocal style as incredibly tactful as it is brutal and live chops to back it up, without a doubt within the next few years, Nikki will go on to become revered as one of the titans of rock vocalists.

As soon as Death Before Disco, one of their standout tracks from their album, was announced as the next song, the atmosphere in the room shot up another few notches, as if pouring petrol onto an already out-of-control bonfire. Every member in PAGAN looked visibly delighted at the impassioned crowd fervently shouting their lyrics back to them. This is a band at an early stage in their career, already having a profound effect on people all around the world. You don’t just like PAGAN, if you’re in, you’re all in, there are no half measures with a band like this.

Unfortunately, with the fact they are a relatively new band to break onto the scene, the venue was less than half-full. The fans that did make it, however, were some of the most passionate, die-hard fans a band could possibly hope to have behind them – screaming every word, to every song, right until the very end. Given how exceptional their’s debut album is, and how incredible their live prowess, they are only going to continue to grow until they’re filling rooms three-times the size of this one, if not even bigger. Right now, PAGAN are a well-kept secret, with only those in-the-know able to witness how incredible the band truly are. Come and join the cult.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery from the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here: