LIVE REVIEW: Svalbard @ The Joiners, Southampton

SVALBARD have certainly not slowed down in the wave of a global pandemic. With festival performances and a tour just a matter of months ago, the Bristol post-metal outfit are hard to ignore. They’ve always been a band honest and brazen to speak on any societal topic at hand, with their lyrical content ranging from revenge porn, to poor mental health, to forced dog breeding. Despite the brutal instrumentation and harsh vocals featured on tonight’s line-up, that positive, welcoming attitude shines through during the course of the evening.

Opening the bill is Nottingham black metal band UNDERDARK. Despite their sound, there’s an assuming allure to the band as they navigate through their set, each member seeming to be focused on their own ‘part’. Vocalist Abi Vasquez leaves the stage on several occasions, almost as if to challenge the horseshoe crowd, making direct eye contact with each and every person in the room. There’s definitely punch in this band’s sound, with a real effort to defy the traditional ‘black metal’ genre definition. They add in layers of influence with post-hardcore, screamo, and blackgaze. The band sound huge in this small venue, with their dark sound rumbling through the monitors. But the true intensity of their sound on record is sadly lost a little tonight. Unfortunately Abi’s vocals are somewhat buried in the mix here, which is a shame considering the power they have on record.

Rating: 6/10

Instrumental trio MOUNTAIN CALLER completely capture the entire audience from the first strum of the bass. They are engrossed in their playing, only captivating their crowd more. They tear through their set with charm, interacting and smiling with each other. In many ways it feels like you’re watching them practice, as they stomp around and laugh with each other as they manoeuvre their heavier and more melodic moments. This band manipulate their blend of styles without hesitation. Their sound is immense, with sweeping full band calamity moments, effortlessly settling into skilful bass lines that crash again into a thundering wave of upsurge. The crowd are eating out of the palm of their hands, appreciating the sheer musicianship of this project. This expansive set fills the room with classic prog-rock with a sludgy backbone to underpin it all.

Rating: 9/10

SVALBARD storm through their set, heavily focusing on their 2020 album, When I Die, Will I Get Better?. In a similar vein to MOUNTAIN CALLER, the band just seem genuinely stoked to be there and have people nodding their heads and enjoying their music. Vocalist Serena Cherry remarks early on in the set about how difficult the pandemic has been for everyone, but musicians and creatives particularly, and how thrilled they are to be in a room playing to people, with a group of bands they respect. It’s something we’ve maybe heard a few times since live music ‘returned’, but it really does feel sincere tonight. The band play with an engagement and honesty that can be lacking from bands of this ilk.

They play in a cacophonous concentration, almost synchronising their hair flips and stomps. They perform as these tracks just have to be let out – there’s an urgency to how they play their denser moments, with the guitars growling through the the harsh vocals. The most enjoyable thing about SVALBARD live is the complete chalk and cheese of their playing vs their crowd interaction. The extremity of their sound fills any room with a relentless tenacity. Once they finish their explosive tracks, the crowd is usually met with a very subdued “thank you”, and maybe a little bit of an explanation to the upcoming song. The set moves in waves of ruptures to soothing friendliness. Rather than being jarring, it makes this a really enjoyable experience; like you’re watching a friend’s band playing, or just that you’re really appreciated for being there. It’s clear from all the bands tonight that they just love to play music, and even better when people are there to connect with them over it.

Rating: 8/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Southampton from Dev Place Photos here: