Red Fang - Camden Underworld - 18th April 2012
Bearded stoner rock from Portland, Oregon’s fabulous Red Fang, live at the Camden Underworld, April 18th 2012.
Some bands were just born to play small, dank, rammed venues and blow the roofs off them, it’s not that the bigger stage wouldn’t suit them or they don’t belong there, it’s just a case of the glove fitting, and fitting well. Having been created in a basement in Portland, Oregon, they return to a basement venue for tonight’s show, so there’s little doubt Red Fang were tailor-made for venues like Camden’s fabulous, grotty Underworld, with its tepid lager, sticky floors and battered walls and people packed in like sardines in a particularly sweaty little tin. For the beer swilling, tattooed hard rock fans waiting patiently for Red Fang after Black Tusk’s noisy, rowdy set, the wait will be worth the while.
Red Fang’s two albums to date are a mixture of heavy riffs and deep stoner rock, drawing from influences such as Mastodon, the Melvins and Queens Of The Stone Age they’ve crafted their own sound over their two albums to date, Murder the Mountains and their eponymous debut. And live, the strength of the albums is somewhat reinforced by their consummate live ability, the energy that pumps through their songs and their ease on the stage. The set tonight is a mixture of old and new , ‘Prehistoric Dog’ and ‘Humans Remain Human Remains’ from Red Fang sit comfortably with ‘Hank Is Dead’ and the fabulous post-encore set closer ‘Throw Up’ from their sophomore record. The palm muted riff and heavy bass that leads ‘Throw Up’ into its more raucous middle section rattle in your chest and assault your eardrums. In the dense confines of the Underworld, it’s a big, powerful sound.
Red Fang’s growing popularity isn’t purely down to the quality of their albums, the imaginative videos with their sense of humour and their penchant for swilling gallons of beer has helped them identify with a core audience of like-minded people. There’s no pretence, just four guys on a stage making an enormous racket and appearing to enjoy themselves just as much as the crowd do, the rapturous applause that acknowledges their evening’s entertainment testimony to the band they’ve just seen. What you see (and hear) is what you get with Red Fang and long may that continue.
Big Tea is now a record label! Our debut single is a limited edition 7” hand numbered white vinyl by the fabulous Absolute Monarchs. Stop by our website by CLICKING HERE to have a listen and get your copy! Love music, live music.
“The Seattle quartet unleashes a torrential thunderfuck that crashes math rock’s meticulous timing and breakneck changes against sleazy, pheromone-fueled bluster.” – SPIN.COM
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