Rock Regeneration

The Joiners, Southampton

This was my first visit to the Joiners in Southampton and I instantly fell in love with the place. The sound was good, the stage and lighting set up was great and it was well laid out, it is clear why many big names come and play here in the early days of their careers. There were five bands in the line-up tonight, which meant that we were treated to a sample of songs from each of them and I found myself definitely wanting to see more from every act that played.

Dakota Skyline kicked off proceedings with a bout of thrash punk metal with some unexpected melodic twists. For a band that seemed quite young they played with confidence and skill and were determined to whip the crowd into frenzy, even offering a free t-shirt to the person moshing the most. Unfortunately it would seem that it is quite difficult to get a mosh pit going at 8pm on a dreary Wednesday evening which was a shame; I was up for throwing myself about! Other than a couple of leads being pulled out due to some slight over exuberance, it was a very tight and agreeable set. (And thanks for the t-shirt!)

I Am Freddie Mays hit the stage next, quite literally, with one of the most enjoyable yet disturbing performances I have ever seen. Mixing metal and hardcore in a way that was very pleasing to the ears, they were technically brilliant and seemed intent on giving it everything they had. The frontman was a little unpredictable, not in how he accomplished the vocals, his guttural growls and shouts were amazing, but in the way that he acted. He started on the stage, but part of the way through the first song he threw the mic stand to the floor in front of the crowd and then jumped down to join it. Once on the same level as the audience he acted like a man possessed; grabbing people, doing forward rolls, crawling on his knees and punching and kicking the stage, which was a bit scary, but his actions matched the aggressive style of music perfectly. I would love to see them again, but only if I am feeling brave!

After a couple of repairs had been made to the stage, Anchors came to show us what they had to offer. Hailing from Bournemouth, which was good to know as I always like to discover great bands from the local area, they were right up my street. A similar style to bands such as Architects, there was some great plucky bass lines and the drumming was very impressive. They had brought a bit of support with them; a couple of guys went mental and started throwing some hardcore moves and got a bit of banter going which is always fun.

Lost Boys had travelled from Reading tonight to grace us with their presence, and I feel like they deserved a much better reception than they received. They were a little different from the other bands playing tonight mainly because the vocals were sung rather than shouted, but this doesn’t mean that they made any less of an impact. The singing was powerful with some great harmonies between the two singers which were pitched perfectly against the crashing drums and thumping bass. The name “Lost Boys” seems very apt as I did find myself getting completely lost in the music. Hopefully they will come down this way again, and get a few more people behind them.

Death Of An Artist exploded into their set in a way that completely blew me away and I found myself forgetting where I was as the music totally absorbed me. Loud, heavy and brilliantly executed, older songs such as “Repulsa” sounded perfect and the newer material actually sent shivers down my spine. The singer was struggling with a sore throat, but he powered through and his vocals complimented the screaming regardless of his voice sounding a little more strained than normal. The breakdowns and awesome riffs got people throwing themselves around and had there been more people there, I would have definitely joined in. Due to the number of bands playing tonight, they only had a short set and I would love to hear more songs from them very soon. All the bands tonight gave performances to be proud of, and it was a great first visit to the Joiners. I’ll definitely be back.

Set Lists
Death Of An Artist
We Are Forgiven
Repulsa
Deity
Perfect Silence
Blinded
Dreamer

http://www.myspace.com/dakotaskyline
http://www.facebook.com/iamfreddiemaysband
http://www.myspace.com/anchorsbanduk
http://www.facebook.com/wearelostboys
http://www.myspace.com/deathofanartistuk

Words and Pictures by Sarah Lovegrove.