So, on Saturday night I found myself thrashing like a girl amidst a mini Deathfest right here in Brum, the home of metal. My friends Death Collector were the sandwich filling between Digital Bath and headliners Damim, a bill that was weighty and worthy of our attention.
With devastating news that Birmingham would lose its funding for the arts, the fans played their part in supporting a scene that survives and thrives underground.
After the necessary soundchecks, local band Digital Bath start off the show, they are a new band for me, and I was struck by the mic stand, in position, but no singer. Their music is very progressive, the words are like a narrative, pre-recorded and played as required. Not having seen anything like it before, it was bizarre but definitely would give them a listen and find out more about them. We all have different ways of expressing our thoughts and feelings and doing that in a public forum is nerve-racking and I envy anyone who gets up on stage in a room full of strangers and performs, not knowing what the reaction will be.
My Twitter buddy Kieran Scott, vocalist for Death Collector, is generous and affable with his time. I love the change from his guttural murmurings onstage to the gentlemanly ‘more tea vicar’ voice when he is offstage. Death Collector initiated a cute mosh, wholesome and huggable, spin kicks that went off like a pocket rocket, with ticker tape, colourful lights, and all. With music taken from their EP’s ‘Death’s Toll’ and ‘Time’s Up’ it was brilliant to see these scorchers in a live setting. These serial death stars know a thing or two about presence and personality, what we see is sheer grit and guts, pulling together every atom of their being to face an audience, defiance and honesty are integral attributes, they shine through the music, and we respect them even more for that. The extreme noise is gifted with a softer underbelly, that absorbs the tension, even for a few seconds, that moment is just exquisite in its conveyance and cranial contact.
The reasoning and application of the innermost thoughts of Death metal artists is shown through their angst, through their fight for recognition, their growls emerge from the depths of the gut, rise up through their torso and the resultant noise throws itself onto the waiting crowd. We respond, our bodies carrying the torch to signal the imminent onslaught.
Damim, stepped onto the charred stage and inflicted even more pain, they are incredibly fast, I thought their fingers would fall off, those frets were travelling at hyperlight. With all presumptions thrown in the trash, it was like a communal prayer ritual with the lords of the stage. Picking up the thread where Death Collector left it, they were timely and incisive in the delivery of ‘World Turned Hell’ and ‘Rising The Lights’, songs that show how the grassroots has suffered, and within that framework, heavy music has suffered more. The last song of the night was ‘Body Is Broken’ and after an extremely busy start to the year, that sums me up perfectly.
Our attendance at these events is crucial to the future of artists and venues, bands cannot fully immerse themselves in their art without the support of the fans, and industry professionals. Talk of gatekeeping, nepotism and stooges are not helping build a reliable and resistant construct for everyone to feel part of, and these allegations compound the idea that some people feel that the drawbridge has been pulled up once the chosen few have been selected, I find it a cowardly and despicable concept.
I thank the bands, the fans, the crew and the staff at the venue, for hosting a spectacular night of music, it maybe not be to everyone’s taste, but then artistry is personal and subjective, when you take a look inside, there will be something that connects, aesthetically, lyrically, technically, you won’t be the first and surely not the last to be killed by Death.
Aza Pathan
Damned To Death Festival – Digital Bath/ Death Collector/ Damim, The Devil’s Dog,
2nd March, Birmingham