BIG BAD MED featuring Climate Of Fear, Heavy Lies The Crown, All At Sea and Taller Than Trees.

Some would say hardcore rules the roost in the Teesside club gig circuit. As a result there’s plenty of savage competition to stand at the peak. Tonight’s four band bill at Bad Medicine Rock Club of Climate Of Fear, Heavy Lies The Crown, All At Sea and Taller Than Trees is loaded with rabid, heavier than heavy hardcore bands. The newest of the four and first up, Taller Than Trees make their début with a set of six songs that are for all intents and purposes brand new. Opener ‘Six Feet Chunder’ pounds and pummels with brutal vocals from singer Paul Gent getting the band off to a tight start, immediately followed by the intense ’40 Sex’, a song that truly lives up to its name and is exceptionally raw. ’Launch Pad’ slows down to showcase the powerful grooves of bassist Ben Leighton and brutal drumming of James Spence. ‘You Best Play Dead’ sets off again at full pelt with the pacey riffage from Johnny Reardon and Craig Brudenell in a track that also boast a brilliantly executed and thoroughly evil bass solo. ‘Rule One: Cardio’ really hammers down the the bands rhythmic skill before closing on ‘The Wet Heat’ a song more focused on a rolling filthy groove with what can only be described as a spot on solo. A blistering but short set leaves All At Sea with a tall act to follow.
From the first haunting guitar wail it’s apparent All At Sea subscribe to a different flavour of hardcore; still as abrasive, but spiced with doom and melody in place of aggression. The dark and stormy heaviness of All At Sea make it the perfect fit for the hellish roars of singer Jordan Paterson. ‘Equalizer’ throws some dancey grooves against the thorny drums of Jamie Walker for a rather ferocious throw-down. A vein of Killswitch Engage mellodies run through their penultimate song to awesome but curious effect before switching back into more of a black metal gear in their closer.
Heavy Lies The Crown’s groove laden, black metal influenced hardcore cracks their set open with a gravely chaotic track that drips with bluesy charm amid the savage noise. Heavy Lies The Crown manage to deftly mix beatdowns and the thrash sensibilities of the likes of Pantera into a wall of consistently aggressive music that chugs with deep grooves and delicious dirtiness. In ‘The Family Demise’ the melodic twang of Heavy Lies The Crown’s guitars side steps this otherwise consistent deep south sound from the North Eastern boys, but it’s by no means a foul or unwelcome move. A melodic section flexes some more versatile muscles for guitarists Graham Sanderson and Dan Williams, that is still firmly in keeping with the band’s hardcore edge. This is a performance practically mirrored later in their set with guitar work that verges on the progressive. ‘Stepping Stones’ returns to the core black metal hardcore sound, bringing with it a firm metal strut that not only closes their set but cements their immense swagger.
Headliners Climate Of Fear are commonly known as “Teesside’s angriest band”. Tonight’s performance for the ‘Boro murder crew makes them fight hard for that title by matter of circumstance. These have been some hardcore bands that have swung their weight around and shown a considerable amount of balls and skill while doing so. Taking to the stage with a far more to-the-point take on hardcore, Climate of Fear do it with all the brutality and flair of their set mates. With arguably the best projected vocals of the evening making vocalist Rae’s style far more apparent, Climate Of Fear firmly grasp their role as head of the bill and throttle every last breath they can out of it. Seemingly less heavy in their clarity, Climate Of Fear are exceptionally well put together live almost to the point of disbelief. ‘Ghosts’ smacks of Raging Speedhorn in its tense chug before truly kicking in to retake the heavy crown. Performing track after track full of grooves and catchy hooks, Climate Of Fear neatly round off their set with the appropriately titled ‘Fuck Off’. ‘Fuck Off’ is easily one of the sets more aggressive numbers. All the way through, from the guttural screams of vocalist Rae to the riffs of Woody and Hodge, everything from Climate Of Fear is delivered with a sense of vigour and intent that is taken to a whole new level in their final beat-down. Climate Of Fear conquer both record levels of quality and brutal walls of noise to more than deserve their reputation. These guys are angry and want us to know about it.

Taller Than Trees.

Teesside hardcore upstarts Taller Than Trees are preparing to make a mark on the northern scene. Early glimpses show the five piece as an act with a sound in the vein of Comeback Kid with catchier riffs and in a discernibly more English flavour. The quintet features Paul Gent on vocals, James Spence as drummer, Johnny Reardon and Craig Brudenell on guitars with Ben Leighton on bass.
Bassist Ben Leighton describes the band as “heavier than John Candy with more beatdowns than Alan Carr in prison” which puts the hardcore-hammer-down sound firmly in the context of true British snarkiness  ”It’s got more of an English punk attitude and sense of humour”. Currently available to stream on the Taller Than Trees Reverbnation page is a tantalising clip of the track ‘The Wet Heat’ recorded during a practice session. Although the recording is slightly muffled it is more than enough to vouch for the ferocity of the triple T and certainly whets your appetite before the boys head into the studio in early February to start work on a 5 track EP. If you simply can’t wait to sample Taller Than Trees, they perform their début live date on February 1st at Middlesbrough’s Bad Medicine Rock Club, joining All At Sea and Heavy Lies The Crown in support of head-liners Climate Of Fear. Time will tell if Taller Than Trees tower over their peers but this heavy as hell line up of local hardcore giants is a fitting start for a band balls deep in visceral noise and energy to spare.

Tangled Talk Presents The Tangled Tour.

Indie Hardcore label Tangled Talk are taking a majority of their roster on the road with Octobers “Tangled Tour”. With the help of Bear-Face, Sangre Vino, and Thrash Hits the label is set to mount an 8 stop rolling presentation of its latest and greatest in towns across the country. Towns which will have their minds blown, shortly before being reduced to dust.
The Brighton based label have been responsible for a number of critically acclaimed records since its inception in 2008. With a mix of established and fledgling acts including the likes of Bastions, Kerouac, The Goodtime Boys, The Long Haul, Battle For Paris and Veils, this one week tour will see 6 bands, each screaming louder than the one before, all vying for your attention and a permanent place in your ears.

The dates and their respective line-ups are as follows;
7th October 2011 – Southampton, Joiners feat. Goodtime Boys, Battle for Paris, The Long Haul, Let’s Talk Daggers, Kerouac, Bastions
8th October 2011 – Islington, London, Hope and Anchor feat. Goodtime Boys, Battle for Paris, The Long Haul, Let’s Talk Daggers, Kerouac, Bastions
9th October 2011 – Manchester, The Star and Garter feat. Goodtime Boys, Battle for Paris, The Long Haul, Let’s Talk Daggers, Kerouac, Bastions
10th October 2011 – Wrexham, Central Station feat. Veils, Battle for Paris, The Long Haul, Let’s Talk Daggers, Kerouac, Bastions
11th October 2011 – Leeds, The Royal Park Cellars feat. Veils, Battle for Paris, The Long Haul, Let’s Talk Daggers, Kerouac, Bastions
12th October 2011 – Hull, The Lamp feat. Veils, Battle for Paris, The Long Haul, Let’s Talk Daggers, Kerouac, Bastions
13th October2011 – Sheffield, The Earl feat. Veils, Battle for Paris, The Long Haul, Let’s Talk Daggers, Kerouac, Bastions
14th October 2011 – Brighton, The Hydrant feat. Veils, Battle for Paris, The Long Haul, Let’s Talk Daggers, Kerouac, Bastions