Gig Review, Luminous Black and Kerouac @ The Pint, Dublin, 26/08/'11

“No, seriously we’re done, we’re gonna fuck off now.”

So we wander into The Pint on Eden Quay at 5 past 8 and hear sound check noises that fool us into thinking the gig had already begun. This was meant to be ‘Last Show On Earth’ with ‘Luminous Black’ and ‘Kerouac’, but after a chat with Kerouac front man, Aaron, we learn that Last Show On Earth won’t be playing tonight. So we get ourselves a delightfully priced pint of 3.50 Fosters, hang up our pants and sit down for a while.


Addendum: As it turns out, we were wrong. Last Show On Earth did indeed play this night and like eejits we left the gig before Last Show On Earth's performance. Apologies to the band from B.A.N. and we'll catch you another time to make it up to you!


'Last Show on Earth'
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/lastshowonearth


Kerouac.
The sheer energy that this band brings to their performance is unbelievable, it’s enough to rival any straightedge hardcore band (go see Converge to be blown away by the unhinged energy of 34 year old singer Jacob Bannon!).


Kerouac waste no time and lay straight into their fiery set. Aaron, guitarist and singer possessing a natural ferocity to his voice that would make Liam Cormier jealous. Add to this, the unmistakable bite of a humbucker equipped Stratocaster and you’ve already got a damn powerful sound in the making.


They keep the stage for a good ten song set. I cannot say for certain who the band’s major influences are but I’m going to venture a guess at Deftones for one. Their material has a very 90’s sound about it, which is actually quite refreshing to hear if you’re in and around my age (whatever that may be), certainly the sharp guitar tones echo Deftones, albeit on a 6 string guitar. The band has tremendous dynamic control, shifting from hard to soft, clean to dirty and intense to subtle with ease. All three members also have beards, which is always the first sign of a good rock band (this hypothesis was proven to be scientific fact after Red Fang’s performance at Hellfest this year). Bassist, Keith, has himself a mighty beard indeed: a lengthy fellow that would be even more fitting if Keith worked on a 19th century whaling ship.


The band mix it up with their song writing with tracks ranging from short and angry, such as third song ‘Hail The Fire’, to protracted and complex, the only common thing being the 100% energy either way. Drummer, Richie, gives his cymbals no rest, certainly towards the end of the set which was shorter than expected because Richie managed to break through the skin of the bass drum!


Forth song in, Aaron breaks out some serious vocal gymnastics that wouldn’t go amiss in Iwrestledabearonce. His wandering left leg is something to behold too! Kerouac are a band that demands the end of the night, the drunken hours, the stage of the night where people loose their nut, this is one band to catch at a headlining gig! Having said that, they did not disappoint playing first this night.


Kerouac
Rating: 8/10
For Fans of: Deftones, Alexisonfire, maybe even Biffy Clyro.
Listen here: http://www.kerouac.ie/ 


Luminous Black.
Unfortunately, I only caught the names of a handful of Kerouac songs. The very opposite is true of Luminous Black, bassist and singer Rob always makes a point of getting the names across loud and clear.


Bass drum replaced, LB open their set with the instrumental ‘Meadows of Kaos’, a favourite amongst those who know LB. The oddly sweet track descends into molten metal to lead it out, guitarist Rob putting active pickups to work shattering the calm. Followed closely by ‘Lateral Thinking’, after which bassist Rob announces, “No, seriously we’re done, we’re gonna fuck off now.”


Good thing it was only a fib or else we wouldn’t have got to enjoy their cover of Kyuss tune ‘Supa Scoopa and the Mighty Scoop’. Can’t go wrong with a Kyuss cover! This one displays the lead weight sound the band is capable of producing. Rob’s bass looks like an early 80’s sports car and sounds like one too and after standing front row for the night, my ringing ears can testify that drummer, John’s snare needs no amplification! A true hard hitting metal drummer, the slick sporadic double kicker work during ‘Cosmic Gnomes’ demands your attention.


LB break out a few newer tunes tonight with the galloping ‘Pot Jockey’ and to end the night, another fan favourite is brought out, ‘Bum Trip’. This cruising riff riding track is preceded by Rob giving us a definition of a ‘rusty trombone’! All things considered, quality set! The only let down tonight was the absence of Last Show On Earth, we’ll have to catch them another time.


Luminous Black
Rating: 8/10
For Fans of: Kyuss, Orange Goblin, mid 70’s Black Sabbath.
Listen here: http://www.reverbnation.com/luminousblack 

Edward Gerard Brophy for Born Again Nihilist, 2011.
bornagainnihilist@gmail(dot)com