PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
The night started with Blurred Vision. No not from people drinking too much at the nearby Crobar – this is a Canadian band who are on tour in the UK and were last minute replacements for the band that had originally been supposed to open the bill but had to pull out.
They have a very Prog rock influenced sound, and this was particularly apparent at the end of one song where they ended with a long section of distorted guitars and a backing tape which had a very strong feel of Pink Floyd. The Pink Floyd link also appeared later in their set when they played a very good, heavy cover of “Another brick in the wall” a song that they announced proudly they’d played with Roger Waters in 2010. An excellent band that went down very well with the crowd – a very pleasant surprise for the opening band on a bill, and I suspect if they hadnt been late replacements then they’d have been the main support rather than openers.
Next up were Daken, a London band with a much heavier rock/metal band. Looking at them they looked like a real rock and roll band, but musically they were nearer the metal end of the spectrum. They were good, but coming after Blurred Vision they didn’t really go down as well as they would if they’d opened the night.
Tonight’s headliners were Hornet, a young London band. They’ve done a great job of attracting a crowd tonight – despite there being various other gigs on in London and the Hard Rock Hell festival, they’ve managed to persuade a large crowd to leave the Crobar and come into the Borderline for a night of music. It takes some doing for a small band to get a crowd of this size – I’ve seen plenty of far bigger bands struggle to fill venues recently, but it’s testament to Hornet’s music and hard work in promoting the gig that they’ve succeeded in getting the place fairly full.
If you haven’t seen Hornet yet then I really do recommend that you go and see them – they’re great. Musically they’re really impressive; it’s really good high energy good time rock and roll. Their hour-long set passed far too quickly but was a lot of fun. They’re pretty good on stage and their stage skills will improve with more gigs. During the set, guitarist Tollef is carried on the singers shoulders to play in the middle of the crowd (something I’ve seen done by ACDC).
A great night that was over far too soon, and sadly having to get a train home meant having to skip the after show party in the Crobar (something my liver will probably be grateful for).
The band are currently running a PledgeMusic campaign to raise funds to record their album, and I’m sure that after tonight they’ll have had plenty of fans pledging – I certainly did. Check them out on facebook, youtube etc and if you like what you hear then get to one of their gigs, or pledge towards the new album (or do both). Hornet are a band that deserve to go a long way.
Hornet Setlist:
Down to the bone
Outta control
Drive on
State of emergency
I’m gonna be the man
Hunky dorey
Under pressure
Skies are falling
Sweet lips
Second hand smoke
Rock’n’Roll riot
Encore:
Bite down
