Black Peaks – Moles, Bath, 03/02/17

So goes the age-old joke: “I wonder what it would be like to live in Bath…” “Well, probably rather wet.” Thing is, the city lives up to its name tonight as the South West is caught up in a sharp, heavy shower that leaves everything soggier than your favourite digestive when it falls into your tea. Thankfully, the kind staff at Moles have opened doors earlier than schedule to allow for the early punters to enjoy a roof, a pint and smash-hit Frozen on the big screen; sadly, it’s not cold enough to build a snowman…

There are a smattering of individuals present to see Croydon trio Bad Sign (7) open up tonight, who immediately decide to come off the stage and bounce around the floor for most of the set. Despite a lukewarm reception at points it’s a strong start to the evening and they have genuine tunes as well in the shape of Intermission and Closure which sound massive already. When not playing, they’re engaging in banter over their South London drawls and plugging the new single from grime artist Stormzy but never let it overshadow their music. For a debut show in Bath it’s a job very well done. It’s also the first show here for Brighton’s Tigercub (6) whose brand of grunge/doom certainly packs a punch, mainly in the form of a lot of distortion with plenty of Sabbath/Soundgarden vibes that reverberate and resonate around Moles well. The crowd has swelled considerably and there are a couple of people around who are clear fans, singing back every word and throwing the odd shape here and there. There’s something missing though tonight; despite the aforementioned, Tigercub struggle to connect to the vast majority of punters and their sound does needs a little fine tuning here and there. It might only be minor things but it’s frustrating that they’ve combined tonight and caused a significant impact.

Now, there comes a time in every gig-goer’s life when a concert becomes more than seeing a band; it becomes an experience, a moment in time where the stars align and nothing on earth matters except what is happening within the room at that very point. Black Peaks (10) provide that tonight. From the moment ‘Glass Built Castles’ kicks in bedlam breaks out in every single way and Moles becomes a maelstrom as the audience whips round the venue with frightening pace. Playing phenomenal debut album Statues in full and in order, the band are on the form of their lives and the crowd respond in earnest. Frontman Will Gardner is one of the best in British music right now, with a voice no other person can match and casually walking out into the throng for a rip-roaring ‘Say You Will’ that threatens to dismantle the venue brick by brick. Truth is though, every song tonight, from the brilliant ‘Set In Stone’ to the sheer wonder of ‘Drones’ is a work of art in its own right and it’s testament to Black Peaks that they’re already looking like a band who can headline somewhere as treasured as Brixton Academy off the back of one album.. That said, number two is in the pipeline already and the band give us the first song from those writing sessions as an encore. Simply titled ‘Home’, it picks right off where Statues left off and contains a breakdown so big and filthy it might as well have an XXX label slapped right across it. We will never see Black Peaks in a venue this size again, they’ve outstripped them tenfold already. Sublime,

Black Peaks setlist

Glass Built Castles
Crooks
Say You Will
Hang ‘Em High
Set in Stone
Saviour
Statues of Shame
Drones
White Eyes
For Those That Sleep for a Thousand Years Shall Soon Wake
To Take the First Turn
—–ENCORE—–
Home

About Elliot Leaver

PlanetMosh's resident Iron Maiden fanboy and Mr. Babymetal. Also appreciates the music of Pink Floyd, Rammstein, Nightwish, Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot and many others. Writing to continue to enjoy life away from the stresses of full-time employment.