PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
@PlanetMosh reviews @limpbizkit @CrossfaithJapan @Nekrogoblikon @BABY_GODZILLA Dublin show @OlympiaTheatre
As the first snow of a delayed winter arrived in Dublin, so too did this year’s Kerrang! Tour. For 2014, the package consisted of a very mixed bag of musical tricks with acts from polar opposites of the sonic spectrum taking to the stage of the Olympia Theatre. The venue was sold out for weeks in advance for headliners Limp Bizkit returning to Irish shores after an almost four year abstinence.
First up were UK noise bruisers, Baby Godzilla. Security had been warned that there was a likelihood that various band members would not remain on the stage and within seconds, this came to pass as guitarist Johnny leapt into the pit and mounted the barriers. He was followed by frontman Matt along with his microphone stand as they spent 80% of their remaining set camped in the heart of the crowd, musically beating the shit out of everyone that was in early enough to be rightfully scared. Craig and Aidan from Irish upstarts WOUNDS helped out on the chorus of ‘Powerboat Disaster’ before the Baby Godzilla guys left the stage to a very appreciative audience. If you get a chance to see Baby Godzilla in a venue near you, take the plunge, and bring a crash helmet.
In a sane world, music would be boring and sterile but thankfully Nekrogoblikon are anything but. The self proclaimed saviours of goblin metal (it is a genre that exists purely by their existence alone), were introduced onto the stage by a diminutive hunchbacked creature who then proceeded to cajole and encourage the crowd as the band blasted their hybrid of black/thrash/speed. While maybe not as unpredictable as the previous act, they entertained and displayed a high level of musicianship with a very enjoyable stage presence.
The penultimate act of the night was Japanese crossover cyber metallers, Crossfaith. Their set was the equivalent of a musical tsunami washing over the packed audience. This collective of musicians worked as one, each of them performing as if they were the frontman. Lead singer Kenta bounced and leapt from the riser and Terufumi, the master of programming, was all over his deck with an energy that was infectious. Dropping a bass line is a term that frightens many of the old-school rockers, but tonight’s show was more about the future of metal and Crossfaith’s combination of techno, samples and driving metal breakdowns was enough to blister the skin off the faces of those watching. They are one of the best relatively new bands on the scene and from the crowd reaction as they finished, Ireland definitely wants a return.
As the house lights dimmed, Wez Borland appeared dressed in a Hawaiian themed outfit. His guitar amp had a parasol and martinis atop, while his microphone stand was draped in a plethora of flower and reeds, topped with a lobster. One thing is for sure, when Limp Bizkit arrives in town, you’re going to get a show. Fred Durst assumed his position stage centre, surrounded by floor monitors, decked in a Bizkit Hoodie, compulsory red cap, ¾ length trousers and Baseball gloves. Immediately it felt like 1999 all over again. Complemented by the rhythm section of Sam Rivers (with LED lit Bass fret), John Otto and DJ, the Nu-Metal progenitors ripped into an opening salvo of ‘9 Teen 90 Nine’, ‘Full Nelson’ and the more recent ‘Gold Cobra’.
At one stage as Durst was getting something (his middle finger) from his pocket for the audience, he was struck in the face by a sneaker. 15 years ago, he’d have been into the crowd chasing the perpetrator down but tonight he laughed it off with a little jibe: “Hey, if you wanna throw your sneakers at me, at least throw your panties first”. Times have changed, for the positive better. After a roaring ‘My Generation ‘, Fred asked the fans “Who here tonight has no money?” – ‘I’m Broke’ and a crunching ‘Break Stuff’ followed. A limp Bizkit show wouldn’t be complete without an homage to some musical legends and tonight it was ‘Heart Shaped Box ‘ which ended in a dalliance with ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. “I fucking love Nirvana” proclaimed Durst. All night Borland was like a musical cocktail shaker dishing out lashings of ‘Master of Puppets’ and ‘One’ with a topping of ‘Welcome to the Jungle’. Fred mad a foray into the crowd and while hanging from an overhead balcony he was faced with a sea of raised hands and gleeful faces all of whom appreciated his excursion with manic enthusiasm.
While nostalgia may have brought a lot of people, the quality of the show enforced the fact that Limp Bizkit 2014 is as powerful a force as ever before and this crowd will be impatiently waiting for the release of ‘Stampede of the Disco Elephants’. Faith was thrown into the final trilogy and as the fans bellowed along to Rollin’ (dedicated to the drinkers and the non-drinkers the whole band seemed to be overcome by the reaction. Although there was a 70 minute curfew on the performance, Durst reminded us that as long as the last song started before the curfew ended, all was good in the land of Limp Bizkit as they tore into a phenomenal ‘Take a Look Around’. From my elevated viewing point, the crowd’s reaction throughout the evening was a joy to behold; circle Pits, moshing and crowdsurfing ahoy with Borland, now dressed as a sailor, steering the helm alongside his captain and shipmates.
The Kerrang! Tour brought together 1800 fans of heavy music in Dublin’s best venue, to witness a night of fun, unpredictability and good Nu-fashioned heavy metal.
A full gallery of images by Down The Barrel Photography
