Live Review: Primordial Radio General Mayhem - KK's Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
29th April 2023
Headliner: Those Damn Crows
Featuring: Marisa & The Moths, Crowley, Led By Lanterns, Straight For The Sun, South Of Salem, Insurgent, Rews, Fury, Mason Hill, Raised By Wolves
Words & Photos: Andy Shaw / Julie Lister
On reaching KK's Steel Mill there was a long snaking queue going around the building as everyone was turning up early to make sure they were able to get to see as many of the bands as possible on todays bill. It was a sold out event and feature 11 bands across two stages.
Marisa & The Moths opened the event on the main stage with their grungy rock and the crowd were loving it straight from the get go. From the opening bars of 69 their firsts song it was clear we were in for an amazing day. Marisa Rodriguez is a striking figure as front person and has an amazing voice. Their short and sweet set was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone there.
Then it was over to the Primordial Presents Stage in the lounge area at KK's for Crowley and the smaller venue was packed to the rafters. The band from Newcastle were immediately at home and vocalist Lidya Balaban grabbed the mic and belted out song after song of their retro pagan rock. Ably assisted by guitarists Eliza Lee and Ruth Cranston and bassist Kimberly Waugh they kicked off proceedings here in spectacular and energetic fashion.
Back to the main stage with Led By Lanterns a four piece rock band from Birmingham, led by frontman Shaun Hill who looked like he was having the time of his life. The venue was very full at this point and were loving the got time classic rock that these guys were churning out. Chris Lanterns - guitar, Rob Hawkins - bass and Snake - drums, were in full flow and this was a massive platform for them and they certainly grabbed it.
Time to negotiate my way back to the Primordial Presents Stage for Birmingham based Alternative Metal band Straight For The Sun. They provided an extremely energetic performance with frontman Callum Green, who was putting together some rather funky moves. The rest of the band were finding the smaller stage rather constrictive for their lively performance but they did their best and this was a brilliant set.
Then it was time for what many of the assembled masses have turned up for – South Of Salem – their set on the main stage and they didn’t disappoint. A set made up entirely of songs from their The Sinner Takes It All album. The band came on accompanied by a couple of cheerleaders sporting weird face masks by which time the roof nearly came off KKs. Playing the same venue for the third time in only a matter of weeks they were really at home. They really are a band on the up and on this showing it is easy to see why. Joey – vocals, Kodi – guitar and Fish – guitar are a well-tuned machine with Dee on bass running round like a whirling dervish.
A band on the rise are Insurgent and was time for then to hit the Primordial Stage, with a big queue forming to get into the room it was clear that they have a growing following. Another local band led by the stunning Kate Teitge on Vocals had the crowd eating out of her hand straight away. Their brand of rock with elements of prog thrown in for good measure is brilliant and kept the momentum of the day going nicely.
On the main stage next were Rews lead by Northern Irish songstress, Shauna Tohill and came onto the stage to a massive ovation. They kicked off with The World That You Left Behind and set the stall out for the rest of their set. The three piece were dancing and jigging around the stage with Shauna on top form. The set was made up of tracks from their Warriors and Pyro albums which all went down really well with crowd.
The queue into the lounge was getting longer as they knew that the brilliant Fury were about to hit the stage. Renowned for their brilliant live sets and a chance to see dynamic bass player Becky Baldwin who has recently returned from guesting on Mercyful Fate’s US tour. The five piece from Worcester had packed the room and really should have been on the mainstage due to the level of interest in them. Their good time rock had the crowd bouncing and dancing around. We will be seeing more of these guys in the near future.
There was a palpable level of excitement as Mason Hill came onto the main stage. We have not seen much of them live these last few months due to them writing and recording their new album. The band looked visibly excited and shocked by the ovation from the crowd and vocalist Scott Taylor stood with arms out stretched accepting the adulation from the KKs crowd. The set was almost entirely made up of songs from their Against The Wall album but it did include the debut of new song Def Con One. Pure unadultered rock from the Glasgow quintet and the they didn’t disappoint.
The final band in the lounge were Raised By Wolves who are Raised By Wolves are a Nu-Grunge outfit hailing from Liverpool. They started in strong fashion and provided a fitting end to the second stage with their powerful set giving Vocalist Liv Johnson a chance to show her full range. Then the crowd depart for the headliners on the main stage.
Time for the days headliners, the brilliant Those Damn Crows and you kind of know what you are going to get when you see them live but its always a joy. The room was absolutely packed and the crowd exploded when they came on and started with Fill The Void. The whole band looked ready to rock with Shane Greenhill – singer – viewed the scene in front of him and looked in disbelief. Blasting through songs old and new, they are now masters of their art and are giving a fitting end to a fantastic day. By the time we finish with See You Again the masses spill into the Black Country night knowing they have had a truly wonderful day.
All photo credits: Julie Lister and Andy Shaw of Dark Wings Media
