Live Review: Vulvodynia - The Asylum, Birmingham
23rd April 2023
Support: The Last Ten Seconds of Life, Bonecarver, Bound In Fear
Words: Matt Noble
Photos: Damian John
First on are the Spanish Bonecarver, who play a brutally heavy take on deathcore with a grandiose hint of black metal in their riffs. They're watertight as performers and own some incredible breakdowns, so it's a real shame to see the room spread as thin as it is tonight. I would really like to see them as a main support act in a more intimate venue than the main room of the Asylum - perhaps they'd earn the reaction they deserve, although there's still a legion of enthusiasts going crazy near the front and hardcore dancing in the pit. Their grooves go hard and I feel they have potential to really make a name in the genre. I was very surprised to learn after the set that their lead vocalist tonight is a relatively recent stand-in; the performance felt very much natural.
Bound in Fear take to the stage next, a Surrey-based deathcore act with vast amounts of energy and a seriously imposing stage presence. They are certainly more hardcore-based than the all-out brutality of Bonecarver, but with some nice ambience in the backing track too. With some very heavy-hitting beatdowns and a crisp vocal performance from their engaging frontman Ben, who very recently guested on the new Tribe of Ghosts single, they put on a fantastic show to the crowd tonight, who are still thin on numbers, though that doesn't shake the quality or passion going into their set. Through no fault of the band, the sound is a little wobbly, with drums and vocals taking up most of the room, though the stylistic snare drum reverberations sound thunderous and there are plenty of good riffs to go around.
As main support The Last Ten Seconds of Life come on stage, the weight of their grooves and breakdowns pretty much threatens to cave in your skull from the word go. There is a sense that the tunes onstage step up a notch in their raw, anthemic quality, and the crowd feed this back to them with even more frantic, raw energy. The riffs are nothing less than absolutely gnarly throughout. TLTSL are naturals onstage in terms of their technicality and ability to connect with a crowd. The drumming is absolutely solid and there's a nice lead guitar solo towards the end of their set. Once again, frontman Tyler is a commanding vocalist and bandleader, and gifted at igniting an audience. Notably, he (as well as two of his bandmates) joined the band in 2022 after three-quarters of the existing group left without explanation last spring. Tonight's incarnation of TLTSL fly the flag valiantly in this new era.
I must admit that I essentially know nothing about tonight's main attraction Vulvodynia coming in, so I come in with an open mind and open ears. They've played Birmingham a good few times over recent years, and I'm fairly sure they'd been in smaller venues before. Perhaps it's the day of the week, but the room is still pretty thin. It's not going to bother them tonight, as they prepare to unleash an hour of brutality. 'Let's get rowdy!' shouts vocalist Duncan.
They waste no time whatsoever in setting the scene for what's to come. Straight away, you can hear the quality of the vocals, with lots of dynamic range and power. He creates a commanding and unshakably confident presence at the front alongside the three guitarists. I find that unlike some of their peers in deathcore, the guitarists use the full range and capability of their instruments throughout the entire set. There are some absolutely blistering solos and very crisp pick scrapes. Drummer Thomas Hughes at the back is also excellent, comfortable with hyperspeed blasting, dirty grooves and inventive fills, seemingly at ease.
It's a real shame about turnout, but Vulvodynia perform as if it's to a completely packed out venue. Those in the pit certainly make up in energy what's missing in numbers! It's very much a triumphant performance from the band, bringing on a guest vocalist for a song and even treating today's concertgoers to the live debut of 'Eulogy of Ashes'. As Vulvodynia bring proceedings to a close, there's a nice, somewhat intimate moment as they get everyone to put their phone torches up in the air for the final song, rounding off an excellent set. They really seem to hit that sweet spot between being polished and professional, yet with a streak of raw brutality. A great Sunday evening.
All photo credits: Damian John Photography
