Live Review: Crowded Festival 2023
Words: Matt Noble
Photos: Tim Finch
Ohhms' off-kilter brand of post-sludge is up next, drawing from a wide range of influences to get the crowd going. The fuzzy guitar tone is as thick as treacle and the bass picks out plenty of melody. Ohhms have never fit neatly into a single box, and there's some really cool grooves, dissonances and trippy sections to keep the listener engaged. The band are watertight and their drummer in particular navigates the stylistic and time changes with ease, showing off some really interesting tom patterns. Paul Waller is a great frontman, capable with a range of vocal deliveries with a slightly Ozzy-like presence. They continue to be one of the best grassroots acts from the last decade.
Bound in Fear are up after the interval, with some seriously dirty grooves to contort your face into shapes you didn't know it could make. Their presence is absolutely ferocious, and with synchronised headbanging, the band really look the part today. It's very groove-heavy music, though unfortunately the guitars are quite low in the mix - at least where I'm stood - and it can feel like a continuous hammer-punch breakdown at times. The enthused hardcore dancers don't seem to mind though, and there's plenty further back that are visibly well into it. The unsettling use of ambience and a killer vocal performance is the cherry on the cake tonight. Bound in Fear could be a slot higher in a year.
Tonight's sub-headliners are the excellent Blanket, who I've not seen live before. It's half an hour of atmospheric, effects-heavy music that provides a very stark contrast to Bound in Fear, though segues quite nicely into Conjurer after them in the same regard. Being unfamiliar with the band up to now I found myself just quietly taking the set in for most of the performance, hypnotised by the ambience and wall of sound that they brought with them. There's a real sense of warmth and musicianship to what they do, and the soft vocal melodies are expertly crafted around their 90s-inspired sound. In return, the crowd gives them a warm reception and the change of pacing doesn't feel out of place. Their latest EP came out at the start of September on Church Road - worth a listen!
The main attraction are the fast-rising Conjurer, who come with confidence, stage presence and an powerful stage sound. Opening with the blackened 'Thankless', it's relentless intensity from the very start, maintained as the album openers of 'Choke' and 'It Dwells' come into the set quite early on. Vocally the band don't sound as crisp as they always do - perhaps due to the vocal mics - but with the raw stage energy they exude, insane off-the-cuff drum fills from Noah and self assured guitar playing, you couldn't accuse the band of fatigue after multiple headline shows this month and festival appearances. Rather, in many aspects, they're on top of their game.
The setlist does seem to drop a little in the middle as the slower 'Rot', 'Cracks in the Pyre' and 'Those Years, Condemned' are played one after the other, but as someone who's seen them a few times this year it's cool to see them willing to mix up the set order and keep the listener guessing. And when the high intensity numbers like 'Retch' are brought out, or the super-heavy, super-groovy 'Basilisk' is aired afterwards, they seem to hit even harder. The classic set closer of 'Hadal' sees Conor jump out into the audience and whip them into a frenzy for the iconic final breakdown, with a lively few at the front letting loose and headbanging as he jumps around frenetically. It's a statement headline performance from the quartet, who only confirm their status as future leaders with every show.
Photo credits: Tim Finch Photography
