The return of the Soulfly tribe was eagerly anticipated by these shores, and tonight I went to see what all the fuss was about. These guys had a big reputation to live up to. Supported by New Zealand maniacs Eight Foot Sativa and local hardcore act Stampin’ Ground, this certainly looked like it was going to be a great show.
Before tonight I’d never heard of Eight Foot Sativa. The New Zealand guys had been brought over tonight by Road Runner Records and they certainly intended to land with a bang. Sounding like a mixed up mess of Slayer and Slipknot, they’ve got a long way to go as far as developing their own individual sound goes but earn 10 out of 10 for comical performance value. The lead singer can do amazing emu-like actions with his neck and I seem to recall paying more attention to that than the music at a couple of points. A good set for their first UK show but certainly nothing to shout about just yet… I’ll be looking out for these guys in the future though.
Stampin Ground have been playing the London scene for a few years now, and are finally getting heard properly, supporting bands that really do them justice. One of the first truly innovative hardcore acts to come out of England for a long time, and definitely a band that can perform! Their fast paced aggressive riffs churn out one of the most impressive support slot sets that I’ve seen in a long time and the crowd reflects this impressively by literally exploding to the hardcore five-somes powerful, painful show. They even managed to form a wall of death by splitting the crowd and sending them flying towards each other. At this point I must say, I was glad to be out of the pit! Nothing however quite prepared me for the set that Soulfly were about to play. Speaking to the guys before the show they were eager to get over the fact that tonight, they meant business. They definitely keep to their word…
Playing an impressive if not slightly short 21 track 61 minute set the ‘tribe’ as they like to wholly be known played an impressive show, with only the lack of interaction with the crowd letting the guys down. Opening with Downstroy, they played perfectly and proved that the wait between London visits was certainly worth it, giving a blend of new songs and old. Two Sepultura songs even slipped into the set, Roots Bloody Roots and one other which I recognise but cant remember the name!
19 songs into the set… something strange happened. Soulfly covered a Nirvana song. Territorial pissings to be exact. Bizarre, yet strangely compelling as Max’s harsh, growling tone successfully pulled off playing one of the greatest Nirvana songs ever written. Come on though guys… Fenix TX covered that song..!
Predictably, tonight’s finale was to be Eye for an Eye. This is really what the crowd had been waiting for and they weren’t disappointed. Played brilliantly as ever, the guys proved that they’ve still got it… although the originality of tonight’s show didn’t say much for how much longer they may possess their crowns as kings of nu-metal!