Breed77
Stereo, York 19 April 2012
We made the short journey down to York to one of our favourite rock bar/clubs Stereo. Stereo is an awesome little venue with really friendly bar staff and has a great welcoming atmosphere, unlike a certain venue in the city, the drinks aren’t overpriced and you don’t have to wade through god knows what to use the facilities.
Tonight’s show was going to be all acoustic, and promised to be something very different. Having never seen the first two bands, or heard much of their stuff before, I was unsure what to expect, I took the opportunity to check out their non-acoustic stuff on YouTube, and they are both definitely worth a listen.
First up were local lads Beyond All Reason and they were pretty damn amazing, playing a five song set, they grabbed everyone’s attention the first note of 'Until I Die'. I was totally struck by the bands musicianship and you could tell these guys are a metal band, as they played their five song set acoustically, you could see the drummer was dying to bash the hell out of the drums!
Songs that really stood out for me were 'Liar' and the final track 'Love Crossed Pistols', lead singer Venno has a wonderful and rich voice and I am itching to see these guys do a live full blown set so I will be keeping a look out for Beyond All Reason. And as they say on their profile ...”Beyond All Reason have developed a sound that has the perfect mix of intelligent modern metal grooves, spacious atmosphere and powerful melodies all wrapped into songs that will appeal to rock and pop fans alike” ... Seriously if you get the chance get to see these guys, great things await, I hope for them.
The Mariana Hollow is a five-piece alternative metal band from London. And were instantly captivating, the music is melancholic, passionate and dark. Singer Rebecca Spink had everyone transfixed as she sung throughout Hollows unique set list. You could tell that she puts every feeling into the lyrics as they twist and turn around the bands accomplished and mesmerizing sound.
'Second to None' and their latest single 'Your Halo', from their second recently self-released album 'Velvet Black Sky' really stood out and the video for 'Your Halo' can be seen on Scuzz TV and Kerrang and is brilliant, especially after seeing the band in an acoustic setting to seeing them totally ripping it up, these guys are heavy, melodic and very powerful a must see and unbelievably as of the moment still an unsigned band.
Show headliners Breed 77 are phenomenal, and this tour and their upcoming Download appearance will be the only time Breed 77 are likely to do an acoustic evening for a very long time if ever again, and it was an amazing privilege to see these guys play fourteen of their songs in such an intimate setting’. From the Intro leading into 'Final Prayer', the whole place was buzzing as these flamenco metallers launched into 'Worlds on Fire'. Paul Isola on lead vocals played the djembe and had everyone singing along, this was a setting where one could really appreciate the flamenco influences, and great vocal and musical skills .
Isola's stage banter is great and the Breed 77 fest continues as song after great song is aired such as 'Shadows', 'Breaking the Silence' and 'Numb'. Isola informs the crowd there will be two albums released this year as according to The Mayans 2012 is the end of the world so why not release two albums!.
Isola introduces new song 'Low', which is an instantly catchy song and greeted by wild applause, next is the fantastic 'Remember The Day' and heads bang to this acoustic version, then we get a treat as Breed77 play Iron Maidens 'Number of The Beast', which is pretty damn special and was sung word for word by the crowd. The beautiful “The River” and “La Ultima Hora” finish off the set to a thunderous applause, and cheering, as Breed77 are enticed back out to perform 'Zombie'.
Isola had sat down throughout the acoustic set, but stood up and gave full venom and intensity to the final song of the night and there ended a unique and totally absorbing night of acoustic metal which left everyone with a smile of their faces. After the show Breed77 took time out to sign autographs and have their photos taken with their adoring fans.
Tonight’s show was a special night in a rocking venue and you can be assured we will be returning to this venue soon, and in the meantime we would like to thank the staff at Stereo for their friendly and efficient service .
Review by: Alison Bear & Seb Di Gatto
