I saw Blakfish last night at the Old Blue Last in London, and they reminded me that they are rather bloody good indeed.
Maybe it’s the sense you get from watching them that if they weren’t in a band they’d all be in prison – or dead, or dead in prison – that appeals, but when they play, even if you don’t like their particular brand of shredded progged-out hardcore, you can’t take your eyes off them. Four mismatched souls from the Midlands who’ve been playing music together for longer than most bands can remember yet they’re still about to release their debut (the baffling, damaged, pretty-sodding-great ‘Champions’ on Hassle) Blakfish are one of those bands who probably don’t give a fuck if you don’t like them. I say probably, I mean definitely.
Download ‘Ringo Starr – 2nd Best Drummer In The Beatles’ below if you want proof that they, quite possibly, have come to eat your head and then regurgitate it in an acidic stream of riffery and carefully orchestrated brutality. It’s weird: they seem like a total mess, an all-in clusterfuck of noises and razor-sharp guitars tied up like a hostage, but listen closer and there’s a coherence and methodical viciousness that rather interesting indeed.
They’re about to go on tour with Horse The Band. Go see ’em.
Download Blakfish‘s ‘Ringo Starr – 2nd Best Drummer In The Beatles’ here