Butcher Babies/Eyes Set To Kill/Klogr
Rescue Rooms – 20/2/2108
There’s a lot to like about the Rescue Rooms. It’s a venue that can handle pretty big acts but still has the feeling of intimacy you lose in the big arenas. Tonight it plays host to a band taking a big stride forward and a couple who are making more than ripples in the heavy music pond.
Before the main event there was an extra gig for meet and greeters courtesy of the Butcher Babies. Controversial as they may be this was so much more than a five minute photo op and a few goodies. What Butcher Babies deliver is over half an hour of simply beautiful full band acoustic music. They’ve taken the time to arrange the songs properly and it’s a pleasure to hear Carla and Heidi singing in clear and clean harmony. As meet and greets go this is quite superb. And yes you do still get to chat and have photos with the band along with taking home some goodies.
Not many people will have heard about Klogr but based on this showing they soon will do. They play a brand of alternative rock with an emphasis on hard rock that sounds fresh and new. They’re playing to a good sized crowd for an early opening slot too so you have to mention the Nottingham fans for turning up in time to catch them. With devilishly well delivered vocals and a real sense of purpose Klogr would be a perfect fit for summer festivals. Let’s hope they make the most of this tour and really get their name out there.
Making their bow in the UK are Eyes Set To Kill who soldier on through some awful technical difficulties. Alexia Rodriguez’ guitar just doesn’t want to behave which is a huge shame. It doesn’t stop the band showing some real class though with dual vocals, some serious shape pulling from bass man Comron Fouladi and a real sense of making things work which in many ways made the audience appreciate them even more. Rodriguez powers through a moving cover of The Cranberries hit Zombie, a song done to death but Eyes Set To Kill still make it work brilliantly. It’s a baptism of fire for the plucky Arizona group and they come through it with flying colours.
With their latest album Lilith receiving both critical and fan acclaim it’s no wonder Butcher Babies take to the stage like a band possessed. This is their time and they’re seizing the opportunity with both hands. While the music is full force there’s also a maturity about the whole set. The boldness that comes with confidence is evident in how much more pronounced the clean vocals are. Heidi has a quite incredible voice while Carla’s softer tones are something of a revelation. As with the earlier acoustic set the harmonies are quite stunning and now the band are full electric we get the scream sparring that so many love too. With Headspin showing that the Butcher Babies are barrier free at last it’s a reinvigorated show even by their high energy standards. The guys play it tight and new drummer Chase Brickenden fits into the set up like a glove. This is a happy ship and it’s great to see so many smiles on the faces of both band and audience. Butcher Babies are spreading the love and they’re spreading it loud. Tonight they’ve shown how far they’ve stepped up and their ascendancy if far from complete.
Words and photography by Gary Trueman