So today I spent seven hours at La Bouée a wonderful house venue located in the middle of one of Paris's shadier districts. I saw a grand total of 9 bands (yes, there were breaks, my ears are not completely dead) and by god was it righteous. My only regret was that I was too ill to participate in some of the more gloriously violent mosh pits (At some points the floor was literally slick with blood) and some of the crazier headbanging. But as is, I had a great time getting to check out some of the most impressive bands that the Paris region has to offer.
First up on the day was Kellen a happy punk band who had a tight set and performed a cover of the French punk classic Je Collection des Canards (Vivants) not once, but twice, and note, it went over even better the second time through. Kellen are just full of good times and positive vibes, their is no hatred in their music, and they play with a clear joy, and honestly, it works. This kind of joyful punk is the sort of thing that really reaches out and makes me smile. Even though they could only play a short set (they have a new drummer who they haven't been able to full rehearse with) it was touching and showed a young band filled with passion for their music, I want to hear more from these guys!
Next up was Poppers another punk band in the vein of the Ramones or (again) Ultravomit. Their music is powerful and happy and this trio definitely ripped up the stage. They played a good amount of songs and people definitely seemed to be feeling the music. Their performances were definitely tight and I for one really liked the French lyrics, it seems to work especially well for this type of punk. These guys definitely had a lot of passion in their playing and the way they exploded with some of their songs was especially impressive to me. I would like to see more from them in the future, it seemed like by the time the set was ended they were only just getting warmed up!
Following Poppers things started to get heavy with the crazed hardcore madness of Snakecharger. Their frontwoman is a petite beast, ready to tear your face off as she two steps across the floor. The energy was clear and the joy evident, Snakecharger are a wonderful hardcore band who do not shy away from the insane. If these guys had passed later in the day they might have gotten an impressive mosh pit started but as is people were only just trickling in. I really loved the way their singer just ripped faces off as she darted back and forth the small crowd assembled. Meanwhile the rest of the band was tight and I want to see them play again soon, and now that they worked it out with their two new guitarists the future should be bright for Snakecharger.
Icon of Destruction blasted onto the stage next, and these guys were one of my biggest highlights of the day. Their distinctive brand of blackened melodeath is especially powerful. Their attack is impressive and the way that they often have two growlers at once adds to the strength of their sound. They got a pretty big (and violent) mosh pit started. They were incredibly tight and the fancy solos were most impressive indeed. What I'm trying to say is that Icon of Destructions set, as a whole, was one of the most triumphant of the day. This is a band who are on an upward swing and who seem to have a bright future, I would love to see them again on a day that I wasn't bending over coughing up a lung ever other chorus.
Next up was Life Is a Joke, a rap metal band who are surprisingly enough, not obnoxious and bland (I know right?) Their set was profound and touching. These guys don't really go for brutality, instead their music ebbs and flows with rapped parts counteracted by heavier sections. Really though what makes this band distinctive is that the rapped vocals often slot in nicely over tight metal parts. What made this set especially intimate was when the groups vocalist JC Kornino pulled his three year old daughter alongside him to dance to the last couple of songs. All I can say is that I hope one day my children are that metal. As a whole though, this set was beautiful and powerful, a testament to the magic of Life is a Joke's music.
Sliding of Frequency came on next and so began one of the coolest sets of the night. While the crowd never really got into it the band certainly gave it their all and I have to compliment them on that. I really enjoyed the raw energy that dominated their music and showed off all of their technical capacities. The rampant headbanging was fun and accentuated the whole performance. I think if the crowd had really gotten going things could have gone crazy, as is I'm not entirely sure why few people latched on, the performance was certainly excellent, you might even say they were one of the best bands of the day! As a whole, their music is powerful and thudding, it crushes into the skull and gets the heart racing, I want to see these guys more soon.
So what was to follow such an impressive performance? Well, on stormed Xi-oX a death metal band with attitude. They provided an interesting mix of growls and cleans (mostly growls though) that came off especially well and showed the mastery of the band. While some parts of their performance could have been tightened they certainly were a lot of fun to watch, and they definitely had a lot of fun playing. They got quite the pit going towards the end of their set and if they had a little more time they might have really been able to get things going. As is they were pretty cool to see and it might be interesting to check them out in another context. Readers note, I will be reviewing their six song EP later on in the week, and from what I saw in the performance, it should be most excellent.
Then came on the grind lords, F.I.S.T. the men who got the most violent, bloody mosh pit going, something that was impressive and ear busting. These guys understand what true grindcore is and played very few songs over two minutes long. Their aggressive grinding bursts blew my mind open and held me in thrall with their incredible aggressive attack. Everything about this band is extreme, evil and gory and most might be turned away. Yet those with the patience and power to deal with this kind of metal at its furthest aggressive edges that F.I.S.T. push will be justly rewarded with a memorable live performance that left many a fan covered in blood.
Lurking live!
The last band that I got to see was Lurking (thanks readers for sticking with me this far) who were definitely the best band that I got to watch. I'd seen them last month at Le Klub (Some of you may remember the review) and they were certainly excellent then. Well guess what, somehow they got better, even more aggressive and passionate than ever before Lurking know how to melt faces with their music and definitely got things moving. This is one of the hottest rising bands in Paris and I'm excited to see what the future holds for them. The crowd loved them and the band was clearly happy to be playing, who knows where they'll go next!
In finishing, OpenWall Fest was a glorious success and even if they are going to close La Bouée to make a shopping area (Darn Western Business Imperialists) in the minds of all we will have this one glorious day, where many bands came out and dominated, showcasing the eternal power that extreme music will have, even if the places it is played a brought down. As one piece of poetry I read on a radiator (yes, on a radiator) said "Here we have no breakfast in the morning, no sheets on the beds, not even beds, no lullabies" La Bouée will go down in our memories as a Valhalla of metal and punk anarchy that will never, ever be forgotten.
Find the bands on the OpenWall Fest Page!
https://www.facebook.com/events/214058432081205/?ref=ts&fref=ts
Thank dude for the feed back! It was a very nice evening! See you 19th October at the Q.G! (Nicolas from F.I.S.T.)
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