Ever since I caught Allusondrugs set at Download festival back in 2015 they seem to have been absolutely everywhere, and who can have any complaints when they’re this good! The Yorkshire lads are quickly making a reputation for themselves as one of the best bands out there with their blend of grunge, psychedelia, stoner and pretty much everything in between. But one thing for certain is that these guys are here to stick around! And they mean business…
Kicking us off for the evening though is easily the heaviest band on tonight’s line up. Snakes are a brutal hardcore outfit who hail from London town. They proudly state that they ‘play what we want and that’s it’ and tonight they do exactly that. Powering through their set with a relentless energy that is certainly well received by the crowd. By the time they close the set half the band is in the crowd and there isn’t a person in the room not head banging, if you like your music heavy and loud then these guys are for you.
Following on from the brutal onslaught are This Years Ghost, a riff heavy alt rock band from Edinburgh/London. They get off to a bit of an awkward start with the vocal levels not quite being there, but soon put that behind them. With the big riffs and tasty chorus ‘Silver Tongue’ is the stand out track of a short but very sweet set.
Next up are Fizzy Blood and they’re about to turn up the energy levels a few notches in the now full venue. With their catchy as hell riffs these five Yorkshire lads get straight to tearing it up. Their sound is somewhere between Queens Of The Stone Age and perhaps newer Arctic Monkeys stuff, but with a sprinkling of Jack White thrown in for a good measure. Now I know what you’re thinking… And yes, they do sound THAT good. Tracks such as ‘January Sun’, ‘Queen of Hearts’ and the epic ‘Patience’ from 2015’s EP ‘Feast’ completely blew me away. Being a Yorkshire lad myself and a huge QOTSA fan I may be somewhat biased but these guys just became my new favourite band.
Now for the main event and what a treat we’re all in for, Allusondrugs literally couldn’t be any better suited the sweaty mess of a Black Heart gig. It seems like the perfect place for them to strut their stuff. Opening a blistering set with ‘Handicapped’, the Castleford five piece seem to be injecting their blend of grunge and psychedelia directly into each and every person in the room. The riffs are face melting and the vocals are hypnotic, but pretty soon into the set they ‘Stir’ the mosh pits with a shattering rendition. The crowd are losing their minds but then again when they’re urged to ‘Do what you fucking want’ what else do you expect. ‘Nervous’ is another stand out moment from a band which, should they travel back in time to the grunge heavy 90s, would be in the midst of world domination. By the time they close the night with ‘You May Be Paranoid But They’re Still Gonna Kill You’, Jason and pretty much the rest of the band are down in the sweaty underbelly of the crowd with the rest of us. In terms of a Wednesday night in Camden, what more could you ask for?
CHRIS LEE