Support Acts: Asomvel, Skreamer.

Last time I visited The Garage was five days ago for Kscope’s celebratory gig, headlined by the mighty Anathema. I had firmly resolved to stay away from that place until the weather had cooled down as the aircon is pitiful, but…famous last words? It certainly seems so as on the afternoon of the 30^th of July I once again found myself outside the same Highbury & Islington venue. Why? Well, Anvil were back in town for the purpose of promoting their pretty decent latest effort “Hope In Hell” and I was in the mood for some good old, old-school Metal.

I entered just as Skreamer, the first opening act of the day, were storming the stage and, as the temperature was still at manageable levels, I decided to stick around and watch their set. Even though the London-based quartet has only been three years in existence they come across as quite a tight outfit but their need to indulge in various musical styles in the same composition is not always that successful.

Though I quite admired their ability to combine elements of classic 80s Metal with technical interludes of a more modern and, at times, Progressive nature, I think that there is some work to be done before they can compete in the already over-saturated London Metal scene. Still, most of those who were inside the venue early enough to watch the band’s set seemed to enjoy themselves.

The second opening act of the day were the power trio Asmovel and, though I was warned in advance of their passion for all things Lemmy, I was slightly taken aback by the lengths to which this passion manifests itself both in terms of image and musical performance. The band’s tall and commanding frontman wielded his Rickenbacker bass with real intent; take also a guitarist prefering highly distorted Rock ‘n’ Roll riffs and flamboyant solos and a drummer whose pounding was, simply put, quite unnerving.

Sound familiar? Just as in any typical Motorhead show, I was not particularly impressed by the musicianship on offer, however, compositions such as “Trash Talker” and “Full Moon Dog” were thoroughly enjoyable offerings that reach their full potential when performed in a live environment.

I don’t know whether it was because the gig was scheduled for a Tuesday night or the result of the extreme heat (for this country’s standards) that has plagued London over the last couple of weeks but when Anvil first stormed the stage at approximately nine thirty, The Garage was sadly only half full.

The fact that Steve “Lips” Kudlow was nevertheless in high spirits and that the temperature remained at decent levels provided the lively audience with the extra motivation to make this show a memorable occasion and those in attendance really rose to it! Classic Anvil material such as “March Of The Crabs” and “666” were greeted with sheer excitement, forcing Lips to fall to his knees during a solo for the latter, and the audience’s enthusiasm extended to material from the band’s latest album, including “Badass Rock ‘n’ Roll”.

Sal Italiano has been a fitting addition to the Anvil family as evidenced by his powerful introduction to the bombastic “Winged Assassins”, and his offering of much needed support during the performance of “On Fire” and “This Is Thirteen”. Lips’ party trick of the vibrator during the performance of “Mothra”, his short speech wishing Tony Iommi a speedy recovery prior to performing “Thumb Hang” and a killer rendition of the much loved “Metal On Metal” would have to be the absolute highlights of the show – one that finished with the band returning on stage to perfom the up-tempo Motorhead-esque opus “Running”, much to the delight of the somewhat depleted crowd by this stage.

I do appreciate that Anvil are not everyone’s cup of tea and that there are some who simply cannot warm to their ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll approach’ of performing Metal but, when it comes to live perfomances, there are not many bands out there which can provide the same levels of entertainment as these Canadians are capable of.

Sure, notes will be missed and vocals may not always be on-cue with surgical precision, but the honesty and passion that this trio conveys through its music is absolutely priceless. Long live Rock ‘n’Roll – long live Anvil!

Review & photos by Yiannis (John) Stefanis.

Anvil Set List:

“March Of The Crabs”
“666”
“School Love”
“Badass Rock ‘n’ Roll”
“Winged Assassins”
“On Fire”
“This is Thirteen”
“Mothra”
“Through With You”
“Thumb Hang”
“Swing Thing”
“Hope In Hell”
“Eat Your Words”
“Metal On Metal”

Encore:

“Running”

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)