Dark Gig - Skindred, Crossfaith, (HED)P.E and Yashin
Last night I had the pleasure of visiting the LCR at the University of East Anglia to partake in some heavy metal goodness. Yashin were up as we got there, their set almost at an end so I can't really comment on those. From what I had seen on YouTube before the gig, I don't think I would have been particularly moved by them but they seemed decent enough.
Next up were (HED)P.E, a band that I only have a limited experience of but which belted out some great rapcore songs, lead singer Jared doing a great job of bringing the crowd into proceedings.
Crossfaith
Crossfaith were up next, a fantastic metalcore band from Japan. The electronica was deafening and again, the energy on stage was excellent. Their rendition of Devil's Party from new album Xeno was the highpoint for me. Skindred's Benji also emerged for a mashup a little later in the set, with Crossfaith's Koie Kenta returning the favour at the end of Skindred's set.
Skindred
Skindred were last to take to the stage and they were immense. I have two of Skindred's albums so I wasn't familiar with all of the songs but I recognised a great many. Two songs from their new album Volume, Under Attack and the titular track Volume stood out in particular for me. Benji is a charismatic sweary chap who bantered with the audience and also had a lot to say about accepting other people (so long as they don't bring bullshit to the party). Checkout my video below of the Newport Helicopter, a fun end to the night. Watch it on YouTube though, it looks much better.
A great gig and a great rainy 5th November 2015. Who gives a fuck about fireworks when you can see bands like these?