Anyone who’s attended a show of RED FANG in a small venue at least once, knows that it’s merely impossible to get out of there 1) alive 2) dry. So when someone decided to have both RED FANG and BLACK fucking TUSK combination at Les Combustibles in Paris… Man, I knew this would make the place blow the fuck up with the pressure of hundreds of overexcited, sweaty – and sometimes naked – people. Chaos, anarchy and hairy men: where do I sign?
Doors were supposed to open at 7.15 P.M but they would only open at 8, which isn’t that unusual considering the fact that they are FOUR bands playing (= 4 soundchecks and 4 set-ups). Anyway, a LOT of peeps are already standing in front of the venue, and as soon as the doors open, they rush in like battery pigs and stick their asses to the front row. Foresighted fuckers. It’s time for ABRAHMA to start this insssaaaaaaaaaane night’s hostilities…
ABRAHMA (Facebook)
I knew these guys from Glad Stone Fest, when they played their first gig as Abrahma (they were called Alcohosonic before that, playing a slightly different kind of music). They were quite tensed there and the crowd was quiet, besides they took the toll of being in the middle of the running order, when people usually go out to eat/smoke/piss. Tonight, the sound is way more powerful so it’s easier to enjoy their Goatsnake-like stoner metal. However, there are too much effects on the singer’s voice, so it sounds a bit awkward, especially when you’re sitting next to the voice monitor. A lot of technical issues will run during the set, but it is a cool band thou. I’m looking forward to see them in one year, when they’ll be a little bit more experienced…
Take your whips out, pieces of glass, anything, punish me : I wasn’t in the venue during the Rescue Rangers part. Bad, bad girl… I was pretty busy talking to my buddy David Sullivan (honestly, he’s the sweetest dude on Earth), then with Black Tusk’s super cool boys. Anyway, Rescue Rangers sounded good from the outside !
BLACK TUSK (Facebook – Bandcamp)
Talking about BLACK TUSK, the time has come. I’m so hooked on these guys (on their music, THEIR MUSIC !), I’ve been looking forward to attend one of their gig for a looooooooooooong time : Stoned Gatherings made my dream come true. Let’s get straight to the point : BLACK TUSK is musically as violent as hurricane Katrina combined to a tsunami rided by a horde of japanese kamikazes. And thing is : these 3 guys (who all sing) play such an incredibly powerful music while living it with an unbelievable heat ! Here is a huge parpen*/bitchslap*/massive kick* in your faces and asses (*choose whichever you think suits best). So many people weren’t even aware of Black Tusk’s awesomeness before that gig, whereas now they’re all fighting in the pit like mad (and you can see a huge smile on Athon’s face at seeing these people’s insanity) ! BLACK TUSK are insane performers, really as good as I expected. I’m now officially a Black Tusk fan. Did I mention everyone in the band got bare chest after the second or third song ? It’s an important detail, because tonight’s thematic is actually “Stoner, sweat and naturism”. You will get my point later…
RED FANG (Facebook – official website)
Portland’s dogs are now on the stage. The band has become quite notorious in the metal game this last couple of months : when I discovered them a year ago with their release “Murder The Mountains”, they had like 15,000 Facebook fans. Now they have 52,801 of them, so it makes sense. Here they are, my dears, my loves, my favorites, the band I would bring with me on a desert island, RED FANG. From my spot, I see madness embracing the crowd, everyone stagedives, flies (it’s 1000x more violent than Karma To Burn’s gig last week). It is SO FUCKING HOT that the ceiling is sweating, as well as Aaron Beam, who takes off all his clothes (except for the underwear, of course), followed by some random guy who decides to take EVERYTHING off. I’m sorry for the latter, but between the genuinely manly and hairy Portland man and the hairless Parisian boy : it’s a no-brainer, some have the style, some others don’t.
It’s a fucking bloody mess in here, with a capital B like in brutal, barbaric and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Walls are soaking wet, the crowd is soaking wet, the band is soaking wet because of this warmth and dampness. Everyone’s almost naked, perfect time for a diversionary move from Black Tusk’s guitarist who tumbles on stage and starts cheering the crowd (as we can’t talk of “warming up” anymore at this point) so that the Fang would play the encore. This crazy fucker takes over the front row on “Hank Is Dead” and starts moshing the “drunkass” way (cheers Andrew, I know you loved the expression) until he finally gets carried away by the crowd…
That was one of the most insane gig I’ve attended in my damn life. Something even bigger than Inception, Titanic, 300 and Reservoir Dogs put together. RED FANG just turned our minds and brains upside down. Then comes the the moment when everyone tries to meet the band and congratulate them for being so awesome. Having a drink or two with them has become a tradition, so I’ll see you guys in Bordeaux and Toulouse in July! Peace.
Watch ALL the videos from the gig on my Youtube Channel
Last modified: 18 August 2015
