Fury & Rites To Ruin, Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff
A Friday night in Fuel Rock Club is usually one that's filled with noise, bit on this particular Friday it was filled with the noise of some old friends.
Hitting the venue late I missed the opening band but I arrived just in time for my first viewing (the last one scuppered by the Rona) of Rites To Ruin (7). The band made up of ex-Triaxis singer Krissie Kirby and guitarist Matt Chambers along with drummer Tom Ross, bassist Paul Boschen and guitarist Lee Cartner. Having enjoyed their EP it was great to catch the band on the live stage.
Hitting the venue late I missed the opening band but I arrived just in time for my first viewing (the last one scuppered by the Rona) of Rites To Ruin (7). The band made up of ex-Triaxis singer Krissie Kirby and guitarist Matt Chambers along with drummer Tom Ross, bassist Paul Boschen and guitarist Lee Cartner. Having enjoyed their EP it was great to catch the band on the live stage.
They play a shreddy/progressive style of metal which has some pumping riffs, paired with Krissie's vocals which become more like Ann Wilson of Heart with every viewing. Playing all the songs on their EP Fire plus a new song based around Dungeons & Dragons, they stormed through their set, though the mix left much to be desired as the vocals seemed to be much higher than everything else rendering the music a little mute.
After a warm applause from the local audience, a very quick change around led to Midlands based band Fury (9) who are no strangers to these pages. Now fleshed out to a five piece with Nyah Ifill added as a full time vocalist, she adds a great counterpoint to frontman Julian Jenkins, giving the newer songs from Born To Sin and The Grand Prize much more oomph vocally as Becky Baldwin too gives her voice on certain songs, Hell Of A Night especially with its "Monster Movies" refrain is a guaranteed song along. With a set drawn mainly from Born To Sin, The Grand Prize and Lost In Space, it was the current iteration of Fury that loomed large over the show, cementing them as possibly the most powerful version yet.
After a warm applause from the local audience, a very quick change around led to Midlands based band Fury (9) who are no strangers to these pages. Now fleshed out to a five piece with Nyah Ifill added as a full time vocalist, she adds a great counterpoint to frontman Julian Jenkins, giving the newer songs from Born To Sin and The Grand Prize much more oomph vocally as Becky Baldwin too gives her voice on certain songs, Hell Of A Night especially with its "Monster Movies" refrain is a guaranteed song along. With a set drawn mainly from Born To Sin, The Grand Prize and Lost In Space, it was the current iteration of Fury that loomed large over the show, cementing them as possibly the most powerful version yet.
The tongue twisting If You Get To Hell First shifted into the previously mentioned Hell Of A Night, blowing away the cobwebs, while Galactic Rock and This World Is Mine both kept up the rocking. As per usual JJ is a great frontman, though he has a little verbal diarrhea occasionally, Burnout got the fists moving while The Dragons Song was warmly welcomed in the land of the dragon. Tom Fenn beats the snot out of his kit, while decked out in a fetching Hawaiian shirts as Jake Elwell shreds and solos like a wildman, stepping onto the front of stage as he does.
However Rock Lives In My Soul (originally a duet with Kim Jennet) was done just as well with JJ and Nyah sharing the mic. Upon A Lonesome Tide I thought would split the crowd but if anything it unified them more, lighters aloft throughout. Bringing back the riffs with the filthy Embrace The Demons and a great medley of Its Rock N Roll/Road Warrior which had a drum solo, bass solo and guitar solo in it to split the two, the packed house in Fuel were grooving to every song by this point, those of us who know the lyrics singing along.
However Rock Lives In My Soul (originally a duet with Kim Jennet) was done just as well with JJ and Nyah sharing the mic. Upon A Lonesome Tide I thought would split the crowd but if anything it unified them more, lighters aloft throughout. Bringing back the riffs with the filthy Embrace The Demons and a great medley of Its Rock N Roll/Road Warrior which had a drum solo, bass solo and guitar solo in it to split the two, the packed house in Fuel were grooving to every song by this point, those of us who know the lyrics singing along.
As thing we're brought to a close there was the obligatory false ending before the skat singing started our closer Casino Soleil, the funkiest song the band have done leaving Fuel rocking to the last chord. Fury are always the most fun you can have with your clothes on! This Friday being proof positive!