Getting the celebrations started were Resuscitators, a melodic street punk outfit from London. While I’m unsure how up-to-date their first aid and CPR skills are, they are very good at starting the party with a short but strong set. Up next were Haggard Cat, a gritty, sludgey 2-piece from Nottingham. With guitarist/vocalist Matt Reynolds’s expert solos and drummer Tom Marsh’s loud banging, the energy and decibel levels go up a notch. You might watch out for these cats, as they’re trying to tear some roofs off!

Now it’s time for The Bronx to tear it all up properly. They waste no time and open the show with White Shadow from their 6th album (Bronx VI), The Unholy Hand from their 4th one and the classic, ever-so-optimistic Shitty Future. The crowd, already bouncing thanks to Haggard Cat’s fantastic set, goes wild almost immediately, and stage divers start popping up from the second song onwards. Signature Brew appears to be the perfect setting for this kind of show, providing perfect acoustic and a great atmosphere, with the lights bouncing off the shiny beer tanks on the side. Is that their secret to brew their award-winning beers? We will never know!

The Bronx are ecstatic to be here with us and show it, with vocalist Matt Caughthran taking a moment to thank the crowd and the venue and sing the praises of Signature Brew’s lager. Up next is a list of some of The Bronx’s best hits: Heart Attack American from their first album (I remember buying a magazine with a compilation featuring that one in 2003, and I vividly remember it turning my life around as well), Two Birds from their fifth and back to a more recent one with Curb Feelers which feels slightly more 80’s metal with intricate solos by Ken Horne.

Then it’s back to basics with Under The Rabbit, which sends the crowd into a frenzy and takes care of those who hadn’t caught on yet that The Bronx were on stage. Cobra Lucha and False Alarm are both from their very first album. It might have been released 21 years ago, but it has not aged one bit, and the band delivers the same aggressive energy as usual, playing each song loud and fast.

Matt introduces Knifeman as “a song about those who want to express themselves” and opens up the circle pit. This song and the next one (Six Days A Week) are taken from their third album, which has just gotten a celebratory re-release (as well as a brand new merch line) for its 15th anniversary. The show ends predictably with History’s Stranglers and Around The Horn. The Bronx, faithful to themselves, played another excellent set without hesitation or slowing down. They have proven many times they can conduct the biggest to the smallest crowds, and after seeing them at the Wembley Arena or on other big stages, it has been incredibly refreshing to see them again on a smaller stage and welcome them like old friends. Definitely a show we won’t forget anytime soon!

Live review and photography by Pauline Di Silvestro
The Bronx @ Signature Brew Blackhorse Road, London – 2024.11.01

GANS open the show. The two-piece bone-crushing band only has a short amount of time to impress, and they do so with ease.  They bring heavy riffs and a good dose of “if it’s too loud, you’re too old” mentality. Following was Maidavale from Stockholm, who was the perfect opening act for Goat with their dreamy fuzz and funky tunes. We hear most of their brand new record, Sun Dog, released earlier this year. The harmonies between the thick bass lines of Linn Johannesson and Sofia Ström’s floaty guitar marry perfectly with singer Matilda Roth’s expert voice – everything led by drummer Johanna Hansson, who brings a bit of shoegaze to the mix.

Goat are next, coming on stage through a sea of red light, making us wonder if this is real or the most surreal dream we’ve ever experienced. The show begins with One More Death from their new album, followed by Goatbrain and Goatfuzz (2016). This sets the tone. Didn’t we warn you in the beginning? Goat delivers their hypnotic rock to a bewildered, nearly tranced crowd.

The band members are almost immobile, focused on their craft, apart from the two singers who float across the stage with ease, captivating the crowd with their intense moves and talent. Every member is covered from head to toe with intricate outfits and masks;  they look like creatures you would only find in deserted mountains while battling the howling wind and defying supernatural elements.

Under No Nation comes next, reminiscent of Afrobeat legends such as Fela Kuti, almost as an hommage. Let In Bleed brings in the funk, and in the absence of a mad saxophone, the band compensates with some unbelievable guitar skills. All seven members play so neatly and tightly as if they were one sentient being with seven arms – and at this point, we’d be willing to believe that is true.

The journey continues with Frisco Beaver and its wonderful vocal harmonies.  Dollar Bill is a deep dive into stoner music. Both songs are taken from their newly released album, which keeps on giving and giving and giving… Soon You Die brings us back to earth with its sombre, almost metal, notes. Goat celebrate life and death, as death is part of life. Talk To God from Commune (2014) is another well-known track that takes the madness up a notch – the job is completed with Golden Dawn (World Music, 2019). Ouroboros, from Goat (2024), is a savant mix between straight-up 70’s funk and drum’n’bass, somewhat fitting as a symbol of the eternal cycle of destruction and rebirth.

Goat leaves the stage while the crowd chants for more. Their first encore is Queen of the Underground, a nod to 70’s heavy metal riffs and the hypnotic, melancholic Let It Burn.  It’s rare for a band to do two encores, but then Goat isn’t like any other band we’ve ever seen. They make the second (and final) comeback with the threatening but ever-so-luring Run To Your Mama. And while the crowd comes back down, we’re all trying to put the pieces of this strange puzzle together. Goat are one of the best live bands of this moment in time and are solidly grounded. They have proven, once again, that there is no other band like Goat, forever dominating the landscape of experimental, psychedelic rock.

Goat @ Troxy, London – 2024.10.24
Review and photography by Pauline Di Silvestro.