Max Raptor / Yearbook / Swim Good / Let’s Talk Daggers / Sutek [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 24/2/2015]
Tuesday was a good day until I got to this show and realised it had started earlier than predicted, and I’d missed not only openers Sutek, but also one of my favourite new bands of math-metal maniacs, Let’s Talk Daggers. Sad face indeed. Still, Swim Good soothed my cravings for complex tunes with a loose but still awesome set. These guys can do no wrong, even when beset by technical issues. They really are that goddamn good. Happy face: restored for the rest of the night.
Yearbook (think a pop-punk Reuben augmented by the occasional bit of fancy guitar work) never fail to impress in a live environment. Heartstring-snapping lyrics, intense delivery, and near-peerless songs such as personal favourite Classic Literature all added up to the kind of barnstorming set which I’ve come to expect from these guys, but remain consistently stunned by every time they kick off. Yearbook may have a teen-friendly name, but their music never gets old.
As for Max Raptor, the last time I saw a politically-charged no-bullshit hardcore band own a crowd the way Max Raptor do, they were called Leftover Crack. Max Raptor’s name may be more cryptic, but their music connects with people in the same direct way, bridging generation gaps and uniting their hardcore fans (see what I did there) in the name of a good time and a fair amount of bloody-minded catharsis. Pretentious closing statement ahead: When it comes to bands like this the style isn’t my thing, but I definitely appreciate the substance – and Max Raptor have substance oozing from every riff, beat, and lyric.
Fucking fair play to them.
Links
Swim Good on Facebook and Twitter.
Let’s Talk Daggers official website.
GU1 PUNX on Facebook and Twitter.
The Boileroom official website.
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