Twothirtytwo / Secret Black Boyfriend / The Small Society [Live Review – The Boileroom, Guildford, 15/4/15]
Aldershot is on fire right now. Not literally (unless the football’s on), but in terms of incredible musical output. twothirtytwo look set to lead a fresh horde of fucked-off Aldershotians into the future, fuelling that rush with levels of theatrical passion which thousands of bands wish they could achieve.
The Small Society may be small for now, but their songs are massive. Intelligent, fierce, and self-assured, these guys are ones to watch. Throw in a crowd prepared to head down early to catch their set, and it’s easy to imagine the Small Society becoming something much bigger.
As far as memorable band names go, Secret Black Boyfriend have it sorted. Imagine Jamie Lenman jamming with Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine and lowering the tone as far as possible with lyrics that often tend toward the scatological; it’s all about airtight riffs, post-hardcore aggression, and a flat out fucked sense of humour here. If you’re even remotely interested in anything hardcore-related, check these guys out ASAP. You’re not going to want to keep them a secret.
I’ve honestly no idea where twothirtytwo get their energy from. “Cathartic” doesn’t even begin to cover it; a twothirtytwo set is less a performance than a war against an unseen and unknowable enemy. These guys are a band you have to see live before you die. They are literally stunning – and as of last night, one of my favourite live bands ever.
As for their songs, they’re winners without exception. From brand new single Stray to the heart-shredding bleakness of The Hope We Had, Simulation and The Measure Of Men, every one of the songs that made up this set was delivered from somewhere deeper than the gut or the heart. twothirtytwo have what it takes to take over a room, and over the next few months I hope they push on to festival level. They more than deserve the opportunity.
Big love as always to the Boileroom crew for an awesome show, and Will Woodward for a winning sound job.
Links
Check out TMMP’s review of Stray here.
twothirtytwo on Facebook and Twitter.
Secret Black Boyfriend on Facebook and Twitter.
The Small Society official website.
The Boileroom official website.
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