Reading’s high-octane rock band Sonic Undermind are playing their farewell gig tonight and so the Colorz venue, formerly Bar Oz, was filled with the usual local band suspects.
However, there are also Kerrang TV cameras set up with a mini-TV crew shuffling around – sadly not to record SU’s last ever stage show, but to film first band Ripchord – who brought with them a coach-load of fans from their native Eastbourne. Launching straight into their extremely tight staccato ska-punk onslaught, the droopy-eyed frontman doesn’t hold back with his operatic wailing falsetto, making me think the band sound like a cross between Muse and The Darkness. They thrash out their melodic rock with boundless energy, the guitarist a wizard with the fretboard while the frontman howls like a hyena and gives his vocal chords a pounding with his immense voice. These guys are all superb musicians in their own right, effortlessly moulding a block of noise into their streamlined and thickly textured sound. Bristol’s Left Side Brain are the second band invited by Sonic Undermind to play. A deafening hardcore thrash metal blasts out from the speakers during a fierce blizzard of guitars with more shouting than singing from both one of the guitarists and, unusually, the bassist, who clearly has the right idea by wearing ear plugs.
With the frontman forever screwing up his face while roaring out the lyrics, you can’t fault the band for enthusiasm – they even managed a few harmonies among the army of angry wasps that their guitars sound like. While their set becomes samey we all enjoy the red hot ride, but be careful, it’s brain-buzzingly turbulent. Then it’s time for the Sonic Underminders to grace the stage for the final time – the crowds gather to see this momentous occasion in the history of Reading’s local band scene. Kicking off with their trademark instrumental intro and Pete’s otherwordly gabbling, they then launch into Zombie Wedding. “This is really fun, everyone came to see us”, remarks a smiling Pete afterwards to the crowd full of friends and fans. Mid-set Pete puts on a naff baseball cap before the band tear into Rock Hat – the headwear theme continues with Magic Helmet, though undoubtedly a few other themes are present in the double entendre. The crowning moment however is when the two guitarists and the bass player face the crowd wearing chimpanzee masks on their foreheads, this is of course for the song Chimpcopter, which Pete ends with a bloodcurdling scream. Ending with Hundred Years, the band play a false finish – “You thought it was the end but it isn’t haaah haah haah haah!” cackles Pete – before continuing with an instrumental finale.
It wasn’t quite the end however, as compere Jim Bowes has the crowd foot-stomping for an encore. Fittingly, the band played Rock Is Dead. See the photo gallery by clicking on the links on the right-hand side of this page.
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