There comes a time in everyone's life when they go to see one band and come away totally blow away by the support band.  That's what happened with Dogtide and us.  We saw them play their very first gig at this very venue just over 6 months ago and were astonished by the wealth of raw talent they oozed. 

More surprised perhaps that they were all under 25 years old and yet appeared to be totally unaffected by all this nu-metal craze that is going about.  Now I'm not going to get hung up on the nu-metal/death to decent metal way of thinking as it's something very few people over the age of 25 are willing to admit to liking.  I personally hate Slipknot but do like some of the other stuff that's been put out by the likes of Papa Roach etc.  However I do believe you can have too much of the same thing and that's where nu-metal is rapidly heading.  It's no longer new, it's no longer metal, it's commercial fodder for the guys in big suits and thus a total sell-out for everything most rock fans believe in.

So getting back to Dogtide.  You can imagine our delight at hearing a bright new band, simply oozing with talent, not playing nu-metal.  With this band we had three young lads who give their heart and soul into every single second of their performance.  Believing it had to be a fluke we came back for another look.

Where we disappointed?  Nope!  Even more surprising perhaps was that the room was rather full here tonight, all with young people.  Is this an uprising we're witnessing?  Are these rebels reshaping the face of rock music as we know it?  Well they sure have plenty of promise, lots of determination and if the way in which their debut EP was selling like hotcakes, they are rapidly converting the youth of Newcastle around to their way of thinking.

Coming onstage at about 9 pm their set 45-minute set was much longer this time around than the last time we saw them.  It was good to see them have the opportunity to actually headline the gig this time instead of acting as support.  Vocal duties were shared between lead man Ben on guitar and fellow band member Adam on bass.  Both with very different vocal styles, but both well suited to the material they performed. 

Perched behind the drum kit was drummer Bob complete with fun fur thong.  Don't ask - it's a long story and a favourite attraction amongst the young ladies I believe.  Throughout the whole set he looked totally calm but at the same time intense in concentration as he kept impeccable timing.

Ben's voice has quite a distinctive sound to it, which at times puts it in mind of that of Pearl Jam, or Soundgarden.  Musically at times they remind me of a softer Metallica, other times they sound like Paradise Lost.  My favourite track they played during their set was the third one in called Descent.  The sound levels were mixed just right for this little gem. Regardless of who you think they sound like is immaterial, what they do is musically sound and combines good hard tempos with melodic guitar riffs.

Before long the whole band had broke out into a healthy glow and soon had to peel off their outer layers.  The fourth song of the set was a melancholy number to begin with, which started slow; and moody as it painted a picture before progressing into a crescendo of guitars and drums, before ending the same way it started.  '2/3' I think it was called.  The crowd obviously enjoyed it a lot because as soon as it finished there was loud applause from around the room, they loved it. 

One of the songs Adam took lead vocals on was a song called 'Restrain'.  The backbeat to this song sounded like it was on a mission at times.  The song was very grown up rock that growled as it went.  The band announced that they would be giving away a prize for the best dancer during the next song.  I missed the beginning of what they said but I gather it was something to help you when you'd had too much to drink and needed to catch your bus in a hurry?  Don't ask me what but it came in a plastic packet.

No sooner had the song begun than they had a taker for that very prize, a young man with a red; top on ran up to the front and started to strut his funky stuff.  He did indeed win the prize and to be honest anyone who dances like that in full view of everyone deserves to win a prize!  During their last song they found themselves swamped as even more fans joined in the dancing.  Great to see them letting their hair down and grabbing the opportunity for one last dance before the set ended. 

The band finished their set and their fans started shouting 'Where's my Dog', we took this meant they wanted more songs but none came.  However after an announcement that they only had one remaining copy of their EP left, one eager punter rushed forth and bought it there and then. Obviously not wanting to miss out on a treat.
 
These guys sound a lot more mature than their young years and their music shows a lot of promise.  Sure it's not perfect but it's damn impressive at such an early stage.  What they need now is some record producer to take them under his wings and bring them on to their full potential.  Their gigs are well worth checking out and we'll be watching with extreme interest where they go from here.

Setlist:

Redneck
Undefined
Anabolism
Descent
2/3
Restrain
F.A.M.F.
Synthetic Anabolism
Vent