We Are Carnivores are a Nottingham Alt Math Rock band made up of four chaps on a galaxy quest of a lifetime. Riding unicorns through fields of melody, big juicy choruses and breakdowns that close down small venues, Harry, James, Alex and Beu write riffs that will stick to your brain like a barnacle and melodies that will catch you if you fall.
I had arranged to meet up with the guys to have a chat before the show, I arrived at the agreed time, called Harry to find out they were sat in the local 'Spoons' (Wetherspoons) nursing Godzilla sized hangovers from the night before. Minutes later, they appeared, we checked out the club and decided to wander up to their tour bus to conduct the interview as it was a little quieter there....
After a good 20 minute chat, followed by watching them get changed into clean clothes and applying liberal doses of deodorising spray (I didn’t WANT to watch them get changed, I even offered to avert my gaze whilst they were stripped to the waist in the back of the bus, they were having none of it and proceeded to let me ‘see for free’…) we wandered back to the club to checkout the support acts.
First up were ‘Skeleton Frames’, they were coming to the end of their set, what we did catch of them we very much liked, a great 4 piece act, fronted by bass player/vocalist Elli playing some strong, driven tracks, filled with enough raw power that would make a nun blush! I hope to be able to get a feature done on these guys in the very near future, check the ‘Introducing’ page over the next couple of weeks….
Up next were Black Foxxes, having seen this powerful rock trio before in Plymouth (at the White Rabbit), I sort of knew what to expect. Even so, I was blown away with the way that frontman/guitarist Mark Holley could move through a song, screaming with passion one minute then almost taking it right down to a heartfelt cry, tender, broken vocals, almost a whisper before cranking it back up to 11. Seeing a good 3 piece band is quite rare these days (assuming you ignore the likes of MUSE, Biffy Clyro and other established trio’s), seeing a great 3 piece act is even rarer, I think that these guys have what it takes to get things to the next level however and whenever they choose to. I chatted to Mark after their set and he also agreed to do a feature on the site, two out of two, so far so good!
Patrons were up next, a 4 piece act hailing from Plymouth, starting things off a little slower, layering their sounds, building, slowly, until a solid foundation had been laid, then unleashing the fury of a crazed PCP addict upon us! Their tracks seemed to be getting harder as their set wore on, heavier riffs mixed with more of a vocal roar marked these guys out to be one hell of a support act! Midway through their playlist, Danny (singer/guitarist) mentioned that it was the between song banter that he liked best, allowing him to take a moment and see who people really were, the fact that he was saying this, stood behind his microphone stand with a hoodie pulled over his head made me chortle….Their later tracks introduced a more ‘shouty’ vocal style, driving, incessant beats and some top quality guitar riffage, showcasing some skilled guitar harmonies and general ‘noodling’.
At one stage of my earlier interview with W.A.C., I was worried that they may not let me go as we were talking about ‘spooning’ and I considered, just for a split second, how I would ever escape, should they all try to get me involved in their sick, twisted love games…..luckily, we managed to wrap things up prior to the boys becoming crazed alpha male sex brutes!
I had seen a few videos of them playing live in the recent past, these did not really prepare me for their live set here in Plymouth on this Sunday evening, a school night if you will! Their sound is tight, their stage presence, immense, they are what you might call ‘the total package’, I would prefer to call them completely insane (in a good way…)
They asked the crowd who has ‘feelings’, then proceeded to launch into a lovely, laid back track all about feelings which slowly built into a behemoth of a track with fierce, stabbing guitar, James the guitarist taking a vacation into the audience to dash about wildly, launching into people, forcing them to run, arms aloft, as if Godzilla himself (or herself) had come stomping into the bar, searching for an escaped God-Zuki!
The drummer (Beu) had his left arm in a sling, this was owing to a recent fracture that he has to see a doctor about the day after this gig, he was playing one handed which I likened to the drummer from Def Leppard who had only one arm, to which they referred me to their flyer for this tour which is aptly named ‘Def Lepivores’.
If you’re up for an evening of great music, some ‘Nickelback’ thrown into a track for good measure and the chance to party after the gig with four complete psycho’s, then get yourself to one of their live shows, you'll be so glad you did, just don't mention 'spooning'....
Review by Steve Muscutt