The last time Red Fang were in these parts they were opening for
Mastodon downstairs in the main institute. It seems that a spring spent touring
with the Georgia
The early beneficiaries of the heaving crowd are Norway Birmingham , as although
relative unknowns over here they are on to their sixth album in their homeland.
The three piece are led by bassist/vocalist Oyvind Osa, who combines nicely
with guitarist Anders Gjesti, but as they don’t actually introduce any of their
songs nothing quite sticks in the mind the way it might have done.
Sticking in the mind is exactly what Red Fang did back in the spring.
RTM saw them perform opening duties for Mastodon at the Brixton Academy and couldn’t
help but be impressed at what was essentially four beardy fellas plugging in
and playing some great heavy, Black Sabbath-inspired songs. Good job, then,
that pretty much the same thing occurs here.
Most of their songs are built on immense riffs, but occasionally they
can get extremely catchy to go with it. Second song in “Throw Up” with its “say
what you gotta say” refrain is everything that tonight’s opening act didn’t have.
If most of their set came from 2011’s stellar outing “Move The Mountains, then
the move back into their first album for “Bird on Fire” is a very successful foray
indeed. Elsewhere, “Human Remains”
sounds epic in this setting, while “Number Thirteen” and “Malverde” most echo
Mastodon.
Fang do share something else in common with their more illustrious
touring partners too, a reluctance to communicate with the audience. Frontman Bryan
Giles is not an especially charismatic man – even to the point where a new song
is played but not introduced.
However, this is a minor quibble, because this type of music, perhaps
more than any other, doesn't need to rely on charisma, more just great songs.
And beards, obviously.
Luckily, as Red Fang have proved tonight, they have both those things in
abundance.
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