Live Review: Sugar Horse, Dawnwalker and Vandampire | 229, London | 20/10/21
Off the back of their genre concocting debut LP release The Live Long After Sugar Horse hit the road to perform their eclectic mix of misery and musicianship. Ending the trail of bleakness in their wake with their second London set in as many months at 229, a venue that is seeing an increasing number of stellar tours grace their stage.
Vandampire
London trio Vandampire open the evening playing an array of tracks from their two EPs. A jittery set at points unfortunately marred by brief technical difficulties and a nervy start. However this does not take away from the potential of the band. Distinct nods to the likes Russian Circles, their post-metal stylings in tracks such as ‘The End of Summer’ certainly have a great aim and direction with deep resonant riffage. Guitarist/vocalist Matt’s vocal delivery is thereabouts too in his vocal cord rattling screams.
With their quieter moments however during the likes of ‘Freak Show Sideshow At The Shit-Show’ (a very Sugar Horse-esque song title coincidentally) they do loose a bit of their momentum. It does feel like there could be more to these more open moments to grip an onlooker. All round a solid set to kick off the evening though and hopefully we can see more from Vandampire in future.
Score: 7/10
Dawnwalker
Fellow Londoners Dawnwalker are next to bring their post-metal ambience. After releasing their fourth full length Ages at the end of 2020 to nothing but acclaim, their return came with some lofty expectations.
Again, after a stuttering start to their set due to broken strings and switching guitars their set unfortunately never seemed to kick on from this. Of course, such hitches are expected in an environment such as this, but as the group delve shakily into content from the aforementioned Ages, a recovery isn’t completely successful. Sadly, as a result, their rumbling, thunderous post-metal soundscapes and nordic ethereal aura mostly fails to materialise and for the majority of their set the 229 lacks what should have been a heavy and intricate atmosphere.
On a positive note though there are moments of potency in their heavier parts of their prolonged epics that bring the band into closer harmony – a harmony that hopefully they can reproduce from record to stage in future. It’s a more-so a shame than anything else; Dawnwalker are clearly more than capable of producing the greatness found in Ages in a live setting, but tonight just seems to be, put simply, an off night.
Score: 5/10
Sugar Horse
Making it to London thanks to the RAC and a broken van, Sugar Horse were ready to wrap up their short sprawl across the UK and get back home to Bristol. But first their ear drum bursting stamp needed to be planted on the capital. Opening with ‘Southing Judas At Bob Dylan’ was a more than apt way of filling the room the notes of dread. The sway of heads to the huge riff and ebb and flow of this song sets the tone for the next hour.
Not letting up Ash shouts his way through ‘Slam Dancing in a Burning Building’. All four bodies on stage producing a cacophony of decibels. Martin’s drumming is simple but thunderous as ever, alongside the band’s backline which they’ve travelled with, critical to their racket, bursts into metaphorical flames as the slowing pace grafts out swaying headbangs from the audience.
‘Phil Spector in Hell’ is replicated as beautifully as it was recorded gives the room breathing space and a reminder that the quartet are not to be pigeonholed into finite genres. The band clearly want to display every trick they have up various sleeves by following up with post-hardcore leaning and vastly shorter track ‘Fat Dracula’. A willing headache inducing sound emanating from all angles.
Pummelling the audience further with tracks from across their releases they aptly finish up with album closer ‘…A Las Vegas Showgirl’. A nine plus minute swirling journey through their song writing prowess. Leaving on an ever-quietening rhythm section, the last hour has vanished.
Sugar Horse, are engrossing to witness. Altering states of sound drawing people in and rightfully garnering more support all the way back to Bristol. The night finishes with a morale dampening downpour outside. Not saying Sugar Horse somehow summoned this, but we would not be surprised.
The live long after? More like, Long Live Sugar Horse.
Score: 9/10