Live Photos and Gig Review Credit: Adrian Hextall (Photographer/Live Gig reporter Myglobalmind Webzine
With the wettest winter since records began in 1910, London needs something to bring the energy, warmth and spirit that it is known for back to its fair, old, streets.
Believing they have just the right amount of magic to achieve this, Cambridge’s The Treatment arrive in town to banish the storms with a healthy dose of high energy rock and roll, ably supported by Cage the Gods and The Howling.
THE HOWLING
As is the case with a lot of London venues, Friday night is club night and doors therefore open at 6:30pm with curfew at 10. Taking to the stage earlier, barely giving the crowd time to get into the building, The Howling get around 35-40 minutes to deliver a set of punk rock n roll with an East London flavour.
They present an interesting 8 song set, mixing hard edged guitars, dance synths, loud bass and pounding drums. The band members read like the credits of a Guy Ritchie movie. We have The Rev, Chappell, Jackyboy and Grimes. To top off the mix, snarly vitriol fueled vocals come from Blacky.
During the first three songs, when the press are allowed to take photographs, the antics of the band are slightly reserved, although they appear to have their own crew in place in the pit as if waiting for something to happen. With ‘Possessed’, ‘Hole’ and ‘Panic’ out of the way, the photographers depart and then ‘Lose Control’ kicks off and so do the band. Over the course of the next 5 songs, microphones, mike stands and other assorted stage matter are deposited in the pit by Blacky as he stomps, snarls and prowls his way across the stage. The Howling’s crew earn their money dodging friendly fire and re-positioning equipment back on the stage.
Their music is a highly energized, punk fueled blast. At times they sound like Rage Against The Machine and other times they add the dance synth elements that set them aside for most other acts at the moment.
Well worth tracking down their studio material for further analysis.
The Howling are:
Blacky – lead vocals
The Rev – lead guitar / rhythm guitar / vocals
Chappell – bass guitar/ vocals / synth programming
Jackyboy – drum
Grimes – rhythm guitar
SETLIST
Possessed
Hole
Panic
Lose Control
Outsiders
Pitbull
Champion
Rock n Rolla ( ironically, a Guy Ritchie film !!!)
CAGE THE GODS
With only a short time allowed to reset the stage, we are soon greeted by Cage The Gods. Regularly seen in London either as main support (as they are tonight) or headlining smaller venues, the band have built in a short space of time a loyal following and many are here tonight judging by the reaction to their music.
Readers may recall Myglobalmind’s review of their September show supporting Pretty Maids. For those unfamiliar with their work, Cage The Gods fuse rock’n’roll culture from all corners of the UK and Ireland. The band was formed by Irish singer Peter Comerford and Scottish guitarist Jam. They added drummer Colin Jones and Welsh bassist Mitch Witham.
Their short set includes memorable track and YouTube favorite ‘Bruce Willis : My Time Is Now’ named because, according to Comerford “We decided to sync the track with explosion videos from YouTube, and Willis featured in a lot of them; so that became our working title, and it stuck.”
Cage The Gods have toured consistently since last summer, supporting The Answer and Filter to name a few. As such they deliver a tight, well oiled set, showcasing the experience they’ve built up in that time. All of the band get their moment in the spotlight with Colin Jones even coming up from behind the drum kit to coerce some audience participation. Special mention must go to Comerford though as he simply owns the stage both with vocals and his soloing.
Their style is 70s classic rock with a modem twist like a lot of up and coming bands these days. Whether they manage to succeed in such a tightly contested area remains to be seen but on tonight’s performance they’re worth betting on.
Cage The Gods are:
Vocals – Peter Comerford
Guitar – Jam
Bass – Mitch Witham
Drums – Colin Jones
SETLIST
Badlands
1000 Times
Bruce Willis
Sacrifice
From The Heart
Promises
THE TREATMENT
http://www.facebook.com/TheTreatmentOfficial
Having interviewed ‘Swoggle’ (Rick Newman) earlier in the day, it’s clear the band are energized about their biggest headlining gig to date. They burst onto the stage like enthusiastic puppies (apt when their new album is called ‘Running With a The Dogs’) and literally tear through their hour plus set.
Opening with ‘I Bleed Rock n Roll’ from the new album, it’s clear that the constant touring has honed their showmanship to near perfection. Monitors are lent on with one foot, bass and guitar licks are played with legs spread wide apart and in amongst it all, Dhani Mansworth pounds the skins for all he’s , well….. worth!
‘Drink, Fuck, Fight’ , ‘Don’t Look Down’ and ‘Get The Party On’ all follow in quick succession and the party is most definitely in full swing. When you’ve toured with KISS, Motley Crüe, Steel Panther and Airbourne you’re going to pick up a thing or two and it’s refreshing to see such a young band at the top of their game.
Their sound comes across as if they were the offspring of a union between AC/DC and The Sex Pistols. A real mix of snot nosed attitude blended perfectly with great hooks and riffs that Angus Young would be proud of.
The only breather the crowd is afforded is during the intro to The Outlaw. A short burst with church bells piped through the PA and a distinctly western feel before “The Outlaw” is growled by Matt Jones and again they steam ahead into the song. The crowd lap it all up and are clearly feeding off the energy emanating from the stage.
Jake Pattinson and Tagore Grey trade stage sides and licks whilst Dhani and Swoggle keep the pounding beat going on new tracks such as ‘Emergency’ and ‘Running With The Dogs’. The songs feel very comfortable in the set and mix neatly with fan faves such as ‘Shake The Mountain’.
Then, before we know it, our 70 minutes of mayhem is up and the band depart and the hours lights come up.
With further headline shows in Europe and Japan coming up, it would be good to see a couple of the ballads they’ve recorded being built into an extended 90 minute set. They lighter tunes show great maturity and would make for great crowd pleasers.
Great show, great set. The Treatment are set for great things. Look out for the on the festival circuit this summer.
The Treatment are:
Matt Jones – vocals
Jake Pattinson – Guitar
Tagore Grey – Guitar
Dhani Mansworth – Drums
Swoggle – Bass
SETLIST
I Bleed Rock n Roll
Drink, Fuck, Fight
Don’t Look Down
Get The Party On
She’s Too Much
I Fear Nothing
The Outlaw
Just Tell Me Why
Emergency
The Doctor
Running With The Dogs
Departed
Shake The Mountain
Nothing To Lose
Lady Of The Light
I Want Love