An extra special night here at The Crown in Littlehampton...It's a birthday party and at special request of the birthday girl we have a one time only performance of an original local band coming out of retirement after 3 and half years, Doctrine Of Complicity, D.O.C for short. Combine that with the mighty pompey punks; 5 Go Mad, the awesome local Grunge band Small Town Silence, the sound system we hired in from a local company, Crimson Craft was kicking out Metal Meyhem Radio's tunes, we're in for one hell of an epic night of rock.
Starting the show was 5 Go Mad, well 4 go mad technically as unfortunately they were a guitarist down however it made no difference to their energetic, no holds barred performance. Kicking straight in with the fast paced track 'Jim's Teeth' they certainly made their presence known. The passionate vocals and catchy guitar riffs with the pounding beats from the drums and bass had the pub jumping with them, and even I was treated to a dance with the vocalist while he was joining in with the crowd - Priviliged ;).
They also treated us to a new track ' Frotter ', true story about when ladies go out to a gig. Another catchy, upbeat, true punk track you just can't help join in with the chorus on this one, with the punchy beats and belting lyrics. These guys have been gigging like, well... mad, since we last caught up with them and even have played a few punk festivals including getting themselves on a charity compilation CD called Top of the Punks for the MIND charity. Another fantastic set from these fabulous punks.
Next up we had local grungers Small Town Silence. Kicking off their set with their usual passionate, energetic brand of rock, the guys had a blast on stage and entertained the crowd massively, although I'm sure part of that enthusiasm was from seeing the guitarist in a very fetching alice dress... Playing some of their well known tracks like the breaking bad/meth tribute ' Mr White ' a very grungy, melodic riff track with that soulful voice of the lead singer and driving drums and bass riffs , and that sweeping lead solo... fantastic track.
'On Your Back' an upbeat track with catchy riffs, a funky, toe tapping beat and lyrics that you want to sing along with. And of course to go with the guitarists outfit , ' Your Own Wonderland ' delving into those grunge/ rock tones with that driving drum beat, chunky guitar riff and soulful lyrics and harmonies. The guys definitely rocked the pub with their fun style and amazing set.
And sadly this gig turned out to be their last as we found out a few days later, they were unable to perform their scheduled last gig the next day. The band are taking a hiatus due to personal reasons but their ep is still available contact them on facebook or individually.
We were well and truly geared up for the headline act Doctrine of Complicity. Taking the stage for the first time in 3 and a half years, it truly was a performance not to missed. The bands passion and enthusiasm on stage was amazing, I felt catapulted back in time to when I originally attended their gigs.
Performing songs from the album Circus Of The Gods Act 1 plus more, the guys absolutely rocked the establishment. The track ' Lost ' starts off with a driving bass riff with the melodic guitar following behind with the drum beat before the haunting lyrics kick in. The track then starts to build up into a deeper, darker sound with whispered lyrics over a heavier guitar riff before exploding into a chunky, pounding riff with the vocalists growling voice. The sweeping guitar solo then comes in over the bass and drums before going back into the frenzy of the main riff. A real headbanger of a track.
The band also enlisted the help of the birthday girl herself to sing on the track 'Valium Angel' A melodic guitar kicks off this track briefly before launching into a heavy, fast paced beat with screaming vocals. The haunting lyrics from the female lead kick in over a melodic yet heavy riff before the explosive vocals of the guitarist join in with that pounding bass and drum beat behind them. A haunting yet sweeping solo comes in before the vocals kick back in bringing the track to a close.
Of course no D.O.C gig would be complete without the track ' Freak Out ' With calls to "release the bovine" the few members of the original D.O.C Extreme (the fans that survived various gigs/mosh pits) that were in attendance including The Reverend, unleashed a mosh pit in whatever space they could claim. The track itself is a high energy, heavy, bonkers track with a catchy riff, thrashing drums, a chunky bass riff and screaming lyrics. Mosh pit worthy indeed! The whole set was a blast with plenty of banter from the band, It definitely was a party to remember and a fitting final act.
So when we were all moshed out and kicking back to Metal Meyhem Radio's tunes, I was truly rocked out and enjoying the awesome vibes from the crowd after such a metalicious night.
Thanks to the LARS and the birthday girl Dominque for a fantastic line up of bands, Thanks to Crimson Craft Audio for their amazing sound equipment, Thanks to The Crown for hosting us, Thanks to the bands for such a rockin' night, And Thanks to Metal Meyhem Radio for allowing me to interview these amazing people and write this blog.
Rock on!
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Siobhan Trigg x
This Article was writen by Siobhan Tigg from our partner Metal Meyhem Radio.
The original article can be found here. Article ©Metal Meyhem Radio 2017.