Friday 6th April.
Well after last months event got cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, we are back at The Crown in Littlehampton for another LARS Promotions event night.
This evening we had 3 amazing bands on the bill and a packed venue, so the atmosphere was truly buzzing.
First up we had Ariandelle, hailing from Worthing.
This was the first time they had played Littlehampton having formed in Feb 2017 and wow! What a great opening set!
Describing themselves as prog metal/alt metal, the guys certainly had a unique sound going on .
After a little bit of banter around the mis-pronounciation of their name, their opening track 'Frosty Morning' started off with low melodic tones before exploding into a catchy riff with heavier beats and chunkier guitars. The vocals begin with a melodic tone also before taking a turn to the deeper, heavier side with a growl while the beats behind them got a bit faster paced before breaking back into the melodic tones.
Another track I enjoyed was 'Enouement' . Starting off with slow soothing guitar tones. It had a real calming feel in the beginning before the vocals kicked in over a light beat and bass riff.
The track then kicks into a heavier, punchier riff with soulful vocals before heading to a sweeping guitar solo. Definitely a track to get the crowd dancing along with the band.
Their whole set was full of energy, fun and great tunes. The band was so at ease on stage and you could see the passion they have for their music flowing through their performance.
Absolutely a band to watch and I'm looking forward to their forth coming EP.
Next up we had Aren Drift returning to a LARS Promotions event.
We last caught up with them back in Sept 2017 and what a difference those 7 months have made.
Chatting with the band during their interview, we spoke of their up coming music video and how their performance has evolved. They mentioned that they had been working hard on making their set tighter, and with new rigs to really get a more polished sound and boy, did it show in their performance this evening.
Opening up their set with their version of 'In The House In A Heartbeat', you could tell that their performing had become more fluent and tighter. The track had more depth with their own spin on it and flowed flawlessly into the next track 'Porcelain Dolls'
The track ' Passion Kills ' is a heavier track, breaking away slightly from their progressive rock sound. The vocals are fiery and passion filled, flowing over the deep heavy riff from the guitars and pounding drums, giving the track a dark twist and the crowd a chance to really let their hair down.
The whole set was absolutely blinding and the guys on stage performed effortlessly but it was clear that they were enjoying themselves just as much as the crowd were with the fantastic music and vibe.
Then the Headliners took the stage.
Bleed Again are a Brighton based 5 piece band formed in 2016.
They describe themselves as heavy metal/ metal core style and we were in for a real treat.
Kicking off their set with a chunky guitar riff and underlying, thrumming drum beat, that slowly built up with the vocals before exploding in a fast paced frenzy of screaming vocals, heavy yet melodic guitar riffs and a driving beat.
The track 'Only We Can Save Us' definitely swept the crowd into moshing with them straight away, what a way to begin a set!
The set continued to keep that fast paced energy flowing from one track to the next almost seemlessley with a bit of banter in between and even testing out a brand new track with no name on the crowd too.
Starting off with a melodic guitar solo before kicking in with a heavier beat and more explosive vocals, it then comes back to that melodic guitar riff with soulful vocals over the deeper growls from the lead singer before an epic guitar solo hits.
It absolutely was a crowd pleaser, I don't think there was a person stood still in the whole venue for that one.
Slowing the pace down with a more mellow track, 'Legacy' starts off with a piano intro in the background before the passionate yet slightly haunting vocals come in giving way to a soothing guitar lullaby riff. Then deeper growling vocals that come in over the top give the track another dynamic making it seem more passion filled.
It truly was an epic track to listen too, combining the mellow sound with heavier, darker vibes.
The whole set was definitely a killer set, the guys energy on stage was relentless and infectious as they continued to engage the crowd track after track. If you get the chance to catch these guys live, I highly recommend it , you won't be disappointed!
So at the end of the evening, the pub felt alive with the energy that the bands had created and I can definitely say I was well and truly rocked out!
Thanks to LARS Promotions for another fantastic event,
Thanks to The Crown for hosting us,
Thanks to Crimson Craft Audio for equipment hire,
Massive thanks to all the bands for an absolutely, rock your socks off event,
And thanks to Metal Meyhem Radio for allowing me the pleasure of chatting to these amazing people and to write this blog.
Keep Rockin',
Squirrel x