Max Raptor Shine In The Show Where Everything Went Wrong
Punk Rock outfit Max Raptor’s hometown show at The Tower Brewery, Burton-on-Trent, seemed like a brilliant idea, and everything was going so smoothly for the majority of the night, until catastrophe struck during the main set…
Sheffield’s Elegies, clearly stoked to be performing in an actual brewery, cruise effortlessly through a strong opening set of dirty, yet melodic rock tunes, with a can-do attitude that suggests they should be bigger they are. This also marks the first time I’ve ever seen a vocalist in a hardcore band do a moonwalk in exchange for audience participation – a bold move that has only worked in their favour.
Brawlers is the name I’ve seen pop up quite a lot this year, but I’ve never managed to catch them. Watching them cause a ruckus in The Tower Brewery made it clear that missing them all these times was a serious mistake. The hype that’s been floating around amongst punk fans is very real when it comes to Brawlers.
Fast, loud and oozing with energy, the Leeds quartet are a welcome follow-up from Yearbook and act as the perfect opener for Max Raptor. Harry on vocals is a wonderfully weird figure, completely engaging to watch, whilst Ant on bass is as giddy as a young child on Christmas day. A wonderful show, and they play so hard that the night’s headliners have some serious work to do to top it.
Anticipation is high and Max Raptor eventually hit the stage, kicking off with Back of a Barrel Wave and Evangeline, both from 2013’s ‘Mother’s Ruin’, to a surprisingly motionless crowd, which can be attributed to the main flaw of the venue. The Tower Brewery, although a lovely and quirky venue, made the mistake of not having plastic cups, so all drinks, be it wine, beer or water, were all served in glass pints, and drunk people are unfortunately stupid enough to take those pints to the front of the stage, where they were inevitably dropped and smashed from the get-go, meaning glass hazards were a genuine concern for the night, especially in the face of a band as mosh-happy as Max Raptor.
Luckily, there was one gig goer who was so off his face (the same person who received a swift exorcism during “Breakers”) that he fell straight into the hazard and acted as somewhat of a mop for the glass, sweeping the majority into the cracks.
Frontman Wil Ray is clearly unhappy with any crowd who stands still during his shows, and made quick work of jumping down and giving everyone the ‘kickstart’ that they needed.
This hometown show is part of the band’s UK stint in support of their recent EP, ‘Damage Appreciation’ and served as a chance to showcase 3 of its 4 songs – “Blue on Red”, “Damage Appreciation” and “Population”. “Population” is easily my favourite – it’s the epitome of a British Punk Rock anthem, but unfortunately the live performance was ruined by that fight everyone knew was going to happen between the rapey guy coked out of his mind and the innocent bystander trying to enjoy the show.
But that wasn’t the worst thing that happened during this incredibly eventful 50-minute performance. Aside from the guy who tried to jump off the balcony to a possible death, the nightmare scenario arrived just before the first chorus of “Patron Saint (Of Nothing)”, where a power failure knocked out all the bands equipment; a power failure that wasn’t resolved for 25 minutes. Quick thinking on Wil’s part had the entire crowd sing this first chorus – the moment of calm in the storm of bullshit that plagued this final performance of 2015. Alas, this 25 minute break gave what was an overly friendly and ultimately positive crowd time to chat and make new friends – the ideal situation considering everything that happened.
The final four songs of the set surprisingly went on with no unwelcome interruptions, and as Wil Ray utters “We’re going to keep doing these [Brewery] shows every year, again and again, until we’re dead”, it’s clear that the band have loved every moment of this show, no matter how dark things may have seemed. Fingers crossed we don’t have a repeat of this during their next tour in February!
COMMENTS
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Good call on the plastic glasses. :)
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Elegies and Brawlers both excellent supports, despite the Brawlers front man narrowly missing my head with a roll of tape - smashing the glasses on the table behind me!
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Was at the Christmas show their last year, I think the real pint glasses help make the place what it is myself. A bit of destruction is always fun right?
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Sounds like a NIGHTMARE
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Sounds like a NIGHTMARE
