The arrival of my friends and me to Prague was welcomed by raindrops and some pretty dark weather. That very day, namely 21 July, I realized that instead of going to the actual pre-Fluff gig in Rokycany we will see "Anchor" play in Prague. To be completely honest, I was excited for both gigs in the same amount since the bands playing on those gigs were completely unknown to me. Of course, I have heard of "Anchor" before, but never actually took a listen to them and this gig came as a great way to correct that mistake. Due to the fact that I haven't listened to a single band prior to this gig, expect this review to be a short one since I'm relying on only a vague memory of what happened, despite the amount of fun I had on the concert.
So as I mentioned above, the show took place on 21 July 2011 in "Cafe Na Pul Cesty", Prague. Literally everything about that venue is amazing, from location and design to the very sound it managed to provide. The cafe is located in a park of sorts quite near the train station, so we needed no more then ten minutes to find the place. It is a small and enjoyable structure, with only a single floor and a longish porch surrounding it. Inside there are a couple of tables and a bar, while the walls are covered with big windows so everything is quite light filled. Well, as much light as it could be mustered from the brooding weather outside. Speaking of the weather, I heard that this was supposed to be an open air show, the band playing on the porch outside the venue, but sadly the climate sabotaged that idea. The dude who organized the gig expressed his concern about whether everyone will manage to get into the cafe due to its size and the number of expected people. It turned out to be quite great, the venue fully packed and a lot of people hanging outside, having fun despite the rain and constantly circulating through the cafe and the porch.
In any case, we arrived way to early, so some tea/coffee/non-alcoholic bear later the show started, "No Guts No Glory" producing the first live music sounds that day. The five piece melodic hardcore/punk band from France managed to provide an outstanding performance and completely grasp my attention. Their set was fast and explosive, the songs just speeding through the venue with their catchy melodies and great singalongs. I remember my head constantly swinging back and forth, since the tunes really send an impulse toward you to keep constantly moving and dancing. Even now as I listen to their recordings at home the wish to just surrender yourself to the sound is present. It saddens me thought that I can't recall which songs were played, so their part of the review must rely on these few words in order to get your attention and influence you to take a listen to "No Guts No Glory". You can get in touch with the band on their myspace page found here.
Following them, "Col-lapse" played. The outfit from Barcelona is composed of ex members of "Cinder", meaning they are bound to be heard about before. Their performance I didn't follow visually, since we decided to spend some time in front of the venue, catching some fresh air and getting a bit wet from the persistent rain. The cool thing was that the music could be perfectly heard even outside, giving me a chance to at least enjoy the audio manifestation of the band. Also found in the melodic hardcore/punk waters, "Col-lapse" could be easily compared to the first playing band, being a sort of rougher version of "No Guts No Glory". Maybe a stupid comparison, since I spend a low amount of time in that specific genre, so to save my reviewer reputation I will mention that "Col-lapse" has been compared to bands such as "Embrace" and "Dag Nasty", by others at least. In any case, I enjoyed their sound and they are definitely worth a listen, which you can do on their bandcamp page here.
After "Col-lapse", "No Omega" hit the venue. And when I say hit the venue, I mean completely devastate and annihilate. Following those melodic tunes produced by the previous two bands, the monster that is "No Omega" fell heavy on the audience with their thundering and massive sound which went perfectly with the dark climate hovering over Prague. The quartet hailing from Sweden managed to absolutely blow me away with their music, walking on the line between an immensely depressive form of hardcore, post metal and at times even crust. This combination of genres provided an excellent live experience since you get to be utterly slowed down by some sluggish, almost sludge, tones and in the next second you are faced with an extremely fast, beating and trampling tone. "Ravens Fair" and "The Design" are definitely signature songs for this band since they show you exactly what this band is capable of. Be sure not to miss out on this project, absolutely worth keeping an eye out for. Check them out on their myspace page here and their facebook page here.
"Stay Hungry" was up next, yet we decided not to stay hungry and go outside to grab something to eat. Whilst nomming and filling our bellies with some vegan food, the band played inside. Yet another project coming from Sweden, "Stay Hungry" brought with them the sounds of straight edge hardcore. Sad to say that this band caught the least amount of attention from yours truly, simply because I never enjoyed this type of music. This doesn't mean they aren't good of course, since as much as I saw they managed to make the crowd go wild with a lot of dancing, stage diving and everything in between.
Last, but definitely not least, "Anchor" took the stage and succeeded in punching me in the face for not listening to them earlier. From the second their set started and all up until the very end and final tone, "Anchor" sent so much energy and power throughout the venue, making the audience go completely nuts. Stage diving, moshing, dancing, singalongs and an overall positive vibe pulsing through the cafe during their performance. I was standing way back in the gig space and had an excellent view of everything going on, a real sight to behold. It was funny how I was standing back there and thinking about how I want to go climb up at the bar and stage dive from there. The very second I decided to do that, one girl got up and jumped in the same fashion I imagined and actually almost slipping on some drink on the bar. This made me laugh so much that I actually forgot to do it later. In any case, "Anchor" were just relentless with the amount of amazing tunes and pure passion they radiated toward the people in the venue, their performance being quite a surprise and a huge highlight of the entire gig, in the end leaving me with a wish to go say hi to some of the members and grabbing a piece of their merch. If you made the same mistake as I did, definitely check them out and don't let them slip from your ears. They will be touring with "Trial" and "Run With The Hunted" over Europe in a few months, so try to grab them if you can. Check out "Anchor" on their bandcamp page found here.
Overall, an extremely fun gig with great people and atmosphere, featuring some pretty interesting and inspiring bands. Stay tuned for more reports from my trips, gonna write more in a day or two.
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