What you are about to read is part gig review, part band writeup with download links. Basically, I enjoyed the show quite much and it deserves to have some words typed down about the subject, plus the fact that these bands are not so common on other blogs (especially the latter one, since they are very young), so I guess the support is appreciated.
The show was held two days ago, namely 23rd of September 2010, in a Belgrade club named "Ciklon" (translated to Cyclone). I have never been to this venue and in fact I didn't know it even existed up until the gig. Needless to say, the venue looks pretty good, a small complex bellow street level with narrow corridors and one room with a "stage", decorated in quite a cool way and a low amount of light. Also, as I look in retrospect, the venue had an amazing sound quality with a focused sound instead of being splashed around and overtly chaotic or bad, the most important thing for the gig space. Moving on, the show was due to start at 10pm, but as much as I figured the first band, "Fast As We Go Far", was running late (native band, but they are not from Belgrade), so much in fact that in the end they played second and the show actually started and ended rather late.
So by a twist of fate, "Failed Suicide Plan" played first, kicking it off at around 11pm. FSP are a quartet hailing from Erfurt, Germany. What they play is pretty hard to describe, the genres they could fit in literally changing with every tune, screamo, punk, crust, grind, hardcore. The songs usually begin with a slower pace followed by pounding speed rhythms, occasional breakdowns and chaotic crescendos. "Failed Suicide Plan" started the gig with the song "Magic Mirror" (if I remember correctly), the song opening with a sample, so it all began very calmly only to explode after a few seconds. First thing that I must say is that while now I listen to this band at home and recapitulate the gig I feel like I'm listening to two different bands. This bands recordings are great, no doubt about it, but experiencing them live is where they excel at. Just witnessing the raw power and chest beating tunes brought to their maximum is on a whole different level then listening at home, the band getting a new dimension of chaos inserted in their melodies. On top of the audio spectacle, they are very energetic while playing with constant movement during songs. And I have to say it immediately, for the duration of their act my eyes were glued onto the drum player, the man's skill is insane! Fascinating precision and speed, followed by the perfect sound of the venue, made his performance astounding. The drums are probably the most chaotic and tempo/melody shifting part of the band, being quite a back bone of it all and luckily this guy knows how to follow through the task at its best.
As I said above, "Failed Suicide Plan" started with an audio sample, which they continued to do for several other songs during their playtime. Though not featured on the actual release, these samples really added an extra something to the songs and they fit quite well. As for the mentioned release which I will post at the bottom of this post, it came out in March 2009, containing seven songs with around 23 minutes of tunes and you should definitely check it out. From the said release many songs have been played, like "Player", "Eisbär", "Fruhling"... Moving on with the show, FSP played for about half an hour or so (maybe even more, can't actually remember), also playing a bonus song since the crowd cheered for more.
After a small break and some moments setting up, "Fast As We Go Far" took the stage. Honestly, I'm not THAT much into the music they play, but I'll try and write a few words nevertheless. FAWGF are a four piece originating from Novi Sad, Serbia, playing some rad (Californian) punkrock. Before the show I only took a listen to their song "Queen of the World" (found on their myspace page here and btw "Failed Suicide Plan" myspace found here) and I liked it, but as far as other material is concerned I had no input, only after the show did I find their EP release. Their performance was superb, very energetic and very fast, with great riffs, drumming and amazing singalongs, a really flowing act where time speeds past you. Though I really enjoyed the half hour during which they played, I actually can't enjoy this at home, since as I said, I'm not very much into this kind of music. But with certainty I can say that anyone who likes this type of music will absolutely love FAWGF. If you can, definitely check them out, they are a young band with just one release under their sleeve, they need support.
Overall, this was an excellent show. The venue was excellent for this type of music, with superb sound and enough space. I'd just like to thank Marko from "Scarz of Culture" (gig org found here) for organizing the whole event. Hope you enjoyed the review!
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