2/21/2023 0 Comments Facebar reading![]() ![]() ![]() Whilst this is a relatively new line up, they’re a band who have rightly established a great reputation for their live shows. It’s a credit to the audience that despite it being a long day they are clearly well up for the final band of the day, Gypsy Pistoleros. Also, with “Heartbreakers Don’t Try” they hit power pop perfection and have a song that in any reality should be a massive hit! The Digressions certainly threw down the gauntlet to the other acts that were still to follow. Songs like “Beneath Nostalgia and Heartbreak” have a depth and heart that many rock bands struggle to achieve. They’re a big band with a huge sound and the first act that really had us thinking that in another time/another reality they’d be playing arenas not clubs. They effortlessly skip between a punk rock and power pop sound that recalls masterful bands like D’generation, The Exploding Hearts or The Star Spangles. This was a set that really demonstrated the band’s ability to play the style of music we really love. Long time readers will know that we are big fans of the various outfits that Rich Ragany has fronted and his most recent release with this band was pretty special. Benjamin Black is a live wire bundle of energy, bouncing around the stage like he’s possessed during the Tech fueled riffage while his beautiful clean vocals are simply masterful.That set us up rather nicely for the band we were probably most looking forward to seeing, Rich Ragany and the Digressions. This time around, they play a longer set both harder and faster than we’ve previously witnessed and the beefed up aggression in their sound goes down very well. Last time we saw Faces of Eve was at this summer’s incarnation of UK Tech-Fest, where we joined them for shits of Fireball Whiskey after their set on the stage of the same name. Songs like “Conscience Cleared” are high energy fun with a decent amount of both chug and uncleans to balance out some of the more melodic touches. Leeds Melodic Metalcore meets Hardcore 5 piece Values are over joyed to be in Reading tonight with frontman Baker constantly all smiles as he dances around the stage and brings between songs banter as well as a heart warming speech about Mental Health. The Brighton quartet have played Bloodstock and Mammoth Fest in the past couple of years and the experience shows. Rich in clean vocals it’s when the uncleans from their 5 string bassist come in that the melody gets lifted into heavier territory. Tales Of Autumn are a band in the mould of The Raven Age and come across as being influenced by the likes of Iron Maiden. The likes of upcoming single “Search For Life” and “Hard Place” set the tone and by the end the whole band are on their knees. Vocalist Al Bristow becomes a schizophrenic sweaty mess as he rants and raves, wondering the stage and the floor and even utilizing a ladder to reach the famed Facebar Disco Ball during a high energy set of early Deftones esq material. Weaponry are a live force to be reckoned with and as they approach their 30th show together this year leave it all on the stage. It’s a fancinating style with some hints at Godflesh and Ministry and some seriously brutal live vocals. The other looks like he’s in Between The Buried And Me running a cable and playing tight and controlled. The dudes could not be more physically or stylistically different, with one playing loose and fast while looking like he belongs in Raging Speedhorn and using a wireless pack. Jumpman are a Nintendocore duo of guitarists and a laptop who include in their set a Zelda song reworked in full on Metal style. The Facebar in Reading is where it’s at and it should need no introductions so without further ado and on a prayer that at least one of the bands makes the really obvious 36 Crazyfists pun, it’s time… We’ve promoted this show, the last of the Weaponry August run and the middle one of trio of co-headlining shows for Faces of Eve and Values about as much as we could have in advance of tonight. ![]()
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