Before this short run of dates the last Feed The Rhino show we saw was on the colossal main stage at Reading Festival, could they be a tad rusty after such a long break? Could they fuck!
Almightily heavy, Counting Days brandish an attack so hard hitting it’s a wonder the venue can withstand the force of the five men on stage. Spinning tunes from their debut album, ‘Liberated Sounds’ appears to make an impression with the more hardcore punk inclined crowd. Unable to turn their heads from the what can only be described as an onslaught of riffs, they showcase their brutal sound to a room more than accepting of the monstrous noise. Opening with ‘Burned By Faith’ and heading straight into the albums self-titled track is a travesty. If you were to stick this band on the Architects tour later this year they would blow minds. A perfect support slot.
Unlike the band, it takes a while for the Southampton crowd to get in the mood, warming up after a couple of songs and then BANG! They’re in the pocket of frontman Lee Tobin. As if not going off for absolute bangers; ‘The Butchers’ and ‘Caller of the Town’ wasn’t mad enough, the room is nowhere capacity. This band deserve so much more. Not dwelling on the poor show of attendance, the boys’ amp up everything, once they’re in gear there is no stopping them.
As the name suggests Feed The Rhino are somewhat of an animal in the live arena, let loose from their cage for the first time in over a year, the Kent boys are finally back. I promise there’s no more animal references, honest. Just before their hiatus the band released ‘Featherweight’, with only a handful of plays live, although you’d never know by the sound of it, it slams. Running through classic tracks in ‘Behind The Pride’ and ‘The Burning Sons’ only modestly stirs up the crowd.
Obviously saving their singing voices for ‘Tides’, everyone bellows the words “they’re not your saviour’. Always a fan favourite but tonight this song is so far ahead of anything else. Chilling moments of quiet all before the final explosion of power give the swelling crowd a break from the bite of Sam and James’ vicious guitar tone, but not for too long. Closing the set with a pair of tunes from ‘The Sorrow and the Sound’ is the perfect way to end. It’s an excellent return for the Rhino!
LEW TROTT
