It was one of those moments when a band name stands out and grabs your attention that got me interested in this gig, and with a name like Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister it’s easy to understand why.

Hailing from Newcastle and titled after the un-named character in Joseph Heller’s classic Catch 22, Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister provide a rather menacing sonic approach to their music. They incorporate doom laden elements heard by the likes of stoner giants Sleep with often Thom Yorke style vocal melodies, throwing in eerie samples that sound as if they’ve been recorded in the back room of an old, sordid bar. Visually as ominous as their music, smeared black paint resides on the faces of every member, with shorts and white vests being the garments of choice.

Listing their interests as “Getting fucked up and playing loud, blunts and the occult” it appears that this band have little interest in mainstream commercialism, and are more interested in assaulting the senses.

Main support comes from post-rock instrumentalists thedealwasforthediamond, who consistently leave me mesmerised after their performances. Think Tool mixed with Russian Circles and a whole lot of ambience. Post-metal outfit Plague Sermon also join the bill providing apocalyptic soundscapes and heavy guitar riffage. Last but certainly not least on the line-up are A Hundred Black Kites, a two piece ambient doom band who make up for their lack of members with a huge wall of sound.

Love Thy Neighbour hosts the event on Thursday the 11^th of October and tickets are available from Resident records. Get your earplugs ready, as I have a feeling this is going to be a noisy one.

Liam McMillan

Two things that grabbed my attention prior to this gig were headline act Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister’s band name, and the excellent line-up of bands preceding them. With support coming from ambient doom duo ‘A Hundred Black Kites’, heavy stoner riffing ‘Plague Sermon’ and groovy instrumentalists ‘thedealwasforthediamond,’ I was excited to subject my ears to some loud guitar carnage. Local promoters Love Thy Neighbour hosted yet another great ear bashing evening, this time at Sticky Mikes Frog Bar.

Upon first inspection, you wouldn’t quite believe that the masked pair A Hundred Black Kites would be able to be so earth shatteringly loud. You would most certainly be wrong, and with three amps for one guitarist (one of which being a bass amp), it’s understandable. Entering the stage looking like something out of a Rob Zombie film, they are a wash of samples, tight beats and ambient guitar, building up into an epic, distorted, instrumental climax. These two are cleverly captivating and heavy in all the right places.

The tattooed head of Plague Sermon’s front man and guitarist caught my eyes just before their big riffs hit my ears, mixing atmospheric desert session sensations with Sleep like stoner heaviness. The vocal screams compliment the hard hitting grooves of the rhythm section, whilst the screaming feedback between riffs creates a brooding sense of apocalyptical demise. The loud guitar theme for the night undeniably continued forth.

Once more I am lucky enough to catch a set from instrumental post-rock curators’ thedealwasforthediamond, and once more I am not disappointed. Providing grooves reminiscent of Tool, they seamlessly intertwine time signatures together to create a manically powerful noise (despite Eldge struggling with a dying drum stool). Ethereal effects, created by the mother ship like pedal boards on stage, give the songs space before the onslaught of guitars recommence. The band imparts all the heavy musings of such bands as Russian Circles and Pelican but with a more progressive, enveloping soundscape.

Last but not least, Nately’s Whore’s Kid Sister embarks with their faces bound in stockings, as if ready to rob a local liquor store. Procuring their name from classic novel Catch 22, they have an interesting artistic approach, matching slow crunchy guitars with an irrefutably ominous presence. The additional percussionist and guitarist marches around the stage, drunk with intent, smacking his upturned bass drum, and whilst being heavy there is a Radiohead like quality to the music that makes it more intriguing and intelligent. Reverberated guitar drones spill out through the room, separating the light from the dark, generating spacious ambiguity in the likes of Deftones. The destruction of the extra kit signifies the end of the set, leaving the audience to collect their thoughts on what just happened.

Off balance from the sonic assault (and quite possibly by the more than a few Dark Stars consumed during the night) I wobbled off to gather my thoughts, although I wouldn’t find them until the next morning. Expect more good things from Love Thy Neighbour, and all bands that featured in the near future.

Liam McMillan