July’s third Thursday saw Botswanan death dealers Overthrust make their London debut, not at the Underworld, Downstairs at the Dome, Black Heart, or even Helgi’s but, instead, at a tucked-away, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it venue down the side roads of Brixton named Club Cheek. In any case, having helped finance the tour by way of Kickstarter, I was determined to put in an appearance.
The bill proved similarly unusual, being comprised of some decidedly non-metal acts, albeit one fronted and named for a luminary in the halls of headbanging. On reflection, it’s the kind of bill that seems as if it was cobbled together to garner the maximum “woke” cred, but given the acts showcased were at worst interesting, it’s neither here nor there.
First to take to the stage was W.H.Y, a one-woman act sharing a series spoken-word pieces under a sonic cloud of electronic distortion. Pretty much the kind of thing that wouldn’t be out of place on a Black Occult Fest bill, at least if one disregarded the politics, which going by the content of these spoken pieces, appear to be be far left of (as well front and) centre. ‘Girls’, for example, is a convo with late feminist mouthpiece Audre Lorde (who coined the term the artist adopted as their moniker), and ‘Them Child’ details the perils and struggles of being an enby (i.e., an individual identifying as non-binary). I enjoyed it quite a bit, despite myself, finding the soundscapes well crafted and immersive and the writing sufficiently punchy and fluent to that end. Rather annoying that I can’t seem to find a trace of the artist online, however.
Next up, came another industrial project, headed by and named for none other than Sepultura co-founder and OG sticksman Iggor Cavalera. When I originally saw his name on the bill, I expected something along the line of a percussion-heavy solo project, so I was surprised to see, after W.H.Y, another soundboard ‘n’ samples set. Still, the presence of an esteemed metal icon at its helm served as a masterful bridge between both worlds and sets, in the latter case building on what preceded and hinting at what would yet come, whether the night’s organisers intended that or not. Cavalera’s contribution carried a pleasing abrasion, his choice of samples adding up to a captivatingly confrontational collage. All that said, he did end the set with his trademark drumming, ultimately throwing a bone to fans of his older work (including, presumably, the main act, who I’d first seen posing for pics with him earlier). A set so good, I had to go shake the man’s hand.
Overthrust themselves got off to something of a clunky start, with technical difficulties and a “rehearsal” rendition of ‘Fallen Witches’, seemingly their most recognisable (and definitely most repeated) track, undermining the rather impressive introductory speech given by their UK wrestler mate, Carlos Chaotico. Nevertheless, once the Botswanan “death-metal cowboys” finally got going, nothing could stop their momentum, igniting moshpits in the audience with chunky, belligerent riff monsters like ‘Infected by Myth’, ‘Foetus Initiation’, ‘Kill the Bastard’, and their theme tune ‘Overthrust Death Metal’.
In between all the riffage and growling about curses, witches, genital mutilation, death, and the like, frontwoman Vulture Thrust proved to be a rather gracious and genial presence, repeatedly thanking and encouraging the audience for their enthusiasm and support.
However, my night’s enjoyment was undermined by the lack of a CD to take home with me (they’d sold out at the Brighton show the night before) and, in an even more maddening vein, the inexplicable lack of sound on my recordings of the band’s set. Especially aggravating given that my clips of the support sets had recorded just fine. Clearly, the night’s witchery had extended beyond the Thrust’s lyrics! Here’s hoping similar juju will not strike upon the band’s hopefully not too distant return to these shores.
~MRDA~
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