The last Sunday and Monday of July showcased something of a special event: American tea-metal merchants Night Demon playing two intimate shows across two successive nights. I was intrigued by this as both of these venues—Helgi’s and the Cart and Horses, especially the latter—are not too far from home, the latter being a mere bus ride away. There was also the factor of the band leaving a strong positive impression on me when I saw them support Cirith Ungol on their farewell tour last year (Night Demon frontman Jarvis Leatherby being a regular fixture on bass in both bands). Naturally, I was sold.
Support was amply handled on both nights by plucky Southampton act Toledo Steel, who treated the assembled audiences to their own brand of NWOBHM-inspired melodies. Playing the same set both nights, they left a strong, energetic impression with numbers such as ‘Speed Killer’, ‘In the Line of Fire’, ‘Inside the Arena’, and their set-capping self-titled theme tune. They even knocked out a robust cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Children of the Grave’ on the first night, in memory of the five-days-deceased Ozzy Osbourne. Stellar performances both nights, with the second might edging ahead just a mite in terms of vigour.
The main act also performed admirably across both nights, despite Jarvis having to make do with a less-than-optimal bass for the majority of the first show. The turnout at Helgi’s was graced with a playthrough of their latest album, Outsider, the sterling title track kicking off proceedings in style, and the Cart and Horses clientele saw Darkness Rising, their first album, receive similar treatment. On top of that, both sets had a post-playthrough selection of songs from elsewhere in their discography.
On a performance level, Jarvis, guitarist Armand John Anthony, and sticksman Brian Wilson sung and played a belter, the former two really amping up the dynamism for their Cart & Horses set given the extra space afforded them there.
On a discography level, however, this two-night takeover, whilst enjoyable, convinced me that Night Demon are, for me, palette better served curated, with standout songs being scattered across the catalogue rather than any particular album standing out as more killer than filler. As such, I think I most enjoyed the post-playthrough selection of songs better, at least in regard to the Helgi’s set. Bangers like ‘Dawn Rider’, ‘The Chalice’ (with another welcome stage appearance by band mascot and Reaper impersonator Rocky), and the band’s cover of ‘Black Sabbath’, appropriately deployed to mark Ozzy’s passing, reminded me why this takeover was such an attractive prospect for me. (Aptly, given the venue’s standing as “the birthplace of Iron Maiden”, the band covered ‘Killers’ for the Cart & Horses set.)
Maybe repeated listens of the albums will shift the needle for me later down the line. As things stand, however, Night Demon are more potent for me in a single finely tuned dose rather than a more indulgent double helping.
~MRDA~
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