Mevadio

support Billy Boy In Poison
author AP date 13/03/08 venue Stengade 30, Copenhagen, DEN

I missed an important test to fly back to Denmark one day in advance in order to catch this gig, but as I ascend the steps to the upstairs bar area of Stengade 30, I start to have a bad feeling about it already. The silence is eerie and aside the staff, we seem to be the only people here. Fortunately our arrival is celebrated by the DJ who immediately rocks out with some Darkest Hour and The Dillinger Escape Plan. "I sure as hell hope more people show up", I catch myself thinking. As the clock nears ten, a small amount of hustle and bustle begins downstairs but it's still appallingly quiet for a night of metal. I guess it's one of the downsides of the tiny Danish metal scene.

Billy Boy In Poison

Billy Boy in Poison, the supporting act, mans the stage without delay to an almost empty venue. The bad feeling that's been bugging me all night intensifies, remembering how intense the band's gig at Lades Kælder last year was. Granted, that show had a turn out of about ten, but at least they were into it. The people around me seem uninterested and unimpressed. Perhaps they're just here to see Mevadio? The band launches into their set of high energy metalcore with enthusiasm and passion that fails to reflect in the crowd almost entirely - a few heads are banging and a few feet are tapping the ground. This kind of reception is simply disgraceful. The band is here to play for us, and we're here to see the band, so shouldn't some kind of response be in order?

Björn roars his vocals with passionate devotion while Troels and Mikkel - in response to the crowd's distance from the stage - eject themselves from stage and infiltrate the audience, scaling their fretboards with admirable precision. Unfortunately the sound tonight has something against the band, and the result is, as cruel and demeaning as it may sound, a muddy mess. So much that when Alex's guitar suddenly unplugs it makes little difference. It's obvious from Billy Boy in Poison's performance that this is a young band whose merit cannot be solely measured by the intensity (or lack thereof) of their stage show. After all, some of their songs are so new they've barely had time to rehearse them.

A chat with the band after the show reveals to me that the band has inked a deal with Jacob Hansen to produce their upcoming EP, which only confirms my belief in this band's potential. What a shame it is then to have such promise exterminated by a lackluster audience and an even more disappointing sound. In any case, my perception of this band goes unaltered and the least I can do is to reward thumbs up for the sheer energy this band puts into their show. Better sound next time.

6

Mevadio

Now, Mevadio marches on stage with such confidence it's hard to take seriously. But judging from our interview with the band some months ago, that's precisely what Mevadio is all about - confidence. Unfortunately the band does little to differentiate itself from the stigma of Danish metal, that cursed blend of industrial and heavy, and even with the band's recent sophomore effort "Fresh Kill Daily", tonight's material is hardly eclectic. But at least it's clear that Mevadio's members are in their element on stage, smiling and just generally enjoying themselves.

Attitude is something Mevadio does not lack, and this is to their great merit. They simply project this "we don't give a fuck if you don't like our stuff" mentality into the crowd and it almost seems like they play their set like an enthusiastic rehearsal, rather than submitting to a bored-looking audience and losing interest. Again, however, the sound quality is sub par. It's just not a good night for live music at Stengade 30 today, it seems. Personally I've only seen Mevadio live once, in support of Hatesphere in 2005, so like with Billy Boy in Poison, I haven't much to compare tonight's show to. The band puts on a decent gig albeit the atrocious sound, and it's a shame the crowd enjoys it about as much as I enjoy conversing with a rock.

5

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