Despite the evening’s cold and wet nature, an army of denim wearing, tattooed women and men rammed the doors of Howler to see local sludge punk trio Batpiss launch their new album Biomass.
People who dripped in early to see The Electric Guitars were blasted by the band’s loud and powerful sound. By the end of the show they had the attention of the whole room with their supersonic garage tunes, reminiscent of Jay Reatard under the influence of LSD. Local veterans Deep Heat were next to hit the stage. The personal highlight of their set of Wipers-meets-Sonic Youth sounding classics was watching drummer Katie Harrigan slaying it behind the tubs, not missing a beat and nailing every fill. Main support was filled by Deaf Wish, whose presence on the bill was not only a rarity but also an honour to witness. It’s great to see this band still kicking arse so far into their career, which has seen them complete a number of international tours and release music through highly esteemed US label Sub Pop.
By now, the room was packed full of adoring fans and a Chinese whisper suggested tonight was going to be a Batpiss show like no other. When they hit the stage, visual projections illuminated the band and the screen behind the stage, displaying the new album’s artwork being animated. Not a single eye in the room was cast anywhere but the stage as the band performed tracks from Biomass and their cherished first record Nuclear Winter.
The crowd were in awe as Thomy Sloane’s bass blasted out of its cabinet like a freight train carrying explosives into the firey pits of hell. The show progressively got more chaotic, peaking with final song Loose Screws, which drove many audience members to jump from the stage it as if it were a tall building, and compelled the two stars of the song’s film clip into a homosexual embrace live on stage. What a glorious moment it was.
BY YUKON FUCOV
Loved: Thomy Sloane’s bass.
Hated: D-bag bouncers.
Drank: All night.
