LINE-UP:Yashin
Your Chariot Awaits
Beyond A Traitor's Reason
LINKS:
Official Website
Official MySpace
RATING: 7/10
A very underground band in their circuit, it seems more than fitting that Yashin are playing at a club called The Underground in Stoke. The Scottish boys may only have two EPs worth of material to work with and a new album on the horizon, but they've brought onto the show's bill two local acts who are even deeper underground than the headliners themselves, as expected.
Beyond A Traitor's Reason (***) are a much heavier band than the band they're here to support, and judging from the erratic reaction from the audience are definitely a local favourite. Due to the Halloween holiday being so close by, various people are dressed up in a horror-style (aside from one guy dressed as a penis) much like the boys onstage, sporting white shirts drenched with crimson red blood. Their style is heavy yet approachable, and pulls it off better than most small bands at a similar level of experience.
Second local band Your Chariot Awaits (***) are just as heavy as their predecessors with a little added 'bree', who again are equipped with bloody rags. Though their set is as intense and as slick as the night's openers, they don't seem quite as energetic. The crowd feed off them regardless, with many moments of people running up to the crowd and screaming the lyrics down the vocalist's mic. With a circle pit taking up more than half the dancefloor too, the band don't do too badly at all.
The main act bring a much more melodic approach to things, even with their dual vocal attack, Yashin (****) are a long way from home and make sure it's far from a wasted journey. Wasted it is not with songs like 'So We're Named After Saints' and 'The First Rule Of Fight Club' executed with such energy that makes you wonder why they've not gotten any bigger yet. Still, this is an advantage with the fans being able to see them in such a small and intimate venue, and they don't take it for granted. If the news of being recorded for the music video of new song 'Hope' didn't get everyone pumped their cover of the Britney Spears single 'Everytime' most certainely gets the job done. There's no arrogance on the band's side either, who at times are seen looking down in awe, giving their statements like "Stoke, you're one of the best cities we've ever played and we always love coming back here" from vocalists Harry and Kevin a brand of sincerity.
It may be a tad cliche and predictable to say, but some of the smaller gigs seemingly turn out to be the better ones.
Written by Zach Redrup
