“You are not gonna see us for a very long time,” announced singer Thomas Haywood of The Blinders. The Blinders are currently in mid-tour of their third album Beholder, having recently signed to EMI, and building up to the gig there have been worrying developments. The show was originally due to be at Koko but the venue was changed to the lower-capacity Scala, which still did not sell out. The band released a statement on their social media channels stating that the European tour was cancelled, due to “finances collapsing” and they would be taking a break for a while after the UK dates were concluded. With cancelling tours, and venues reducing in size, it feels like there’s a story to be told, but whether we will hear it is another matter.
Being in a band has never been harder. Post-Brexit European tours are a heavy financial burden for any group, particularly an up-and-coming act. Due to the cost of living crisis, punters are more selective with their hard-earned cash, so there is some justification for the band struggling. However the timing of the apparent unravelling and likely splitting up of The Blinders is puzzling, as their new album has only been released a week ago.
Such is the backdrop for Friday’s gig at Scala. Alien Chicks certainly tested the levels of the sound system with a loud and scream-filled support set. They made way for the main event, who started with the new album opener ‘Ceremony’. Eoghan Clifford (guitar) stared out members of the crowd whilst the smoke machine misfired around him. The song is frantic and creates a sense of bewilderment and disorientation that doesn’t let up, setting the tone for the evening.
They rolled quickly into ‘Et Tu’, which is reminiscent of cult favourites The 80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster’s groove-based drumming, and adds to the air of confusion, albeit controlled and well-designed confusion.
The savage lyrics of ‘Brutus’ aid to the raucous feeling of the stomping song, as Haywood’s speech reverbs and echoes through the crowd. Charlie McGough on bass is a bouncing Duracell bunny constantly powering the songs forward. His playing is almost Iggy Pop-like as it rumbles through the venue.
‘Always’ details feelings of detachment: “Always at the root of my mind when I’m feeling down / My body′s on the ceiling and my head is sinking into the ground”. The song is driven by the drums of Thomas Castrey and the track slowly edges to a crescending finale.
The riff loops on ‘Waterfalls of Venice’ before it drops and the moshpit, which is sizable, goes crazy. The rhythm of the drum and bass accelerates to a groove that is irresistible to boogie down to.
The tempo drops for the atmospheric ‘Iggy Got Camaro’ with a delicate piano sequence floating over the top. The calmer pace doesn’t last long, as ‘Forty Days and Forty Nights’ inspires a full-on high-energy mosh circle forming before it collapses in on itself.
Clifford snakes his arm up the neck working the frets whilst staring at crowd members intensely during ‘I Can’t Breathe Blues’ with the killer riff sounding Kasabian inspired. The band’s live sound is generally dark, furious and moody with elements of glam rock in the rhythm section at times.
‘While I’m Still Young’ is another new track with a dark vibe. Beholder is an emotionally charged break-up album, evidenced by the lyrics: “do I want to die while I’m still young / do you know the pain to lose someone, / did she even love you anyway?”. It aims and it scores a direct hit with the searing passion in Haywood’s delivery. At times he looks drained and I get the feeling these new songs are jam-packed full of feelings for him, making it challenging at times to perform.
The band at this stage in their career are super tight, despite several changes in the lineup. In ‘Lunatic (With a Loaded Gun)’ what grabs you is the hook at the end of the chorus before the band builds to a crashing ending, which left the audience feeling like they were staggering back from a car crash with thumping drums ringing out.
‘Nocturnal Skies’ strips back the sound to just electric guitar and keys, which showcases the melody and harmonies of the vocals as Haywood pours his heart out. During the gigs friendships are formed in the moshpit, a noticeable smiling embrace between two fans during ‘All I Need’ as the singer roars through the verses before the band performs a finely textured outro, providing a contrast to the bombastic nature of the majority of the gig.
The band temporarily leave the stage before returning to rip through the punchy live favourite ‘L’état C’est Moi’ which takes it up a notch. The band and crowd all chant in unison “I’ve got divine right”, channelling their inner Louis XIV. A stage invader charges the stage before being swiftly dealt with by security, whilst howling that “the state will always remain!”, allegedly.
One of the largest reactions of the night is received for ‘Brave New World’ deservedly so, as it is a set highlight. When even normally straight-faced Clifford is bellowing the words you know it’s a smash hit. The night ends with the atmospheric intro into ‘Black Glass’ which quickly goes through the gears with its catchy earworm hooks which 48 hours later, still haven’t escaped my mind.
The absence of ‘Breaklights’ and ‘Swallowing Static’ is both mysterious and frustrating in equal measure as the two latest singles are both high quality and would have further augmented the set. I understand they were played on the initial gigs of the tour, but have been subsequently dropped. Right now nothing in the world of The Blinders seems to make too much sense, but when they hit the highs they excel.
The gig was the last that London will see of the band for the foreseeable and what a way to sign off. In keeping with the disorientation of the sound, the current stories circling the band are difficult to decipher and understand. Hopefully, it is just a brief hiatus rather than the full stop to the band’s story as they have certainly left the crowd in Scala wanting more.
Words by David Holgado
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