At the Stirling Castle, a metal feast was served for the latest Brid on the Map offering, to welcome local heavy-hitters L.O.C. for their home-turf debut, superbly supported by Irontooth and Straw Doll.
Straw Doll opened the night with their grunting and gritty vocals filling the room, their sound having a Metallica feel to the songs; it drew the crowd in, with the room becoming focused on them. Denial, the third song of their set, set a softer tone compared to the heavy opening songs; the guitars echoing through the waves of the bassline, it changed the mood of the set, whilst still keeping the heavy side of Straw Doll’s character, as they gradually built it back into rocked up tones.
The lead guitarist was particularly dynamic, using his foot pedals to change his style and tones as he played his guitar solos; his guitar riffs sounded tangy and smooth. It added depth and a difference to each song; whilst the bass player rocked out with his five-stringed headless bass.
They played their newest song, the self-titled Straw Doll, coming out on their new upcoming album of the same name. This track was hard rocking, with the drum beat grooving the song up differently, making the rhythm seem to fade into itself; showcasing a different aspect of their style again, the vocals filling the room, building verses and choruses up together, and their instrumental breaks throughout it kept the audience hooked through a great set.
Irontooth were next to take the stage, a powerhouse band with vocals like a lion’s roar filled the room. The deathcore style started to get people to the mosh pit. The bassist moved along to each song almost as if he became one with the music. The clear banter and fun that was on an off stage was very prominent.
They played a song called Shatter The Mask, written about serial killer, with the vocalist (Rich Gale) joining the audience during the song; making the crowd feel more involved, he screamed the lyrics “I lose control” which filled the room.
They also made sure that the audience from every angle felt as though they were part of the performance; and the sounds they created made it sound like there was a small army playing. The band were beyond incredible.
And finally the headline of the night was L.O.C, opening with Family Values. The audience once again were hooked, the lead vocals were tough and pervasive, paired with backing vocals from the bass player adding some screaming pitch.
The second song they played was Step To Me, already a great crowd pleaser, and a pit once again formed as the audience sung the songs back at them, some shouting out the lyrics as loudly as they could. For their strongly-requested encore, they repeated this and their new song, I Fear No One – this newest song had a great buildup of guitars and drums lifting up the song together, the backing vocals repeating “I don’t care” adding to the raw anger of the tone.
In my opinion the song that got the most interaction was F*ck the Law – a song about record labels taking advantage of musicians under the law of protection for music, the crowd were very involved in shouting out their hatred for it all.
They ended the night by thanking everyone for coming to their opening gig in Bridlington, and it truly was an epic show.
Brid on the Map is a regular triple-bill event featuring original artists from across the UK mixed with the best in homegrown talent – taking place approcimately twice a month at The Stirling Castle, presented by Live in Bridlington and Metaline Promotions. Follow the venue and promoter pages for future events and join the Stirling Castle mailing list here.
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