Kittie, Leeds Rios, January 16th
Kittie played Leeds Rios on January 16th
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Tuesday, 19, Jan 2010 04:02
Support from NeverForever, Malefice and It Dies Today.
Leeds Rios is an intimate venue, perfect for the kind of gig where a night of metal is on the cards. As the venue starts to fill you can tell that these aren't just kids who've heard the band's names on the radio and following the fashion. Kittie have been around for some time now, recently releasing In the Black, a self-funded fifth studio album, and with possibly more line up changes than the Sugababes, it's good to know that founder members Morgan and Mercedes Lander are joined by two old friends for the tour, and the chemistry showed through on stage.
The main bill kicked off with NeverForever. Hailing from Esssex they deliver a powerful mix of guitars and furious drumming. Front man Renny unashamedly showed a love for the stage and performing, comparable to a Jack Black character mixing talent and charm; coaxing the crowd forward to the stage set the scene for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately audio issues were another common occurance, with each band requesting a change in monitor speakers soon after starting the set. From the crowd side however, everything sounded good with only the occasional drop in lead guitar proving an issue, but given the size of the venue and the nature of metal this was excusable.
Second up were Malefice, who complete with stereotypical beards and muscle screamed through a solid set which the crowd really appreciated. The vocal style was more akin to growling than the previous band, while third support It Dies Today again provided an energetic set. Guitarist Chris Cappelli clearly loving his time on stage (and his instrument) a little too much proved a little too much for some, and while most vocals of the set were powerful, some of the calmer melodies were lost among the heavier guitar riffs.
Finally, the band of the night, Kittie adorned the stage for a quick sound check. Last minute backstage adjustments were accompanied by the instrumental opening to latest release In The Black, before bursting full throttle into My Plague. Throughout their album career Kittie have made a clear evolution from their purely thrash metal roots to a more balanced, melodic take on the genre, however tonight they display the ability to mix it up, thrashing and screaming their way through earlier Oracle and seamlessly integrated the set with newer releases like Never Again. Playing very much to the crowd every song is turned up to full speed and maximum ferocity, and both band and audience clearly love it; familiar riffs effortlessly accompanied by solos any guitarist would be proud of.
My only complaint would be that by turning the performance up for the evening, we missed out on some of the more melodic vocals that often make up the bands later albums, and for Morgan Landers to only treat the crowd to her full vocal abilities for a couple of songs is just teasing.
Of course the appeal of metal plays to a particular audience, but if this is your scene, it would be hard to ask for a better evening's entertainment.
Ben Brady
Photography by Ben Brady.
Kittie's setlist:
My Plague
Cut Throat
Oracle
Flower
Never Again
Pussy Sugar
Breathe
Burning Bridges
What I Always Wanted
Severed
Die My Darling
Whiskey
Sorrow I Know
Look So Pretty
Forgive and Forget