A Night of Thrash and Brotherhood (with a Safety Question)
By Stephen Cummings (BeardBo)
(Image: © Stephen Cummings)
Newcastle Riverside, June 17th - Buckle up, metalheads; this Cavalera gig at the Riverside is an out-and-out contender for gig of the year. Let's get the not-so-good out of the way first, though. Riverside, your security needs a thrashing—of the metaphorical kind. While they did take care of my wife with mobility issues to some extent at first, the barrier safety was a joke. One crowd surfer went flying over and landed on his neck—a disaster averted only by luck. Kilonova's vocalist, Ellen, even came very close to having an accident. Guys, tighten things up—if Crowd Surfing is out of the window, let people know at the entrance and if anyone is spotted trying to crowd surf give them a warning and if continued kick them out.
Now, unto the glorious carnage that was the music: the venue was rammed, the energy electric, and Kilonova opened with a phenomenal performance that left the crowd breathless. The quartet tore upfront with precision and passion through their setlist, ultimately delivering quite possibly one of their best shows to date. They played everything from "Fragments" and "Bleed by Example" to "Immortal," but also coupled them with some of the newest, most experimental material they had, like "Grieve for the Living." The crowd was entertained from start to finish. a Sea of banging heads against the infectious riffs.
The vibe was right—each member of this band seemed to have a feel for the others to create something truly symbiotic in performance. The vocals soared, the guitar work was face-melting, and the rhythm section kept them moving with a thunderous bottom end. It's clear Kilonova is a band operating at peak powers, and it's an absolute must-see experience for fans of heavy music.
If you missed this show, do not worry – you will get another chance to witness Kilonova in action at this year's Get Heavy Festival in Newcastle/Gateshead, and that will definitely be worth it.
(Image: © Philip Gray)
Now, on to Cavalera. Max and Iggor, reunited, rounded up, and committed actual assault—brutal—on old Sepultura classics like "Necromancer," "Morbid Visions," and the title track "Bestial Devastation." The mosh pits churned into these ones. Much respect to the metalhead in the wheelchair basically holding his own down there and enjoying himself, testament to what this genre does best. But the real pièce de résistance was when that band launched into "Refuse/Resist" and "Territory". The entire audience rose as a sea of raised horns, fists, and voices, as though the energy of the collective sentiments channeled itself into a surging storm of unyielding force.
It was transcendent—very much able to leave all those present revitalized and unified. As the music faded away and the lights came back up, the crowd stumbled out of the venue, hoarse from screaming along and grinning from ear to ear. It was such a testament to the power of metal to bind people together, to create a sense of community and belonging that transcended borders and boundaries.
As we filed out of the venue, I caught sight of the metalhead in the wheelchair, still grinning from ear to ear, his eyes shining with, satisfaction and belonging. Again, it shows that this music is for everybody, any ability, any disability; we're all metalheads at heart, united in our love of this loud, proud, unapologetic genre.
A Question for the Legend
Max, one thing that really has to be answered after our chat—while in Newcastle, did you get to indulge in a legendary Greggs sausage roll? The people need answers!
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