It is always interesting to see which bands get the big breaks and which don’t. Violent Soho have recently signed to Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label after he heard their debut We Don’t Belong Here, and they’ve played some showcase gigs in the USA including one exclusive performance for Rick Rubin. Talons on the other hand recently released their debut self-titled album and have been touring like mad around the country. The key difference is that Talons are prepared to take more risks with their sound while Violent Soho stick to their punk and pub rock fuelled grunge.

Live, one thing that both bands share is that they are visceral, raw, somewhat unassuming and defiantly loud.

Talons appeared on stage with afro’d singer Christian wearing some disturbing clown face make-up and drummer Ben James in a fetching batman/devil cape and hood. Launching into Beastie Boys’ Gratitude, any of the usual cover fears were allayed with their killer version. The bass distortion was on the mark and the yelping exultations on the mic were right on track. Niceness lads.

Talons proceeded to take the momentum of Gratitude and play a set that was super tight and raw like a fresh razor wound. The bass stayed brittle and buzzing and James kept pounding away with elbows raised, putting his all into every beat. They played a bunch of tracks from their album including the magic Redheads and Keys & Codes which pounded ears into submission with its relentless riffing. Post hardcore bands like Refused and At The Drive In are the flavour of Talons but they filter it through indie and Sydney bands like Further. They didn’t muck around or engage with the crowd between songs but Talons definitely left their mark.

Violent Soho are riding their wave at the moment and time will tell if they are a one trick pony. ‘Grunge throwbacks’ is the term bandied around by many when discussing the band. If you haven’t seen them live then suspend your suspicions and do so. The sheer exuberance and lack of self-consciousness is what makes their live shows so entertaining. Within seconds of the first chords the hair was flying in full metal glory, They could be one of the hairier bands since Tumbleweed. All the crowd favourites were played with a mini pit forming in the usually ‘stand and stare’ Spectrum. Singer Luke Boerdam’s Cobainisms are still strong, especially on Muscle Junkie with its quiet/loud dynamics and the ‘Fuck you, fuck you I hate your face’ lead-in to the chorus.

Broken strings took a bit of wind out of their sails mid set but before long they were back at full speed delivering a blistering version of God’s My Pal that they recently recorded for a tour 7”. With the recent tragic passing of Dean Turner who had produced the band it was a touching if perhaps unnoticed moment when they announced that the song would forever be dedicated to Turner.

A fairly short set ended as it started with strangulated vocals, a killer rhythm section locking everything down and those big, heavy guitar chords driving the songs along. Yes it was retro for those of us who lived the grunge/alt rock blast of the early 90s but Violent Soho do it so well that it feels fresh and revitalising. Two bands from different sides of the heavy and loud guitar fence made for a joyous way to blow out the cobwebs.