By Andrew Bansal
October 10th 2013, The Troubadour, West Hollywood CA: Based out of the riff factory that is the city of Portland, Oregon, stoner rock quartet Red Fang is the kind of band that outshines everyone else on a multi-band lineup, even as a support act. I saw them rip Mastodon to shreds when they opened for that band at the Wiltern a couple of years ago, and all my other experiences of seeing Red Fang as an opener have been quite similar, no matter what the headline act was. These four awesome dudes have built upon the success of their first two albums and the relentless touring to come up with a brilliant new album called ‘Whales And Leeches’, which is set to officially release on October 15th via Relapse Records. To coincide with the release, they have set foot on yet another tour, this time as headliners themselves, along with support acts Helms Alee and Wild Throne. The tour began in Sacramento on October 9th, and visited the Troubadour in West Hollywood last night. The place was packed, and all was in readiness for a great show.
Unfortunately due to other commitments, I couldn’t catch the support acts this time and reached the venue just as Helms Alee were getting off the stage. After a 15-minute wait, Red Fang appeared, and soon, the room was filled to the brim with an avalanche of sweet, heavy riffs. They got their sound spot on, and were able to present all elements of their music to the fullest. Red Fang as an opener is one thing, but playing a headline show that’s truly their own in front of an entire crowd that’s there to see them, I have no doubt that the atmosphere in this venue enhanced Red Fang’s performance and took it to a level even higher than what it already was from the outset.
Of course, the set included material from Whales And Leeches, and at least three songs ‘DOEN’, ‘Blood Like Cream’ and ‘No Hope’ were played. They showcased more of a sludgier side of Red Fang but still blended in rather well with the older tunes, and out of the three I would say ‘Blood Like Cream’ stood out as the most enjoyable one in the live setting. The songs from the other two albums Red Fang and Murder The Mountains really got this crowd moving. The beers were flowing at a rate almost equal to that of the flow of riffs on stage, and tunes like ‘Wires’, ‘Dirt Wizard’, ‘Number Thirteen’ and ‘Into The Eye’ brought the house down, but the entire set was a highlight in itself and it is impossible to pick a favorite moment.
The main aspect that separates and distinguishes Red Fang from other bands in the sub-genre is the sheer strength and full-sounding nature of the music emanating from their four-piece lineup. Not only are they able to infuse a two-guitar attack that gives the riffs some solid impetus, but the combination of bassist Aaron Beam and guitarist Bryan Giles’ vocals is truly awesome, Aaron with the cleaner variety and Bryan with the harsh vocal bits. This was obviously not my first time seeing Red Fang, but with them as the headline act I was able to really notice these things more and feel the impact of their music.
The band sounded flawless, but aside from that it was great to see this crowd giving the band the kind of response they deserved. The headbangers were having a blast rocking out to music that’s absolutely tailor-made for their needs, and the mosh pits were seen in plenty as well. A few people even ventured to crowd-surf, and it really added to the atmosphere inside the venue. Red Fang played a 60-minute set and left the stage, and it seemed like the show had come to an end. The house lights and music were turned on. But this crowd wanted and demanded more from the band, who gladly obliged them with an encore song.
All in all, this Red Fang performance was rifftastic in every sense of the word, and this is a band that’s doing everything right at the moment. They still have plenty of dates left on this touring run, so if you love heavy riffs, take my word for it and go attend a Red Fang show.
Related – Interview: Red Fang Bassist Talks About New Album ‘Whales And Leeches’ (Audio)
Visit Red Fang on the web at:
redfang.net
facebook.com/
twitter.com/redfang
instagram.com/
Remaining dates of North American tour 1st leg (with Helms Alee and Wild Throne):
10/9 Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
10/10 West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour
10/11 San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick
10/12 Tucson, AZ @ Southwest Terror Festival
10/13 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
10/14 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
10/15 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/16 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
10/17 Spokane, WA @ The Center of Spokane
10/18 Bellingham, WA @ The Shakedown
11/9 Seattle, WA @ Showbox At The Market
11/10 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Second leg (with The Shrine, Indian Handcrafts, Cancer Bats & Radkey):
11/30 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
12/1 Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
12/2 Tempe, AZ @ Club Red
12/4 Austin, TX @ Red 7
12/5 Houston, TX @ Fitgerald’s Downtairs
12/6 New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
12/7 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
12/8 Raleigh, NC @ Kings Barcade
12/9 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts w/ Cancer Bats
12/10 Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East w/ Cancer Bats
12/11 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom w/Cancer Bats
12/13 Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Mile End w/ Cancer Bats
12/14 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
12/15 Detroit, MI @ The Shelter w/ Cancer Bats, Radkey
12/16 Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium w/ Cancer Bats, Radkey
12/17 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock w/ Radkey
12/19 Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep w/ Radkey