By Andrew Bansal
August 8th 2014, Five Star Bar, Los Angeles CA: Hailing from Tolouse, France, black power violence quartet Plebeian Grandstand set out on a US run last Monday August 4th with Cheyenne, Wyoming’s extreme metal/hardcore punk outfit Reproacher as their tour mates, and visited the Five Star Bar in downtown Los Angeles to play with local extreme acts Harassor, Conjuror and Battery Axe for a show presented by Thee Static Age. This was the fourth metal show at this venue this week alone out of which I missed only one, and the Five Star Bar ‘regulars’ who came out to some of these shows were in attendance for this one as well.
The show began at around 8:40 with LA-based two-piece band Battery Axe playing a 20-minute set. With just guitars, vocals and drums, they provided a stripped-down start to the show, coming across almost like ‘Harassor lite’ which strangely making perfect sense as the opening act of this lineup.
Battery Axe links: facebook
Next up was Conjuror who changed the vibe completely with a sound and a musical style largely contrasting to that of the previous band, combining black metal with dark melodic doom passages and pagan/folk elements. The Tarzana-based bands clearly brought their own fans out here, thus contributing positively to the show not only with their performance but with the turnout as well. They put on an excellent show and have it in them to appeal to a diverse range of extreme metal fans.
Conjuror links: facebook | bandcamp
The ever-amazing Harassor took the stage next and destroyed it in typical fashion with their self-composed brand of black metal savagery, turning out to be the only band of the night to induce mosh pits. The excessive level of reverb and echo that’s naturally ingrained into the live sound because of the setup of the room here at the Five Star Bar somehow tends to fit Pete Majors’ vocal delivery to perfection and as a result Harassor sound fiercest at this venue as compared to any other they’ve played at over the years. Early on in the set guitarist James Brown pounded on his guitar’s E-string so hard that he yanked it out of its socket. ‘Boner kill!’ said a Harassor fan standing next to me near the stage, as James took a few minutes to find and set up a replacement guitar. Harassor carried on to deliver a killer set that vindicated the support of their local fans. For them this was a kick-off show for a short US West Coast run, and black metal fans in these cities are highly encouraged to get acquainted with the awesomeness of Harassor:
8/12 – Phoenix AZ @ The Sandlot
8/13 – San Bernardino CA @ Black Flame
8/14 – Los Osos CA @ Fried Rice Garage
8/15 – Oakland CA – Deadfest
Related: Delving Into Unknown Depths: A Detailed Conversation With Harassor
Harassor links: facebook | bandcamp
The first of the two touring bands Reproacher hit the stage next. Although the vocals seemed too low in the mix, they still put on a fantastic show and the D-beat hardcore punk element to go with the slow doom segments dominated by down-tuned heavy guitars made Reproacher particularly enjoyable in this Five Star Bar setting, where they previously performed almost a year ago with The Funeral Pyre and Primitive Man. Their newest release is a split 7-inch with Denver-based band Of Feather And Bone, for which they’ve contributed two crushing tunes. Besides their music, Reproacher bring forth some great artwork on their album covers and t-shirts, and attendees of their shows are encouraged to take a peek at their impressive merch area. A great set by a band that comes from the middle of nowhere and is doing a fine job winning fans everywhere.
Reproacher links: facebook | twitter | bandcamp
Lastly it was the turn of French quartet Plebeian Grandstand to play their set. Just like Reproacher, they suffered from issues with the vocals, and it certainly marred their performance much more than it did Reproacher’s, to the point where vocals were completely cutting out at times, but while trying his best to fix the problems, their vocalist still gave it his all and the rest of the band carried on to play an intense set. The Western European upbringing and environment lends a degree of uniqueness to Plebeian Grandstand’s brand of dark musical expression, something that’s perhaps hard to explain but is evident upon experiencing the band playing live. Despite the sound issues it was still largely a fruitful outing for Plebeian as most attendees walked way impressed and intrigued, and would look forward to the band’s return.
Overall, yet another earsplitting underground gig at the Five Star Bar featuring great bands from LA and beyond.
Plebeian Grandstand links: facebook | twitter
Plebeian Grandstand/Reproacher remaining tour dates:
Aug 10 Laramie, WY @ Baby Hospice
Aug 11 Omaha, NE @ West Wing
Aug 12 Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge
Aug 13 Erie, PA @ The Alamo
Aug 14 Philadelphia, PA @ Millcreek Tavern
Aug 15 New York City, NY @ Acheron
Aug 16 Beverly, MA @ The Spotlight Tavern
Aug 17 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
Aug 18 Harrisonburg, VA @ Blue Nile
Aug 19 Asheville, NC @ The Odditorium
Aug 20 Knoxville, TN @ The Poison Lawn
Aug 21 Nashville TN @ House Show
Aug 22 Little Rock, AR @ Vinos
Aug 23 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
Aug 24 Dallas, TX @ TBA
Aug 25 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Thee Static Age links: website | facebook
Five Star Bar links: website | facebook | twitter