A doomed and condemned cyberpunk generation of damp Surrey urbanites turned out in force on this weekend’s wet & windy conditions to party with their favourite cross-over band. Subsource are not punk, neither are they drum’n’bass. They’re not modern indie rock. They are not dubstep nor metal - they are an amalgam of all of these styles. A truly holistic sound. Theirs is the sound of justice and conscientious inclusiveness. But, more importantly, they drive their audiences wild with their hysterically energetic live sets and their blistering hot musicianship.We were at the superb Boileroom venue in Guildford to witness this sensational act. Promising some bombastic pieces such as the recent single ‘On My Video’ (created as a result of the riots in London and railing against the lack of values / worth in a consumer society) this song goes giddy with those spraying & wallowing splash-bass beats, strained to-the-max vocals and gigantic proportions. Subsource are also famous for their re-smashed covers, clocking up thousands of internet hits by re-treading old songs by the likes of RATM and SOAD. One of these, ‘Breed’ (Nirvana), is a pelting sand-storm blast of sounds that will make your eyes water. It is an effervescent vortex of energy that pulls you down into its depths, whilst you are left crazily fighting for breath.
We especially liked the band’s latest work such as ‘The Feeding’ (from the brand-spanking-new ‘Generation Doom’ E.P. ) with it’s pendulum of rhythms swaying one-way, then the next.The spots of sound are ripped away like sticking-plasters, only to be re-locked and wedged into gaps elsewhere. But the piece centres around a well-spring of golden sentiment and a giddy ‘Feeding’ chorus. This vessel may be cracked and stained, but it still holds the juice in. Take some!
Our favourite new song is ‘Molotov’ with beeps and sparks of electronic energy and squeals of pain, as those lacerating guitars take hold. This is razor-sharp and full of throated grunge. With ‘Kurt Cobain’ style vocals and a series of hugely successful riffs ... any metal fan would be proud to have this in his collection. Or ‘Kill The Thief’ which introduces the audience to an ambient side, of low oscillations, which spit along amiably before the full majesty of the show really takes hold. This then becomes regal. It is power - but wielded for the good of all.
Moving towards a memorable climax and looking forward to a storming version of the Queens of the Stone Age hit “Feel Good Hit of the Summer.” we suddenly lost all sound - suffering ‘technical difficulties’ that nearly put paid to the show. Apparently a brand new amplifier performed an act of ritual suicide. And so Boileroom was left silent. After some helpful advice from the audience, like “Turn it off and turn it back on again” and “Try giving it some red bull, it normally works for me” the band reluctantly withdrew back stage for at least 30 mins, whilst a replacement amplifier was found.Back on stage to a rapturous reception, Subsource seemed a little subdued, and the mob certainly seemed calmer - “We can’t see any sweat on the crowd in the front” screamed out front-man Stuart - and the party got going again. And what used to be filthy, dirty dub is now becoming so heavily tinged with heavily metallic ideas that one delighted onlooker exclaimed “It’s like watching Gary Newman crossed with Pantera - it’s like dub-u-metal - I love it.”
© Neil_Mach April 2012
For more information about the Surgery Productions ‘Dubumentary’ Susbsource film visit: http://www.thesurgeryproductions.com
Grab the ‘World of Tanks’ ‘Molotov’ track by visiting http://www.subsource.co.uk
See Subsource at Redfest- 20th July at Robins Cook Farm, Redhill, Surrey http://redfest.co.uk/
