Electric Wizard at the Roundhouse

I did see Electric Wizard, etc., at the Camden Roundhouse on 15 May, 2015. This venue is rather overspecified as a metal dive, though a bit short of toilets once the frontloaders arrived, having missed

A wondrous ponder

Moss, for example, who confessedly are an acquired taste (that I have not yet acquired), though the resolute refusal of their sole guitarist to play any riffs may be something to be admired. Indeed, almost all rock guitarists play slightly ahead of the beat to generate a sense of pace, but he plays either on or slightly behind, generating an overwhelming sense of ponder, and wonder - though only in the sense of "what chord will he try next?".

Stars

Following them Purson were relatively normal, with some new material moving away from a quixotic indulgence to a more driving heavy rock in the direction of the Grateful Dead... though I could not hear the synthesizer or the rhythm guitar. I understand that after an EP they are working on a second album; perhaps their third will be the masterpiece.

Cosmic plugs

Now, a synthesizer I could hear well, even too well in the shrieking bits, was the retro contraption of the Cosmic Dead, their first number a rather fast jam on Interstellar Overdrive, their second an orthodox mass in a monastery of monks battering their heads against gold-backed prayer books. How to dance to this? Yes! One must turn one's head from side to side, if not entirely round and round, like the whirling dervishes of old! This also allowed us to flummox the common moshers. Their third Sign was a glorious swirling construction of great weight, and then speed, marrying to the Floyd a Stockhausen. Well this was extraordinary stuff, though not something I could really imagine listening to at home.

Could Electric Wizard match this? Another of their curious one-off performances, bludgeoning on its way, in surprisingly coherent sound, with lurid film projections compensating for static stagecraft, weak bass and unexceptional volume. I gathered many of their acolytes wished to get high before they die. They deserve to cancel as many of their Black Masses as they like, say I!

Incineration Fest 2015

Heil Endstille

I did attend the "Incineration fest" in Camden on 9 May 2015. First up were Jotnarr at the Black Heart, a couple of men in white with good rhythm which would be the base of a good band, but need of development. Otagos over at the Underworld sounded remarkably like Behemoth, and looking the part played to a largely passive crowd but not for want of trying, with many gloriously anthemic numbers featuring guitar leads though subdued in the mix. The big advantage of the Camden festivals is that one can nip for cans of Special Brew from Sainsbury's in the breaks (or, as I did, Coke Zero). But those preferring a little Prostitute Disfigurement would have found a sound quite similar to Cannibal Corpse but without the mighty windmilling Corpsegrinder. I cannot imagine what they were singing about.

Finnish Nazarene

I caught the end of a storming set from the Keep of Kalessin, and will have to look into them some more. Then to Endstille with a more mellow metalcore compared to the Impaled Nazarene who were not unlike Napalm Death.

I also saw Funeral Throne but could not make much of them. Shining managed a superb mixture of the somewhat brutal with the epic, though the endless spitting of Jack Daniels at the crowd seemed a waste (unless it was the honey flavoured sort). Godseed were curiously static and uninvolved.

Last time I saw Alcest they sounded worryingly murky, and I was surprised they were headlining this rather heavy assemblage. But here they were much less dopey, moulding Celtic-style harmonies that would not be out of place in a Lord of the Rings soundtrack with crushing and epic climaxes, and even neat lighting effects to make a super end to the day!

The White Room, Ventura

I did dine at The White Room, a restaurant by Marco Pierre White at the top of the Ventura, itself a P&O cruise ship then someway off Lisbon, in April 2015. We sat inside as it was raining. For complementary starters, we were presented with an astringent aperitif, followed by a chowder of halibut, in an espresso cup, which I sipped curiously, and nibbled on the lumps of fish at the bottom. There were several varieties of bread in the basket, none particularly fresh. The waitress poured olive oil and balsamic vinegar together for a dip, however this made the dip too acidic and after it was finished I poured olive oil alone, which we preferred. My entree was parma ham, which lacked flavour and salt, on top of melon chunks, which I thought too firm. On top of both was a thin disc of a chewy substance I could not identify. Slightly separated, and at a 45 degree angle, was something resembling a spring roll without the filling, assuming the roll had been left outside for a few hours. In sum, I would not say the entree was the finest I have eaten. My companion ordered something with oysters, hoping she might get some oysters, but received lightly fried balls of fish-substances which may have included an oyster substance. At the corners of my plate were four small black cubes. I enquired of one of the two very efficient Asian waitresses what it was. They had already described the dishes as they brought them, but rather quickly and I could not understand their accent easily. She said it was a jelly with olive. I thought it gelatin strongly flavoured with vinegar. To drink we had a bottle of Lanson Black NV, which I thought a bit lemony. The main course was a fine rib-eye steak with pleasant if unremarkable vegetables. Hers was a lobster tartufi, which she though the best dish she had enjoyed for a long while. The dessert was Mr White's rice pudding. You would not have got fat on this portion of rice pudding, served in a small cup (indeed I felt a little peckish after the whole meal). But it was of exceptional smoothness and very tasty with the apricot sauce and dried apricots. Total cost for two was two covers (£25), champagne (£40), to which one should add the opportunity cost of not dining in the main restaurant (say £20) making about £130. In all, a very pleasant meal with excellent service. Although the waitresses had problems using my mobile phone to take a photo of us, so do I.