• Submit News to AVO Magazine
  • Support Us
Sunday, April 2, 2023
  • nl Nederlands
  • en English
AVO Magazine - One click closer to Japan
  • AVO Magazine
    • AVO Magazine, who?
      • AVO Magazine presents
    • About us (日本語)
    • Join the AVO Magazine team
    • Submit News to AVO Magazine
    • AVO Magazine Podcast
    • Join AVO Magazine’s Discord Server
    • Support AVO Magazine
    • Colophon
    • Contact
  • Staff picks
  • Music
    • Music News
      • Concerts and festival news
      • Musical Snack
    • Curtain-raiser
    • Weekly MV Roundup
      • About: 7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out
  • Events
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Reports
  • Colophon
No Result
View All Result
  • AVO Magazine
    • AVO Magazine, who?
      • AVO Magazine presents
    • About us (日本語)
    • Join the AVO Magazine team
    • Submit News to AVO Magazine
    • AVO Magazine Podcast
    • Join AVO Magazine’s Discord Server
    • Support AVO Magazine
    • Colophon
    • Contact
  • Staff picks
  • Music
    • Music News
      • Concerts and festival news
      • Musical Snack
    • Curtain-raiser
    • Weekly MV Roundup
      • About: 7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out
  • Events
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Reports
  • Colophon
No Result
View All Result
AVO Magazine - One click closer to Japan
No Result
View All Result
Home Reports Music Events

Dark witch duo BlackLab cast a spell over London

Peter Dennis by Peter Dennis
24 June 2022
in Music Events
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A
0
BlackLab © New Heavy Sounds

BlackLab © New Heavy Sounds

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on RedditShare on Tumblr

The duo BlackLab scheduled a couple of performances in the United Kingdom, one of which was at Desertfest. only a few days later they performed in a more intimate setting at The Victoria.

Live Report: BlackLab + Black Shape + Wallowing
The Victoria, Dalston, London, 02.05.2022

Hailing from the South Coast of England tonight’s openers Wallowing play a ferocious form of blackened sludge. They have a twin vocal attack and with both singers hidden beneath black hats and veils they look rather like black metal beekeepers and with a sound excavated from the very depths of hades a Wallowing show is not for the faint-hearted. They set about shaking The Victoria’s foundations to their very core…and they almost succeed. The introduction of samples provides a new and interesting texture to their sound and in a scene that can often be reductive and generic Wallowing are refreshingly original.

Describing themselves as a “Two-piece comedy farce band” London’s own Black Shape are certainly no joke and if you want to know just how heavy a duo can get then look no further than this pair of aggro merchants. Stomping like a 900lb gorilla the band offer little in the way of redemption as Andrew Cleaver seems intent on pulverising his drum kit to dust while guitarist and vocalist David Burdis eschews solos in favour of a riff-heavy punch. Tracks such as Eat Shit and Die and Human Hell are as volatile as their titles suggest and when delivered with hardcore fury, they land a series of knockout blows and Black Shape’s energetic performance sets the bar extremely high for tonight’s headliners.

Following their triumphant appearance at this year’s Desertfest dark witch doom duo BlackLab play a more intimate show at The Victoria. These two gigs are the band’s very first outside of Japan and they’ve certainly cast a spell over the UK audience and many of those who witnessed their show at Camden’s Underworld are here tonight. As the band appear wrapped inside a wall of glorious feedback, they ramp up the tension to a point where it almost hurts. Bathed in demonic red light there’s something of a ritual about tonight’s concert and that feeling is heightened by Chia Shiraishi’s tribal drumming and when combined with Yuko Morino’s heavy riffs a hypnotic air is created and a tangible magic electrifies the venue.

Like most doom bands BlackLab owe a debt to the gods of the fuzzy riff Black Sabbath and they certainly wear their influences on their sleeves (if you need proof then check out ‘Symptom of The BlackLab from the album Under The Strawberry Moon) yet they put their own spin on the genre and sound like no one else on the scene. However, as with Sabbath they understand musical dynamics and temper-crushing sections with lithe moments as Chia plays both soft and hard and Yuko’s vocals veer between a trimerous, ethereal wisp and unearthly shrieks. BlackLab’s albums are guaranteed to blow your speakers yet in the live environment they become infinitely heavier and Abyss Woods, a taster from their forthcoming album, moves the earth beneath our feet. BlackLab perform a crowd-pleasing set and I’m sure they’ll be back very soon.

Tags: BlackLabdoomnoise
Previous Post

Anime Summer 2022: 10 titles to look forward to!

Next Post

7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out (Week 25, 2022)

Peter Dennis

Peter Dennis

Related Posts

Still from the dim Island's music video for the song "Aiden", where the vocalist - dressed in dark clothing - is standing on a beach where there is a campfire and the sun is setting. The fire is placed between the vocalist and the camera, which makes the image blurry because of the flames.
Weekly MV Roundup

7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out (Week 09, 2023)

by Francisca Hagen
5 March 2023
A monochrome band photo taken during the nighttime of Kruelty. The five members are seemingly dressed in dark-coloured clothing and are standing near each other and looking into the camera lens.
Music Event Announcements

Kruelty gearing up for “Untopia European Domination” with 23-date Europe tour

by Francisca Hagen
4 March 2023
Text of "Bandcamp Friday" and "Suggestions March 2023" on top of a radio, edited in a way that there was a glitch. The result is that there are more radio's in the image. With added filters it is made colourful with the added colours of red, blue and green and mixes of that.
Bandcamp Friday

Five Japanese artists and labels to support during Bandcamp Friday (March 2023)

by Francisca Hagen
3 March 2023
© VMO a.k.a Violent Magic Orchestra Photography by: Genki Arata
Music Event Announcements

Violent Magic Orchestra (VMO) announce first European tour in more than three years

by Francisca Hagen
26 January 2023
MONO | Photography by Chris Jenner
Music Event Announcements

MONO announce “Pilgrimage of the Soul” European Tour 2023

by Francisca Hagen
26 January 2023
Next Post
Still from the music video "YOUTH" by ステエションズ (STATIONS).

7 New Music Videos You Need To Check Out (Week 25, 2022)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Support AVO Magazine with a digital coffee
ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Discord

Online magazine since 2012 and based in the Netherlands. AVO Magazine is a Japan-related entertainment website with information about events in especially in Europe. There is a big focus on Japanese music. Other contents we publish are reports, reviews, informative articles, and interviews. AVO Forum, founded on May 16, 2003, served as the foundation for AVO Magazine.

Contact (Francisca Hagen): hello[@]avo-magazine.com

Please do not use text and photos made by AVO Magazine without permission. An email is easily created. Let's support each other!

Affiliates


1_General CDJapan

Featured on

  Lucydafirst - Crate Culture Podcast LOGO

AVO Magazine Approved

  • Arlequin Photography
  • Get Your Genki
  • Idol is SHiT
  • J-POP streaming
  • Japan Jams
  • Japone Artists
  • The Sushi Times

© 2012 - 2023 AVO Magazine - One Click Closer to Japan!

No Result
View All Result
  • Events
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
  • Reports
  • Colophon
  • AVO Magazine, who?
  • Dutch

© 2012 - 2023 AVO Magazine - One Click Closer to Japan!

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.