It’s a Saturday night, the rugby has finished on a high and everywhere feels lairy. Japanese metallers Crossfaith have returned to our shores and have brought along with them an upcoming treat of UK support.
Recently off their tour with Hacktivist and kicking off things early are Counting Days. With the venue only half full I feared it could go either way, with the crowd uninterested or the band tired and put off, but it worked out the best for both. Despite the small crowd they throw themselves into it; they play aggressively and turn some heads. The few fans they had in the room grow rapidly as they play a tight set. Counting Days end with their more familiar know tracks, Die Alone and Sands Of Time which pack one hell of a punch. Even from the start you know these tracks are going to be hits. The floor opens up once more for these lads and gives hope to the band for bigger things to come.
The One Hundred really get things going, they’ve had quite the hype after them lately and are living up to it. If you’re looking for a band that really mixes it up, well, you’ve found them. Forging hardcore, hip-hop and electronica into one you’re thinking it really shouldn’t work, but for them it does and they do it well. The crowd enjoy their fresh approach and the room jumps from the front to back. Singer Jacob has a certain strut on stage, albeit I did catch him somewhat laughing at his own dance moves sometimes. They’re the perfect warm up for Crossfaith.
Tonights venue feels like a bigger one of the tour but despite its size it somehow feels like we’re at an intimate club show, a secret rave, or special show – it just has that vibe. The venue can only be half full but despite the lack of souls they sure make up for it in passion and energy. It definitely feels like one of those shows where they may as well throw the barriers away. Every frontman tonight has ended up down in the faces of the front row.
A countdown begins for Crossfaith over the speakers playing electronic mixes to pump up the crowd with the occasional automatic voice letting you know how long until the show starts. When they do finally appear they venue erupts as loud as they can.
Each member of Crossfaith have their own personalities on stage and it’s a pleasure to watch. Singer Ken does well to talk to the crowd, pumping them up whenever he can along with keyboardist Tamano who jumps around the stage like an acrobat. A brief moment amusingly sees them tie a Welsh flag to a mic stand and occasionally wave it about throughout the set.
Crossfaith are like an explosive hurricane, the energy they throw out is to be admired. Ken at one point talks about music having no boundaries for them. You can see it’s heartfelt and they really appreciate how far they’ve come. After various chants from one more song, two more songs, three…drummer Amano treats us to a solo before the rest emerge to cover Prodigy’s Omen. Amano’s drumming on its own is a treat, the flow, the tricks, the smiles, all round a great watch. They play impeccably, as always. Crossfaith are another band who always deliver the goods.
9/10
