It’s always good to support the local scene and with this particular gig featuring the debut performance of up-and-coming band Deified (and in a headline slot, to boot!) it was a show not to be missed.
The night began with Desolate Horizon, who got things off to a blistering start. Overall a very tight band, with the four of them practically moving in sync with one another at times, it was really apparent that the four-piece were really absorbed and thoroughly into the music they played, which was fantastic to witness. Admittedly there was times where parts of songs sounded like they were just repeating themselves over and over, it was still an excellent beginning to the night – especially with the Slayer and Evile covers thrown into the mix for good measure!
Up next was Ramraid, who were sadly plagued by drum difficulties practically from start to finish. However in true professionalism, they didn’t let this bother them and drummer Dominic soldiered on through it all, and they put on a great show regardless. Admittedly Ramraid didn’t quite have the same momentum to their set as Desolate Horizon did at times, however it was still a good set all the same and they wound things up by bringing a guest vocalist onstage with them, which was a way to go out with a bang!
As mentioned earlier, headlining the night was Deified in their debut live performance. Suffering from a couple of technical difficulties at the start (causing frontman Jamie to joke about how it was clear it was their first gig), when they got going they were a force to be reckoned with. It was almost unbelievable it was their first show because they gave an established performance that showed they weren’t novices at playing live.
It was an all-round great show and a particular highlight was when they stopped mid song and got the audience to yell “fuck it” with their middle finger in the air and they even did a tremendous cover of Limp Bizkit’s Break Stuff, really making the track their own.
If this show is a sign of things to come, then the future is surely bright for Deified. Although still at an early stage of their career, they will surely become a force to reckon with in months to come.
7/10
