We catch Stoneghost first who don’t take long to impress the crowd. They ease forward before fully committing into an ad-hoc pit in front of the stage. They’ve definitely got groove and it’s refreshing. Infact, they fuse a variety of metal genres together and leave you wanting more by the end of their set.
As Raging Speedhorn swagger on stage it’s a welcomed reception and doesn’t take long for drinks to hit the ceiling and bodies to start flying into each other. Their presence on stage emits that of best friends and they drag the crowd into their world, they laugh with fans many times throughout the night and it’s a pleasure to see.
A barrage of older hits and new tracks off their latest album Lost Ritual all balled up make for an interesting set. The pace is fast and the crowd keep up.
As each member gets their moment, for me, singer Frank stands out as the leader of the pack and keeping the crowd in check. “I want to see the guy who installed this floor” belts out Frank as the stage and pit have become somewhat of an ice rink. Dancing ensues.
The thing with Raging Speedhorn is it does feel like they’re starting again. It’s incredible how much the industry has changed in the last ten years and it’ll interesting to see if they can keep their heads above the water this time. But despite this they truly slay tonight. They’ve always been renowned for their frantic live shows and tonight, albeit 8 years later for myself, nothing has changed. They’re just as charged as they were before.
The encore sees them play two more songs and the worlds longest outro (High Whore) giving each member a solo moment which is either overwhelming, part underwhelming due to its slight awkwardness. It doesn’t quite seem planned and is a last laugh as friends around the venue tonight.
Raging Speedhorn have definitely not lost their bark and certainly don’t want you to forget about them any time soon. Again.
8/10
