03-03-11: The Mercy House

The Purple Turtle, Camden.

The Mercy House at The Purple Turtle

If I'm honest, I only came to this gig to see The Mercy House play, and I'm glad I did. They had a killer set and you could feel the energy. Though they blew me away when I saw them back in September supporting Jettblack and Reckless Love, their show at The Purple Turtle was even more impressive. Full of energy and passion.. Perhaps even a headline performance? TMH setlist combined new tracks with existing favourites, opening with the exciting "Greed", which would do well as an ending track too. But opening with such a high-energy number creates an impact, with distinctive vocals, shredding guitars and the hard-hitting fillers of the bass and drums. Their whole performance and impact of each track reflects their drive to hit the music scene with a great force. And they are doing just that.

03-03-11: Serpico

The Purple Turtle, Camden

Serpico at The Purple Turtle

I always like seeing new bands play, to see if I can find something a little bit different. And I think I may have found that with Serpico's performance; they had a good sound, a good vibe, and good interaction with each other and the audience. Unfortunately near the end of the set there were complications with the guitarists equipment, but they played it off and had fun with it, and then got everything fixed in time to finish the last song. They had an excitable crowd that added to the atmosphere, and reflected the bands performance. After reading up on Serpico it would seem they are doing well for themselves, despite a few line-up changes, and a relocation. Definately one to watch.

03-03-11: Generation Graveyard

The Purple Turtle, Camden.

Generation Graveyard at The Purple Turtle

Before watching Generation Graveyard play, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive. After listening to them on Youtube/Myspace I knew it wasn't my kind of thing.. But seeing them live, they surprised me. They sounded better, and the more the set progressed, the more I found myself enjoying it. I guess it's never easy being the first band on a set, and I found them to get a little frustrated with this, but even considering this they played well and there were those that were getting really into the set. The energy from the band came across, even resulting in a guitar being broken at the end; their style is dark and gritty, and it works, I don't know if I'm converted to the Death Punk scene but they definately have an attitude and drive that you can't ignore.