“Let me tell you a tale about a kid who’s fucked up just like me.“
Boolin Tunes were happy to make the December 22nd Graphic Nature headline show their office Christmas party. They brought a stacked line up to the show that closed out a stellar year for the band, from their debut album release in Febuary to a slew of festival apperances and a Skindred support slot later in the year. Watching the band rise has been a pleasure for us, and this show was a victory lap for a standout year.
Photos by Angelina Emmanuel, words by Dobbin T.
Spitting Teeth
Spitting Teeth and Graphic Nature are close musical cousins, both on the pissed-as-hell-nu-metalcore trend, so their inclusion made perfect sense. No other band of the night offered breakdowns as hard as Spitting Teeth, becoming a hardcore band for more than a split second whilst their singer conducted muscular chaos. Much like the headliners, they emphasised the force behind their angry music is a positive one, a union of heavy metal for metal health. Leaving the stage, the effect they’d had was more than just a warm up.
Knife Bride
My first exposure to the Brightoners Knife Bride, and why not just go straight to the live experience for a band that’s fresh from Europe on the heels of Skynd? Their most unique elements are the duet vocals from Mollie Buckley and Lauren Wise, the latter handling keys and sampling at the same time; the former doubling as security when crowdsurfers needed a hand. The mix handed to them by the sound desk made the low end punch hard, emphasising their ‘metal’ qualities, but they were certainly the pop act of the night, and proud of it. They were almost bemused at the audience’s response, perhaps not realising so many would know their songs like “Fang Dummy“. Knife Bride will return to the Camden neighborhood to support Vukovi at the Electric Ballroom in March.
Graphic Nature
The Underworld is a fantastic match to Graphic Nature‘s sound: claustraphobic and winding. You just need to add a glimmer of modern electronic tech to nail their atmosphere (maybe Camden market’s Cyberdog can host the next show). Graphic Nature‘s extreme dedication to the custom windbreaker look made a lot of sense in the sweaty room. Not satisfied with the heat, bassist Charlie Smith hopped into the circle pit to give it a proper stirring himself. The “no crowdsurfing” sign on the famous Underworld pillar was certainly not heeded, with whacky stagediving antics coming from the band and audience alike. Another standout moment was when Megan Targett of Vexed joined the band to duet on “White Noise“. The headline set included a staggering fiveteen tracks, plus interludes – a huge undertaking for a band that gives it their all for every song. Perhaps Graphic Nature will have to get used to these marathon sets going forwards.
