“Now what you sow you will reap, judgement doesn’t sleep.“
Words and photography by Anton Smeeton, contact Anton prior to any use.
Tonight is a tough night, about as tough as they come for a band on the road. A week night show, a member down and a last minute venue change that triples the size of the room is as rough a day at work as anyone could ask for. It would be reasonable for any musician to take this as a critical blow to their confidence and find the shortest route to the fire exit. Lionheart are not just any musicians though, with more than twenty years in the game and nearing a decade since their last gig in London, Lionheart have been a long time coming. Flexing their muscles before a nationwide run with Bury Tomorrow, it’s a rare showing for a pedigree band with a deep discography to dig into.
Negative Frame
First up though are local crew and The Coming Strife alumni Negative Frame. Warming up for their own headline run in November, they bring half an hour of hard edged metallic hardcore and riffs that bleed death metal influences. Facing a small crowd in a big room is a challenge for anyone but they face it with good humour and crushing beatdowns that can bring a smile to any hardcore kids face.
Lionheart
A sudden swap of venues places Lionheart on a big stage in a bigger room with only hours notice. It’s an intimidating proposition that would send most bands running for the hills. Facing an awkward situation head on with a cool professionalism and big smile, Lionheart break the tension in the room instantly. Every person in the room is a fan, and a tight set of classic songs pull them in closer and closer until the self consciousness is forgotten and people are dancing, shouting and piling in for the mic.
Tonight shouldn’t have been a good show, and for a lot of bands it probably wouldn’t have been. But by putting ego to the side and music to the front, the west coast vets pulled it off.
