Band: The Treatment
Support: Sons Of Icarus, White Pigeon, Indigo Rose
Venue: Boileroom, Guildford
Date: 01/02/12
Last Wednesday night at The Boileroom in Guildford, something happened that has never happened before in all my years of Journalism. The support band ruled the stage, out shined the headlining act (The Treatment) and kicked some serious Rock N’ Roll butt!
The night started out with a small cosy crowd as first band Indigo Rose took to the stage. This five-piece all girl rock band showed that rock n’ roll is not only a boy’s game. Although they looked nervous and uncomfortable their sound was well put together, and there is definitely room for improvement here and potential to become a great band.
Bass player Emma Hughes looked a bit stiff, and their rhythm guitar player Lauren Brown had to keep glancing at their lead guitar player Linda Buratto; whether this meant she lost her place in the song, or if she was just concerned she might fall off the tiny stage, who knows! My only advice to this band is they need to take their instruments and jump around on their bed like a child. That way you can get out of the nervous stage and just start enjoying it and build up a better stage presence!
Second on was local band White Pigeon who performed with valiant effort. There is some real talent in the band as guitar player Jon Antony played some crazy licks and never missed a note. Their sound was very raunchy rock n’ roll and the power ballad ‘Ladies’ was a real winner. Their female vocalist Nathalia Sohl however, looked like she didn’t quite know what to do with herself when she wasn’t singing. She needs to move about more, jump around and dance a bit to make them more enjoyable to watch.
Their bass player Eoghan Logue was hiding at the back the whole time; which is a shame, because he was very good at playing his instrument. Again, this band need to practice their stage presence a bit more in some areas, it’s not always about the music, it’s about what’s fun to watch, and tonight these bands seemed to forget this.
Thirdly and foremost, Sons Of Icarus, two words for this band.. YEAH BUDDY! This is what I’m talking about. Good old fashioned rock n’ roll. If CJ Snare and Geddy Lee had a child, Andy Masson would be it, and his voice was just as iconic and powerful as any natural born rock star. Their energy was vibrant and electrifying, they owned that stage and they weren’t going to let anyone take it away from them.
Although their grand finale was cut short after running out of time, I could happily watch another hour of them onstage. These guys could not have been a more perfect warm up act for The Treatment. Their sound was unique, punchy and there wasn’t a soul in the room who wasn’t enjoying it. Their heads were banging, their toes were tapping and their fists were punching. I may even say; they were the highlight of the night. HTF recommend checking these Guildford based renegades out if you ever get the chance.
And finally, The Treatment was up and the crowd screamed and chanted along to the exceptional sound of ‘D***k, F**k, F***t’ which kicks off their set showing just what this band is all about. This being the third time I’ve seen them, I have watched them grow and progress and they just keep on getting better. With every note that’s played and every beat of the drum this band really shows their passion, drive and enthusiasm for what they do.
Other songs like ‘Shake The Mountain’ and ‘I Want Love’ were real crowd pleasers and got everybody on their feet. From front to back, all eyes were transfixed as they ran around the stage like maniacs flaring out crazy solos and throaty vocals.
When the time came to slow it down a bit with a gentle power ballad ‘Nothing To Lose But Our Minds’ the crowd had their hands waving and their lighters flaring. Everything about this band is loud and locomotive and with their live performances it’s not a struggle to see why.
Reviewer: Louisa Smith
Photographer: Gavin Withey
