Things are going well for Black Moth. Performing to a full and willing crowd, new guitarist Frederica Gialanze provides a steady mix of doomy riffs and psychedelic wig-outs while frontwoman Harriet Bevan leads the band with a controlled swagger. Then, four songs in, drummer Dom McCready “explodes” his snare drum, leading the band to call a sharp halt. It’s a setback they struggle to recover from. The second half of the set lacks definition, with the nuances lost to muddy sound. That said, it’s difficult for a band to be boring when fronted by someone as charismatic as Harriet, and then there’s the gleeful double-axenoodling, the synchronisedheadbanging and the fan-favourite Looner made all the more special by the author of the poem which inspired it being here tonight. Anyone can have a bad night; not everyone can battle through it with the crowd still onside. That Black Moth manage it with breezy aplomb is further proof as to why they’re a firm underground favourite.
Black Moth at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, London - live review
The Gospel - live
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
Latest
“It wasn’t the notes he was playing, it was the wild abandon”: Jack White on the guitarist he learned the most from
“I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times when we thought: ‘Let’s just abandon the concept, and write some good songs’”: How Queensryche made conspiracy theory-based masterpiece Operation: Mindcrime,
“He said he reflected the craziness around him – he’d see other people go nuts and write about that”: Frank Zappa’s talent for using popular music to sell unpopular music, by people who helped him
