LIVE REVIEW: 36 Crazyfists at 02 Islington

IT was in the early 2000s when I discovered 36 Crazyfists. I was in a Virgin Megastore taking advantage of their 5 for £30 CD offer and needed one to fill my quota. Having heard Slit Wrist Theory, I took a punt on getting Bitterness The Star.

I then followed the band through all the following releases - some critically acclaimed, some less so, but all with enough to warrant regular revisits.

2015's Time And Trauma was perhaps their best in recent times with some absolute belters, the title track among them.

And when I heard Death Eater - the first track from last year's Lanterns - I knew I had to be in London when they came by on their European tour.

The gig at the O2 Islington saw support from US noise punk duo '68 and All Hail The Yeti. The former were strong and engaging but I got distracted by the amount of spitting they did - I guess it was to show how raw they were, but ended up seeming like they had some sort of condition. All Hail The Yeti were OK, but a bit metal by numbers.

Crazyfists, though, stepped things up a gear right from the get-go as they launched into the powerful Death Eater as their opening track.

Frontman Brock Lindow's vocals are unique and while not always hitting the mark, they carry that sense of raw and brutal emotion that endeared the band to me all those years back.

The set is long - 14 songs plus three more on the encore - and interspersed with what feels like genuine thanks from Lindow and the band for the support. He remarks that age and distance means they cannot tour to these parts as often as they'd like, but they appreciate the following nonetheless.

They play new songs like Wars To Walk Away From and Better To Burn along with oldies such as At The End Of August and Bloodwork.

They finish with the live debut of Sea And Smoke from Lanterns followed by Time And Trauma. It's safe to say the crowd are delighted and the demand for more is on.

"I thought we were going to have a beer," says Lindow as the four-piece come back out and play Eightminutesupsidedown and then cover Alice In Chains' We Die Young.

Not unexpectedly, the final song of the night is the one that brought them into many people's consciousness - Slit Wrist Theory. The emotion and power in that song has not faded as the years have passed and neither has the band. A fantastic performance.