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Live Review Smash Music By Lee Puddefoot Akira are an unsigned 3 piece from Cambridge and they are currently crawling into the radar of the more inquisitive gig goer through the word of mouth. From the word go they get you involved into a horrific and gripping experience. They scream intensity and twisted fury. Playing only a short set they manage to pack the room out in this grimy East London venue. Bass player Gbenga’s voice soothes and broods over a rampage of distortion and effects. His mellow tones are complemented by guitarist Joel’s emotional and frightening cries. They don’t so much play hard rock; more rip a new arsehole into it. As they rupture through a set of pure aural carnage they provide you with a feeling of something a little supernatural. The music is eerie and at times boarders evil itself but you can’t help but be drawn in, like a nightmare that as much as you try, you can’t escape. With 14 effects pedals adorning the front of the packed stage they take you on a thrashing journey culminating in the extravagant ‘Soho Was always There For Me’ and in the background, the heartbeat of the band Sarah crashing down on the electric drum kit Akira show themselves to be a new breed of band – the bastard offspring of David Lynch’s psychological issues and black metal – with drip of political angst thrown in. You can see the influences of God Speed You Black Emperor and they have all of the pretentiousness of them as well. This though isn’t a bad thing, it shows that they know how to push themselves and break through any boundaries that stand in their way. They are the black knight standing in the wings waiting to strike. Akira make you thankful that you persist going to shitty little venues in order to see something special. [clicky]
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