Mayhem Underground is under way and The Vale, Glasgow is a lot less packed than the first Mayhem night. The crowd are reasonably reserved to begin with and only half an hour into the night, I’m worried about how the rest of this much-anticipated night will go.

Let’s Play God are not disheartened by the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm and they actually seem to see this as a challenge. Vocalist Rob Grinch constantly encourages the crowd to get on their feet and enjoy the set as much as he clearly is. 

After around three songs, Let’s Play God finally have the attention they were looking for. People are headbanging, cheering and some are even singing along. The crowd has finally come to life and the fantastic atmosphere from the first Mayhem night seems to have re-appeared. 

Along with Let’s Play God’s consistently tight set, flawless musicianship and fantastic songs, there is a lot of chemistry between this band, a lot of confidence which helps grab the audience’s attention. Let’s Play God are a band that work hard and play hard at every single show, they joke around, Grinch’s flirtation with his audience is undeniable, but they never put a foot wrong and that is exactly the kind of criteria needed for an upcoming band. 

Let’s Play God were the perfect band to kick off tonight’s show and to get this audience enthusiastic about the night ahead of them.

Insomniac are so dynamite that they are impossible to miss. 

Due to their almost robotic-like stage presence, I can only comment on their musical talent, of which there is an absolute abundance. Insomniac are a force not to be reckoned with. They play a set that is gnarly and they are compared to the likes of Lamb of God, Devildriver and early Ramones. 

Their solos are fantastic, the drumming is perfect and the vocals are, of course, absolutely ballsy. Every song comes with an intense amount of attitude and venom.

A true metal band that should go far, my only problem was their lack of crowd communication.

Devour are the final band to take the stage. By this point, spirits are at an absolute high in The Vale, the Friday Night Feeling has finally settled in and everybody is right in the mood for some dirty rock ‘n’ roll beats which are exactly Devour’s forte, it’s the absolute core of their sound and they’re the band that I’ve been looking forward to most. 

Devour themselves seem to be in high spirits themselves, and frontman Marc McGregor’s Glaswegian sense of humour is one that the crowd can obviously relate to, before they’ve even played, Devour have this tough crowd’s affections. 

Devour are demanding, catchy and so much fun to watch. Their sound is completely likeable, it’s sleazy rock ‘n’ roll riffs mixed with a dose of heavy metal attitude. 

While I though Devour were slightly rough, they have a lot of ambition and a lot of promise. I look forward to their future gigs and would encourage everybody to go see them.

Tonight got off to a bad start but finished on a great high with exactly the kind of atmosphere that is hoped for at Mayhem Underground nights. Every band played fantastically and there didn’t seem to be an unimpressed person in the building. 

I’ll keep you readers informed of the next night and I hope to see many more people there next time… Are you ready to cause mayhem?

Sarah-Louise Kelly.

Mayhem Underground (Clips from Launch Night)

Wonder what you missed? Here’s a cheeky wee montage of the night. Enjoy! 

It’s ten minutes since the doors opened for Mayhem Underground and already the atmosphere is excitable and positive. Everybody seems pleased to be here, bands are mingling and bantering. I can already sense that tonight will be an absolute success: The Vale is packed.

What’s The Damage are the first band to play, they’re a lot more confident, they’re excited to be here and their set sounds promising. Opening song ‘Overthrow’ is a great way to kick off the first ever Mayhem Underground night.  Unfortunately, What’s The Damage?! aren’t working to their own standards, there are a few technical glitches, the band aren’t in sync and despite their attempts at laughing it off, there is obvious tension on stage when guitarist Dominic struggles to play one of their oldest songs, Daggers. 

Despite this unfortunate turn of events, What’s The Damage have still managed to perform quite well, a great sign of great showmen is carrying on after there have been such problems. They played their new song ‘Golden Silence’ perfectly, it is definitely one of their best songs, fantastic chord progression. It is the kind of song you can imagine a crowd chanting along to at a bigger gig. 

What’s The Damage blast into ‘Shadows’ and reminded their fans exactly why they are so good, this song is their masterpiece, it’s Cannibal Corpse meets decent melodies. There is a perfect relationship between every instrument, What’s The Damage are fantastic songwriters and Shadows is a great example of their abilities, a song they should always work from.

All week What’s The Damage have been hinting at a ‘special cover song’ that they were going to do. Everybody is pretty excited to find out what this song could be, all bets are on. Some people think it could be Rebecca Black’s song ‘Friday’ others have suggested it could possibly be Lady Gaga. When the time finally comes, the band announce that some members will be changing instruments: Tom on bass, Rob on vocals and Darren on drums. Finally, we were all told what the song would be. A Napalm Death cover. It was basically just a two second roar, the crowd was amused and tensions between band members seemed to ease slightly.

The What’s The Damage?! Guys finished their, at times, tumultuous set with fantastic finalé ‘dreams’, one of their best songs. They left the stage not entirely happy but at least knowing that they are capable of better.

What’s The Damage?!’s not-so-great performance didn’t deter the crowd’s high spirits at-all and the reception to Let’s Play God was exceptionally high as they walked on stage.

Let’s Play God’s opener was dramatic, tight and front-man/vocalist Rob Grinch has the audience’s attention almost instantly, he has fantastic charm, not too cocky but can definitely hold his own on stage, he has a great sense of humour and knows how to reach into the very heart of a Glaswegian crowd.

It’s hard to fairly critique a band that don’t put a foot out of place at any point, they absolutely suck in every member of the audience including myself. With Let’s Play God, there’s no whining, no half-arsed efforts, this band are METAL and they are very serious about what they do. There’s nothing missing here, one of the best bands I have ever seen in my life, what an honour.

Let’s Play God have everything a good band requires apart from a record label. They are the very definition of why Mayhem Underground is important today, they are so incredibly talented, they’re tight and they are so deeply in love with what they do. Every song is entirely full of attitude, fantastic riffs, actually, everything you’d want. I can’t fault them, not even lyrically, this band are absolutely outstanding. Anybody and everybody I’ve spoken to about this band has nothing but respect and praise for them. Incredible.

During their third song of the night, ‘Force Fed’, a circle pit was started: an incredible feat for an unsigned band in a venue which can hold less than 100 people. Let’s Play God are destined for great things. Just when you think you know them, know their sound, what they’re about, they pull something else out the bag.

Think Fear Factory meets Metallica meets your best ever night out and you may very well have Let’s Play God. They dominate the stage and the crowd’s attention. Their songs are completely full to the brim, no instrument is lacking. Even the lyrics are ballsy, gutsy- this band NEEDS to be in a bigger venue.

‘Faded’ is the second-to-last song of the night and as the band take a second to refresh themselves the crowd starts chanting ‘LPG, LPG, LPG!’, the band look slightly amazed but take it all in their stride. The crowd absolutely loves them, I love them and am slightly upset that they’ll be going off-stage soon. Let’s Play God are a band worth seeing time and time again.

Nothing can be said about Scarcinogen that hasn’t already been said. An enormously fantastic band to watch, Scarcinogen’s love for music, their passion, it all shines through in their music. An undoubtedly fantastic band that have metal in their blood.

‘Born to do this’ is a cliché but with Scarcinogen, it couldn’t be more true.

At one point, the vocalist separated the crowd in two and demanded a wall of death. It was the first time I’d seen him really get a crowd going but considering this is one of Scarcinogen’s first gigs, he obviously has a lot of potential as a front-man. Watch this space.

By the end of the night, Scarcinogen’s crowd may have been small but it was mighty and was all the proof Scarcinogen needed that they shouldn’t ever stop doing what they are doing. While I’d never describe them as perfect, Scarcinogen play to the same calibre who have been around for three, four, five times longer than them. They ended the night with a bang, perfect way to end such a successful night.

Tonight has been, Mayhem Underground will be as much about music as it is about creating a community. It has been a fantastic experience and the metal scene can only benefit from these nights. It’s more than just another gig, it’s an experience that we’ll all take away with us. 

It’s been beautiful to watch bands support and respect each other. It’s already like private universe in this room. The night couldn’t have gone better. Mayhem Underground is a fantastic concept and Chris Clarke is an absolute genius for putting this into motion. Everybody has said they feel honoured to be part of something so amazing and I’m no exception.

Sarah-Louise Kelly.

What’s The Damage!? photo courtesy of Lauren Millar.

A band whose sound is as bitter as lemons, Let’s Play God are every hard metal fan’s fantasy band. Starting out just over two years ago, Let’s Play God have worked hard to get their unique sound heard by as many people as possible.

Creators of Mayhem Underground, Let’s Play God are an ambitious, balls out bunch with no intention of getting anywhere but the top. Listing Metallica and Machine Head amongst their influences, there is no doubt that these metallers will blow your mind at any performance!

Playing THIS FRIDAY at the Mayhem Underground launch, Let’s Play God are a band that are not to be missed!

For music, news and more information go to http://www.facebook.com/LetsPlayGod

For fans of

• White Zombie
• Fear Factory
• Sepultura

Sarah-Louise Kelly

So, if you by some miracle have missed me writing about Mayhem Underground, this is an explanation about what it is and why I am a strong supporter of it. If you have noticed and still want more info, I urge you to read on, this is a fantastic cause and anybody who cares about the music industry will definitely be on board with this. At the moment, Mayhem Underground needs all the support it can get and anybody who gets involved will be making a huge difference.

One of the biggest problems I’ve found with small gigs with unknown bands is that a lot of the time, bands leave after they’ve played and take their fans with them. Not only is this incredibly disrespectful, it’s moronic: the opportunity to see potentially fantastic bands is being mindlessly thrown away and as Scarcinogen guitarist rightfully stated, “you’re never going to expand as a band if you only have your friends coming to see you”.

Mayhem Underground was started by people who want to change the face of the Glasgow (and surrounding) music scene. They believe that music, especially rock  and similar genres should be a community, not a competition. Mayhem Underground aims to start a new music scene, one that promotes bands together. It’s currently a non-profit organisation that offers promotion, great gigs with great bands and fantastic opportunities to reach out to new audiences.

The way it works is, a band is put on the roster and is offered chances to work with similar bands. The line-ups will always change which will make the reaching out to new audiences possible. No band can leave after they’ve played or they’ll be dropped off the roster, that way every band, even the last band of the night gets the attention they deserve. 

There is NO reason this venture shouldn’t work out if everybody communicates effectively and nobody takes it for granted. This is exactly what so many bands have been waiting for. Every band that deserves more than 10 people watching them will get this chance, they’ll get noticed by Glasgow rockers and hopefully by record labels as well. 

The first Mayhem Underground night is this Friday (the 22nd) in the Vale bar Glasgow. It is set to be a fantastic night with What’s The Damage?!, Scarcinogen and Let’s Play God playing. For more information and news on upcoming Mayhem Underground nights go to http://www.facebook.com/mayhemunderground

“If we all work together, we can create mayhem!”

Do not let this night pass you by!

Sarah-Louise Kelly

Mayhem Underground is a team of metal enthusiasts working together to promote Glasgow metal bands.There is no other motive, not even money, this is all about bands getting the recognition they need and deserve!

Mayhem Underground offers services such as promotion, gigs and flyers. They’re not a promotion, record or management company, just a bunch of people passionate about one thing! 

Any band that is into this concept and agrees to be put on the roster will be working with a range of different bands allowing co-operation and equal respect between bands rather than the ever-so-popular battle of the bands. 

The first night of Mayhem Underground is on April 22nd in the Vale Bar, Glasgow. There will be three bands playing:

What’s The Damage?!

Scarcinogen

and Let’s Play God.

Mayhem Underground is set to be huge and any kind of support at this point in time would be greatly appreciated. Look out for more information from me on these bands in the next week or so and if you love metal, come along for the opening night!

Sarah-Louise Kelly