Photos by Warren Zanin
DevilDriver and 36 Crazyfists: a killer combo that promised awesomeness from the time the bands’ co-headlining 2010 European tour was announced. And London’s HMV Forum saw both bands deliver the goods at a relentless pace. Tonight fans witnessed a metal onslaught of epic proportions. From crazed half jacks to zombie circle pits, DevilDriver and 36 Crazyfists inspired the crowd to an unparalleled brotherhood of music loving, passionate aggression.
Watching the Alaskan, Jackie Chan loving metallers who call themselves 36 Crazyfists is particularly mind-blowing when one realises that such massive sound is produced by a band boasting only one guitarist. It’s mental. Not only are Brock Lindow and his band able to inspire a rampage of crowd surfing but the guy even got the crowd into half-jack position. Anyone remember this: “You’ve seen the wall of death, you’ve seen the circle pit BUT you’ve never seen this; step back, arms out…” – yup! Jumping Jacks – I kid you not. What’s wrong with a bit of metal humour, and an energetic work out, among friends? The band’s setlist included old favourites as well as some newbies from latest album Collisions And Castaways, and as one would expect from a 36 Crazyfists performance, those big belting choruses required no work from Lindow as fans appropriated both words and tune. The 36 Crazyfists Setlist included the songs “In The Midnights”; “We Gave it Hell”; “I’ll Go Until My Heart Stops”; “At The End Of August”; “Reviver”; “Elysium”; “The Heart & The Shape”; “Felt Through A Phone Line”; “Installing The Catheter”; “Death Renames The Light”; “I’ll Go Until My Heart Stops”; “Slit Wrist Theory” ; “Bloodwork”; “Whitewater” and “The All Night Lights”.
What better way to get the crowd amped for the monsters of metal than a DevilDriver chant en masse? And that was 36 Crazyfists’ final word to London – “DevilDriver!”
No band works harder on stage than Dez Fafara and his mighty gang of metal thumpers. If the security guards at the front of house worked hard during 36 Crazyfists’ set, they worked doubly hard when DevilDriver ruled the stage. Not only were the guys surfing their way forward but a hoard of manic ladies were machining their way over the front line… again and again. Dez oozed his signature charisma and demanded: “dance motherfucker dance”, and called on fans for a Californian style circle pit that required a “bad fucking ass” host of “walking zombies” – and the crowd delivered. DevilDriver are always ridiculously tight and meet the demands of their music with unyielding perfection. Circle pits reigned the night and fans were treated to the best of DevilDriver, including “I Could Care Less”; “Hold Back The Day”; “Pray For Villains”; “Head On To Heartache”; “Clouds Over California”; “Fate Stepped In”; “Forgiveness Is A Six Gun”; “Die”; “Not All Who Wander Are Lost”; “It’s In The Cards”; “Nothing’s Wrong”; “Impending Disaster”; “End Of The Line”; “Meet The Wretched” Encore: “Another Night In London” and “Fighting Words”.
DevilDriver most certainly caused a riot in London on this night! Dez’s post gig tweet says it all: “London! Start to finish you were ON FIRE! We will be back soon for more of the same. Thanx for the good times! Honour to play for you!”
