LIVE: Tragedy, w/ Ward XVI
Tragedy, Ward XVI
Sin City, Swansea
06/04/2024
Live Review by Simon Black
Photography by Mike Evans
It’s a brutal night out here in Swansea. Some might argue that that’s not unusual in these parts on any given Saturday, but storm Kathleen is also in town tonight, hitting just in time for the doors of Sin City to open and causing people on the walk up from the town to stay indoors with a pint just that little longer until the wall of water has finished descending, which it really does in earnest. This is a damn shame in terms of timing, because Ward XVI hit the stage mid-deluge to a sparsely populated room, although the 7.30 curtains up doesn’t help either.
The really positive thing here though is that band are playing to their own very enthusiastic audience at this point, who make up in noise what they lack in numbers. There are also a lot of their band shirts and Everton mint striped clothing in evidence (we’re all inmates now you see), which really shows how well this underground phenomenon have done to build their brand since they first broke out to a wider audience in 2017. It’s damned hard to pull yourselves up by the bootstraps in the way these folks have, but with two solid albums out there already and a third crowdfunded one on the way later this year, a shit tonne of hard work, and relentless gigging and probably the most accessible and interactive social media presence I have come across, these guys very quickly demonstrate to this audience why they have done so well without any kind of label support.
The other thing working against them tonight is the really lousy stage layout at this venue. Support bands always have to work with whatever space the headliner leaves them, and this place is far from large, but when you fill a stage with as much scenery, props and people as Ward XVI bring to the party, then things can get a bit cramped at the best of the times. Add a ridiculously designed split-level stage into the mix that whoever built the place presumably intended as a drum riser, and Health & Safety Officer types start to get a bit shirty with all this clutter. Fortunately Sin City is the kind of sweatbox where such people never venture, so Ward XVI make the best of it and deliver anyway. And then some…
And that’s really why they are something special. Anyone familiar with the band will be aware that they like to throw more than a few theatrical elements into their sets, but tonight, despite the ridiculous stage layout, they pull out pretty much every prop, skit and effect in their considerable toy box and cram it all into their forty-five minutes of stage time. The band are also such a well-oiled and rehearsed machine that they’ve learned to flow effortlessly over the logistical challenges, and nothing misses a beat. It’s a brutally intense and razor-sharp display, and the tightest I have ever seen them play.
The set is an even split of material from the two records, which makes a refreshing change from the more “Metamorphosis”-centric set from the last couple of times I’ve seen them. And, despite the slightly over-enthusiastic blasting of dry ice from the mixing desk which would have sent any H&S folks into a final paroxysm, the atmosphere is positively electric in no time at all. By the time they are two thirds of the way through, the room is reassuringly fuller, with people peering through the fog to see what the hell is going on and discovering that actually, yes, this lot are pretty damned good musically, and the disemboweling, chainsaws, scary beasties, shootings, matricidal evidence-burnings, and assorted mutilations turn them from beyond just being a good band into a real experience. Not that they could have hidden at the back anyway, as the band like to jump into the crowd and rope them in, which is a really sure fire way of making sure people actually watch them rather than nattering rudely at the bar. Everyone cheers full-throatedly by the end, and Ward XVI notch another new bunch of inmates up. They might just be unstoppable…
https://www.facebook.com/WardXVI
I will be honest, I was not here to see Tragedy tonight. I tend to be a bit disparaging of bands playing covers sets, because it frustrates the hell out of me that people will always turn up en masse to see some Nirvana or Kiss tribute act, but can’t be seen for dust when underground bands rock up to empty rooms, so I was all ready to go all 80’s Kerrang! tonight. That will teach me… And it will teach me to make threats about eating my hat before going to see a covers band…
If you have not come across Tragedy before, they have taken the concept of a tribute band to a whole different level to the point when they can legitimately claim the genre of ‘Disco Metal’ as their own. Hailing from New York, the band tend to favour the East Coast and Europe as their core market, and the fact that a covers band can afford to do a gruelling eleven-date tour across the UK alone without a break should have told me something.
Although my expectation was that the set was going to be metalised versions of Bee Gees tracks, it was actually a mash up of the 1970’s biggest Disco-era hits served with hairspray, ridiculously short lamé hot pants and an awful lot of humour. It’s actually a hugely sensible package to tour with Ward XVI too, as both bands use actors to keep the theatrics engaging and that means there’s always something to watch, although the inter-song banter and humour is worth watching them for, independently of the music.
With a full set of musicians taking on vocal duties alongside Disco Mountain Man, all of whom have an impressive array of pipes, means that there’s a really good range of harmonies that can be rustled up, and damn me if these songs actually don’t sound rather good done with Metal tunings and volume. The band also cock a snook at early 80’s Hair Metal tropes, and for that alone you have to love them. But the reality is that the set list is not going to fail when it takes in Abba, The Bee Gees, Neil Diamond, Frankie Valli, John Denver, Cyndi Lauper and others, all delivered with a full Metal battle jacket, tassels and, err, glitter… Christ, even my late mother would have got on down to that lot, although what she would have made of the Slayer / The Weather Girls mash up I don’t know (‘It’s Reigning Bloody Men’, anyone?)…
The reason for the early start becomes clear too, because as well as giving a very generous forty-five minutes and full reign to cram in all their gimmicks to Ward XVI, Tragedy also give their money’s worth with their headline set, clocking up an impressive eighteen tracks including three encores, but the room loved them and the night ended on a massive high. It shouldn’t work, but it does, and I now need to go and find some sort of edible headpiece.
https://www.facebook.com/letsmaketragedyhappen
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Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Simon Black and Ever Metal. Photography the property of Mike Evans. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
