Nile, Laid Wasted at The Brook (2014)

The Brook (Southampton, England)

Nile, Laid Wasted
  It looked like security staff at The Brook had their work cut out for […]
By Charlotte Whittingham / Tomasz Wrobel
June 22, 2014

 

It looked like security staff at The Brook had their work cut out for them as brutality was brought to Southampton in the form of Death Metal warriors NILE and upcoming Death / Thrash outfit LAID WASTED.

As I arrived at the venue I was sad to find that the upstairs was closed off, as it had not sold as many tickets but that wasn't going to stop the loyal Metal community from having a great time tearing the place apart.
 

 

Southampton based LAID WASTED made their way to the stage, as I was upstairs interview NILE legend Karl Sanders; from what I could hear they sounded great.  As I made my way back downstairs I was glad to be in time to catch the last two songs; from what I remember from previous live shows they are a talented bunch of musicians and their stage presence providing a comical side via vocalist Sean Walsh a.k.a Death Metal's answer to Freddie Mercury. This performance was no exception. It was an absolute pleasure to witness a pinnacle moment in LAID WASTED's music career that they can hold under their belts for a long time, which I think they pulled off exceedingly well. From what I could see a few members of the crowd certainly took to them and speaking with them afterwards they mentioned there were a couple of songs they received a very positive reaction to. I am adamant in thinking it can only get better LAID WASTED.
 

 

With the performance of NILE looming I could sense anticipation and excitement from the crowd. Being a brand new listener to NILE and liking their sound I was very excited to see what they could bring to The Brook that fateful evening. As Egyptian music was heard on the system cheers and chants filled the venue as they made their way onto the stage, opening with the almighty "Sacrifice Unto Sebek" I could tell they had the crowds right where they wanted them from the word go.  By the time "Hittite Dung Incantation" was performed the mosh pits started with no hesitation and that was the place where you had to be quick on your feet or you ended up getting battered. I also found that taking part in the mosh pits at NILE provided a very therapeutic release for any stress I was under even if that meant bruises appearing the next morning.

NILE also weren't afraid to show us what they were made of to a half full venue; it did not stop them from giving the fans the best show. I also witnessed great interaction with their fans in the duration of their set. Their eclectic set list of songs from across their different albums including "The Blessed Dead" and "The Inevitable Degradation of Flame" went down a treat with the fans, which was evident through their rapid head banging and fist bumping.  Another thing I was also taken with was the slick shredding from Karl Sanders and Dallas Toler Wade so I cannot really blame the crowd practicing air guitar to what appear to be classic Death Metal riffs and solos.
 

 

Concluding with "Black Seeds of Vengeance" gave the crowd one last chance to mosh before marking the end of a fierce set.

NILE and LAID WASTED offered the perfect Death Metal show on a silver platter; they made sure to include all the vital elements such as brutal music from talented performers, dedicated fans and utter chaos.

Setlist

1. Sacrifice Unto Sebek
2. Defiling the Gates of Ishtar
3. Kafir!
4. Hittite Dung Incantation (Those Whom The Gods Detest)
5. Enduring the Eternal Molestation of Flame
6. Supreme Humanism of Megalomania
7. The Blessed Dead
8. The Howling of the Jinn
9. The Inevitable Degradation of Flesh
10. Iskander Dhul Kharnon
11. Sacroplagus
12. Lashed to the Slave Stick
13. Black Seeds of Vengeance
 

Interview - Karl Sanders (Nile)

 

Is this you first time in Southampton?

I think we performed here a few years ago at The Joiners. I really like The Brook, the people are really nice and it's a very pleasant place to stay; there is a great kitchen area, you have the balcony, a place to sit down and a shower.

Which musicians would you gather together to create a super group?

Let's have Ginger Baker, I believe Jack Bruce is still alive too so let's have him and Eric Clapton. So Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton.

If you could have them perform your ideal venue where would that be?

We could either do it here [The Brook] or The Bikini Club in France. It's in Toulouse on the south of France.

This is question from one of my friends; what is your favourite beer?

We drink a lot of Heineken. I hate English beer; there are a few Belgian beers that are OK. The American Budweiser is terrible but their real one from Czechoslovakia; now that's pretty good.

Are there many similarities and differences between the Metal scenes in the USA and the UK?

Well the clothes are the same, the music is the same but the social function is different. In America everything is very trend driven; people will only like metal if it's in fashion and when the next thing comes into fashion they'll go with that. It then gives you a couple of years to re-build your audience because people who were your fans before are now fans of something else; it's very frustrating. Whereas on this side of the pond both here and on the mainland when you earn a fan they stick around for a while, years even. You don't see that in America.

That's interesting because I thought it was like that here due to programs like The X Factor, people tend to follow those.

I don't follow those, I think those kinds of shows are ruining what music is about. I don't need Simon Cowell to tell me anything.

How did your recent performance at Hellfest go?

It was very dirty and massive.

I have another question from a friend of mine here; are there any books/TV shows/films that influence your writing?

Well the History Channel, The Discovery Channel, the TV show Aliens, the Military channel.

Since I've never watched the show Aliens, enlighten me on what it is?

Well there were a lot of people that believe that we were visited by aliens in Ancient Times that influenced the early development of our culture's civilization.

A question from Metal Temple photographer Tomasz Wrobel; what's the most awkward thing that has ever happened to you on stage?

Well there are so many, it's hard to choose just one. I would differentiate the difference between awkward and embarrassing; they aren't exactly the same shade. Awkward could be someone throwing something at you then you trip and fall; that would be awkward. When you trip over your guitar cable that's awkward, it's happened a lot over the years. The most awkward moment; falling off the stage. We were opening up for KING DIAMOND who has a massive stage production; on a huge stage it's OK but when you are on a small stage that's leaves very little room. Literally not even long enough to fit my shoe, so the ball of my foot was hanging over the stage and I have a lot of pedals when I'm performing on stage so I'm balancing whilst trying to sing and play so I stepped right off and fell into the area between the audience and the stage.

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