(((O))) Live: Uneven Structure, Voyager, Deadly Circus Fire, Eater Of Man – The Underworld, Camden

Is there a band more fittingly named to open up the first show proper on Uneven Structure’s Cooking The Man tour than Eater Of Man? They’re a band who don’t seem to want to sacrifice any heaviness despite the oodles of technicality in their music, and it serves them well – sounding like the ominous soundtrack to a slow, sadistic bludgeoning. Bassist Andrei Verner is on fire throughout, technical basslines to rival some of tech-death’s leading lights, while vocalist Hadley Sharp is a menacing focal point to the band that are definitely one to watch for death metal fans.

Continuing the ominous vibe come Deadly Circus Fire, who sound unlike any act I’ve heard before. Heavy accessible grooves combine with a generally unpredictable atmosphere, creating a show that is hard to look away throughout, helped in no small part by vocalist Adam Grant patrolling the stage like a psychotic supervillain craving meth. Enjoyment isn’t a word that pops into my mind to describe them, but they’re a quality band and I would gladly be unsettled and confused by their live show again.

Voyager go in the complete opposite direction; the Aussies bringing barrels of joy and infectious humour to the stage, as well as some fantastic prog. They’re bouncing basically throughout; and it rubs off on the crowd, especially when they throw out Darude’s ‘Sandstorm’ in the middle of a song. I’m not even joking. Despite being apparently plagued by technical difficulties throughout (and almost ending the set a song early), they sound magnificent.

With the greatest respect to the three excellent performances before them, Uneven Structure blew the rest of the line-up completely out of the water. La Partition is very close to the top of my album of the year list, and is very worthy of being given the performed-live-in-full treatment. There’s no end to the highlights: the almost pleading cleans at the end of ‘Crystal Teeth’; the foreboding melodies throughout the middle trio of ‘Incube’, ‘Succube’, and ‘Funambule’; the devastating climax of ‘The Bait’. They don’t stop throughout, there is no meaningless banter to distract from the musical worlds they’re building, and they’re better for it. Even after the discordant finale of ‘Your Scent’, there’s still more treats. Februus is largely a heavier album, particularly live, and ‘Frost’ showcases that exceptionally well. They have taken their time, honed their already impressive sound, and seem to get better as they go. Basically everything about this performance was done right, and it was a joy to see.