*** LIFE IN VACUUM + THE DOG INDIANA + DASTARD live show review ***

LIFE IN VACUUM

THE DOG INDIANA / DASTARD

@Lucky Bar in Victoria on March 29th, 2024
Live Show Review

I'm starting to get back into the cycle of seeing a lot of shows and I couldn't be happier about it. Besides the most recent Emma Goldman show and this, expect reviews of the Comeback Kid/Spy show in Victoria as well as the first few Mourn Recif shows, a few of which will be with Hillsboro and Bok Suna (bands on CanaDave's Softseed Music label). Trekking out to this on my lonesome was a tad daunting but I got hugged immediately by a few friends upon entering and all of my worries dissipated, and I even made a few new ones while there. This show was all-around amazing and I can't wait to get more involved in the Vancouver Island scene over the next 3 months with at least 5 shows that I'll be playing.

DASTARD

     The opening band was very, very up my alley. Sounding like a slightly more accessible Die Princess Die (I'm looking at the first LP in particular), I absolutely loved that groovin' bass over maniacal drums, weirdo guitars, and yelled vocals. I'm hoping to get these dudes out to Duncan so they can play with my new band. Super impressed!

(2024) DASTARD "1"

For fans of: Die Princess Die and Fugazi

https://youtu.be/PjSEruYXNMU

Bandcamp

extra video

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THE DOG INDIANA

     Holy shit! I'd never heard of this band but after a friend told me they jammed Unsane and The Jesus Lizard I had a grasp, but goddamn they were even better than that! It was unhinged, screamy, groovy, fun, and heavy all at the same time. I would argue that I didn't even catch their best songs, as they are even better than the below video suggests. Be sure to check them out!

(2024) THE DOG INDIANA "2"

For fans of: Tricky Woo and Ken Mode

https://youtu.be/N06epQmBajY

Bandcamp

extra video

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LIFE IN VACUUM

     Oh ma gawd, ma boyeez. I met them waaaaay back at this early show in the blog's history and I've been on LIV train ever since...which is a decade in exactly two weeks! Playing almost exclusively material from 'Lost', they had the room movin' and groovin' with their slightly slower-paced and rock-oriented material mesmerizing the room. They were even chanted into an encore and played "Apartment" which I've embedded below. They've got another 7 or so days left on tour so see'em if you can!

(2024) LIFE IN VACUUM "Apartment" (from 'All You Can Quit')

For fans of: Blue Youth and Congratulations

https://youtu.be/IVdEFWR0HKo

Bandcamp

extra videos: Lost / Try Again / Lately

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LOCKSLIP

Band: LOCKSLIP
For fans of: Converge, Horsewhip, Ed Gein, Volp, Engineer, Cult Leader, Kidnap Soundtrack, The Chariot, Cave In, Rotting In Dirt, Sectioned, Frontierer, Dillinger Escape Plan, Advent, Lavotchkin, Achilles, and Lentic Waters.
Genres: Punk / Hardcore / Metal / Metalcore / Metallic Hardcore / Math Metal / Mathcore

Related artists: House Olympics.
Country: Loas Angeles, California U.S.A.
Years Active: 2023-present

Label(s): Bad Break Records

     I've had the review queued up for over a week but have had a tough go with the exception of "this kicks major ass", so I'll make this quick.

     The Los Angeles quintet will likely make my best EPs of 2024 with a four-song banger that released the day after my birthday back in January. The debut by LOCKSLIP is very heavy, dynamic, and cathartic, without being too emo or too tough-guy, likely falling into the camp of Converge, Horsewhip, Engineer, and The Chariot. There's pretty much no letting up on the 14 minutes of this talent showcase, with opener "Guillotine Blueprint" setting the tone immediately with blazing vocals amidst wonderfully controlled chaos. Lotta chugs, lotta riffs, wails, screams'n'breakdowns, it's all here in a mere 3:09, with the maniacal solos taking the cake for me. "Bend" is next and lays on that double-bass from the get-go, amidst swirling guitars, bouts of feedback and downright venomous vocals. My personal favourite is "Evildoer" as it rides some truly powerful screams through a maze of down-tuned, chuggy, and lazer-esque mathcore/metallic hardcore that even fans of Sectioned and Frontierer will appreciate. Closing track "Payment" opens with a badass bass riff that does the audio equivalent of turning the lights off, plunging the listener into utter darkness. As the feedback slowly and inevitably consumes you the track then blows up like the big bang at the 40-second mark, expanding outward until 2:10 when the EP takes it's first breather, reverting back primarily to bass. This doesn't last long as the vocals then kick into high gear, bringing about a most bangin' breakdown at the three-minute mark. A goddamn solid EP.

     Fack, that wasn't very quick.

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DISCOGRAPHY

2024 - Lockslip digital EP (stream/donate/download here)

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(2024) LOCKSLIP - "Evildoer" (from 'Lockslip')

https://youtu.be/kj92LN8XmUY

(2024) LOCKSLIP - "Payment" (from 'Lockslip')

https://youtu.be/SEM9a7PnBE4

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Additional links

Podcast with Edie of Everything Remade

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*** FARAH RUD + OPIÁCEA + DESVIO split premiere ***

FARAH RUD + OPIÁCEA + DESVIO

"Split"
exclusive album premiere

For fans of: Orchid, June Paik and Amu Daria

FARAH RUD Bandcamp
DESVIO Bandcamp
OPIÁCEA Bandcamp

      
     Today's premiere of this incredible 3-way split featuring 7 songs in 16 minutes from Farah Rud (Indonesia), Desvio (Brazil), and Opiácea (Brazil). It releases in full March 21st via Lua Negra Records, a Brazilian screamo label, on their Bandcamp page as well as streaming platforms. The production was completely DIY: all the songs were recorded, mixed and mastered by the bands themselves. They are currently looking for labels interested in a tape release, so if that's your thing or you'd like it to start to be your thing please contact the bands! Lastly, at the end of march, Desvio is touring Brazil's southeast region, on the "ninho torto tour" ("crooked nest tour"). More info about the tour linked on Instagram here!

     Things begin with three quick FARAH RUD songs that bring to mind emo-violence ala Orchid, Senza, and Mis sueños son de tu adiós - ya know, lotsa screaming and an early 2000s feel, with the closing jam experiencing spaghettification as it breaks down into feedback and chaos. OPIÁCEA's two jams are much darker and fall on the screamo/black-metal/crust side of things, bringing to mind bands such as June Paik, Deszcz, and His Hero Is Gone. DESVIO finishes this killer split off with two songs that find the balance between the two preceding bands, as they mix post-hardcore, sludgy rock, as well as both fast and slow elements along with the skramz. I don't really have band comparisons here because they really branch off and do their own thing, maybe some heavier Joliette mixed with Amu Daria or something.

(2024) FARAH RUD + OPIÁCEA + DESVIO full stream

https://youtu.be/52874vdEPzM