STEVE GOLDBY’S HEAVY METAL CHRONICLES: KOBRA AND THE LOTUS, PRAYING MANTIS, JUDAS PRIESTER, TRIAXIS
STEVE GOLDBY’S HEAVY METAL CHRONICLES
KOBRA AND THE LOTUS, PRAYING MANTIS, JUDAS PRIESTER, TRIAXIS
27th June 2011
The songs of Kobra And The Lotus deserve to be heard by a large audience and on the strength of this performance, that is bound to happen at some point in time.
But on Sunday evening in Camden there was a growing concern that The Barfly would be only half-full, or half-empty, depending on your outlook as Metalworks were playing five doors down in The Monarch, Eye Hate God were fifteen minutes walk away in The Koko and the hottest ticket in town, Alice Cooper at The 100 Club (click here for Johnny Churchill’s review…), would surely account for some of the inevitable lack of audience at The Barfly?
However, by the time Kobra hit the stage the attendance was much more than respectable for a band who could take this show straight into the arenas and make it work. It’s all in place; it just needs a little fine tuning.
Article continues below…
More on Kobra And The Lotus shortly. Triaxis opened proceedings in The Barfly with their own unique and impressive brand of gothically tinted, avant-garde mysticism and they have the songs to carry them further forward in this ever adapting industry.
I’m afraid I didn’t get a set-list from the band so I can’t quote any song titles but be assured, Triaxis’ material has true quality and if they can secure enough bookings to really fine tune their craft, they could go far.
That was a prompt to my friend Martin Jarvis who made a cameo appearance at last night’s event. Go on son, get on the phone and get them some more gigs! They’re worth it.
The Praying Mantis. Synchronicity with the Kobra and/or the Lotus? A totem to some perhaps and most certainly a British Metal institution and they were on fine form tonight and played one of the best sets they have played all year.
I’ve been watching Mantis for over thirty years now and I have never heard so many people praise them in the way they did last night. Take a bow Tino and the boys, take a bow. But next time, please don’t drink the bar totally dry. There are other people you know…
And then a quick change of venue to see something that was bound to bring a smile. And it did…
Metalworks lost a guitarist recently when Richie Faulkner got the call to join Judas Priest, one of the top Metal bands in the world today. Before he became an overnight sensation two months ago, Richie played here at The Monarch with Metalworks and he left behind some mighty shoes to fill.
Tonight, Judas Priester from Germany were here and I am sure it meant a lot to this rather good Priest tribute band to be treading the boards where the current Priest lead guitarist was in residence before his sudden and dramatic rise to world fame.
It was great to hear ‘Ripper’, ‘Victim Of Changes’, ‘Turbo Lover’, ‘The Green Manalishi With The Two Pronged Crown’ and ‘Painkiller’ and the band executed them well.
And then back to The Barfly for the main attraction of the night and I have to say, they were simply fantabulous!
‘Kobra And The Lotus’ could easily be the title of a book and if the words in the pages were as rich as the band’s songs, it would be a book that would be difficult to put down.
Brittany Paige has the spirit of a modern day Jutta Weinhold (Zed Jago) and she carries these songs off with her presence that resonates from both her voice and the way she holds an audience. And the songs are epics as well; carefully crafted pieces of fine art, presented in a bejewelled casket.
Kobras’ set list will make your hair stand on end at several points throughout and you will be left wanting to hear more. They are in England for another three weeks and if you decide to make an effort to catch them, you will be pleased that you did.
My message to Kobra And The Lotus is if you see a circle of light on a shadowy path, step into it because you are meant to shine and your music will bring joy to the masses. Hail!
Photographs to follow later in the day…
July 1, 2011 – 19:30 Cambridge UK Man on the Moon
July 6, 2011 – 20:00 Gateshead UK The Three Tuns
July 7, 2011 – 19:30 Selby UK The Riverside
July 8, 2011 – 20:00 Barnsley UK The Polish Club
July 9, 2011 – 20:00 Bradford UK Rio’s
July 10, 2011 – 20:00 Grimsby UK Yardbirds
July 15, 2011 – 20:00 Sheerness, Kent UK The Ivy
