Thursday 11 June 2015

Live Review: Hayehudonim/The Turbans/Sadistikus @ Koro, Tel Aviv [6 June 2015]

   Tonight, I come back to Koro to check out some bands I haven't seen before for an event entitled Happy Slayer Day, despite not really having any connection to Slayer. It is actually a mixed bag, featuring some death metal, rock and roll and fairly more traditional punk rock.

I'm going to keep this as short a review as possible.



Sadistikus



    Sadistikus are a (seemingly) young band from somewhere around these parts who play blasting death metal. They, of course, all have amazing hair and have donned death metal t-shirts for tonight's performance; nothing new there. The actual songs have impressively heavy riffs and generally had me and many others headbanging. Most of the band seem pretty static, which is a bit of a let down. However, I guess, when the music is this heavy, you don't really need to move. I did worry about the drummer, though. Poor bugger! Have any of you tried playing blast beats over and over again? You have to be strong for that kind of thing. I can't do it. Unfortunately, I could see the effect it was having on the drummer, as he sometimes fell out of time and even had to stop and get back into the song at some points. That aside, I was actually disappointed their set was short. I was into it.

3/5



The Turbans


    Now we get to the rock and rolllll!! The Turbans are a trio from Jerusalem, consisting of two guitarists, Eyal and Gilad, and drummer Yadin. They are one of those bands whose name I have heard and seen listed for shows but I have somehow not seem them yet. I'm glad to have finally managed to watch them because they scratch that little psychedelic rock itch I get from time to time. 
   The band have an interesting stage presence. The two guitarists actually place themselves in front of the stage, with Gilad having his pedals and tiny keyboard on a stand next to him. Both guitarists sing (although Eyal seems to be the lead) as Yadin, from his spot on stage, does some simple yet perfectly impactful drumming. 




   The songs themselves run in the psychedelic garage rock vein, with good usage of cool melodies, grooves, noises and joyous dual vocals. They're one of those bands your parents could definitely dance to. In fact, a part of me would have really liked to have bust a move but I think a lot of us there (which wasn't very many) felt restricted due to the band being "in our area". But that's more our problem than theirs. I've seen footage of hardcore shows where the crowd is "moshing" right in front of the band and even knocking into them....but everyone's having a blast! It shouldn't really be a problem. 
   Despite not really knowing the words, I have had the melody of their song entitled I Should Have Known in my head ever since the show. That's a sign of a good song.

4/5


Hayehudonim (The Yids)


   Whether it's a playful take on the more popular Israeli band Hayehudim (The Jews) or simply a something that sprung to mind, you got to hand it to Hayehudonim on their name choice. This is another band whose name I have come across, although I am actually not too sure if I have seen them before.




    Some of the songs in the set sounded quite familiar. They play very fuzzy and distorted rock and roll. (That's not just the sound tonight, it's how they sound on record too.) Compared to the rest of the bands and even crowd tonight, Hayehudonim seem to be of an older generation. The drummer, who looks like a more muscly and tattooed version of well known actor and Simpsons cast member Hank Azaria, isn't the best drummer I have ever seen or heard. His playing seems very stiff at times and he drops his sticks on occasion. The rest are also not all that impressive, but what they lack in technical ability they make up for in pure energy. Although still pretty static, everyone is playing like their lives depended on it as the vocalist uses his full lung capacity to project his venom, as echoey and inaudible as it may be. 




   Hayehudonim have been around for many years, as is seen by a few people here tonight singing along. Unfortunately, being veterans does not always mean that you're the best. That said, I have checked them out on record and it sounds a whole lot better. The songs are there, it was just an awkward performance. 

 3/5

Special thanks to Aviv Liplis Hadar on the use of his camera which is a good deal better than mine.

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