The Locust

Lavery's Bunker, Belfast

Rarely has a band been more aptly named than these electro-noise maniacs. Their tightly coiled, lightning fast attack just buzzes with malevolent intensity, as the four men in curious nylon jumpsuits (with masks incorporated) jerk and spasm over their poor, abused instruments.

Tonight’s show begins late, as is so often the case with touring acts, so by the time The Locust take to the stage the sizeable crowd is more than ready for them. And although it takes the first couple of 60 second blasts of white-hot noise to let the head catch up with the ears, the next 20 minutes feel like the most exciting thing to have been experienced by this scribe since he quit his last job. Ranging from ultra-fast and technical shards of pure, digitally-enhanced screaming brutality (the majority of the set), through slower riff-driven songs that end up hitting harder due to the fact they don’t go in four directions within 20 seconds, and even the odd crushingly heavy slow grind, The Locust’s phasers are set to stun. Drummer Gabe Serbian, especially, is a flailing dynamo of power and precision – watching him, you would not be surprised to be told he has six arms. By halfway through, his mask is soaked through with sweat and he is reduced to sucking in air through the hole cut for his mouth when not gritting his teeth in concentration and effort and spraying the front row with splinters from his sticks.

Curiously enough for a band whose longest album (the most recent) is 23 minutes long, they manage to outstay their welcome. Too much of a good thing, you might say. Half an hour in, and songs bleed into one another as monotony and a smidgen of aural pain take hold. Then comes a punishing barrage of digital noise seemingly designed to separate the wheat in the audience (the troopers down the front) from the chaff (ahem). Another few songs and five long minutes later it’s all over, and the prevailing emotion is relief. If they’d stopped after 25 minutes, there would be drool on this keyboard about now. As it is, all I’m left with is frustration and a sense of defeat. The Locust 1 – 0 AU, I suppose. Chris Jones

Issue #52 - Very Bro-some

Featuring Panama Kings, ASIWYFA, an investigation into DIY touring, details of what over 25 of the finest NI bands are up to in 2009 and much more.