It was with a hint of deja vu that we ventured up to London to celebrate Simon’s birthday and see Grand Magus for the second year running.
As is now customary we started at the ever excellent Southampton Arms in Kentish Town, home of a great range of real ales and superb pork pies! Myself, Si, Nick and Gary enjoyed a good couple of hours here catching up and talking all things metal and football (just for a change).
The birthday boy & Gary
Sir Heavy of the Coastal Regions (AKA Nick)
Once we arrived at the Underworld it was good to see a few had turned up early to see the support acts. First up were extremely young band Vintage Caravan from Iceland who put in a stormer of a set. It’s apparent that these youngsters have done their classic rock homework as their sound owes a lot to 70’s rock and psychedelic acts with a good modern twist. They had great stage presence throughout and both lead singer Oskar (a dead ringer for a young Bill Steer if I’ve ever seen one) and bassist Alex were a bundle of energy all set. I haven’t enjoyed seeing an unknown to me band in quite some time and will be checking these guys out again.
Vintage Caravan
A young Bill Steer anyone??
Next up were the only British band on the bill Asomvel, so it was a shame that I didn’t enjoy them! Don’t get me wrong what they did they did very well, but whilst I’m a fan of Lemmy & Co, their Motorhead influences were just a bit too obvious for my liking and I lost interest after a few songs!
So finally to the main attraction, the 3 man Norse wrecking ball that is Grand Magus. These guys just never seem to disappoint and latest album Triumph & Power has been a regular fixture in my ears for the past few weeks. Whilst nowhere near as doomy as earlier releases the songs are just so heavy and their Maiden and Lizzy influences now seem to shine through more than ever.
During the night they aired 2 new tracks in On Hooves of Gold and Steel vs Steel, which both fitted in superbly with this “greatest hits” set. Old favourites such as Kingslayer and Iron Will were greeted enthusiastically by the crowd and as always JB and Fox led from the front with loads of energy and enthusiasm. By the time that we reached the encore double hammer blow of another new track Triumph & Power and classic Hammer of the North, JB had us eating out of his hand and loving every second of the show.
The mighty Magus in full flow
As we all left the Underworld we knew that we’d once again witnessed heavy metal heaven, and it was great that Si got to see it this time! Same time next year guys?
Jules Throne 