Since By Man

Having never really understood the point of post-hardcore angst driven rock - well, since At The Drive-In's demise, can you honestly see** the point? It is with tin hat and an endless supply of trepidation that I set foot inside the darkened confines of the Mill, expectations not exactly brimming, but not quite below ground level either.

First up are local trio Girl 6, whose Lightning Bolt/Kill The Buick Six mangled noise sounds rustier than a Locust** soundcheck, quickly alluring itself to the timeless elegy that empty vessels do make the most abrasive sounds after all. One "song" seems to consist entirely of various members screaming out of time "I'm sorry, we're sorry...". So are we.

Fortunately the arrival of From The Shards Of Comets! adds a delightful edge of mischief and enigmatic fervour to the proceedings. Their apocalyptic furrowing of all things loud and dramatic recall Godspeed! You Black Emperor* during their earliest and most definitive period. Imagine 65 Days Of Static* sharing a room with Brian Eno** for a fortnight and this would be the result. Blissful, dynamic, and totally out of sync with the rest of tonight's bill.

Not that Silhouettes Of Soldiers put on a bad show either.

Their brooding semi-nihilistic hardcore brings to mind the intensity of Glassjaw* coupled with the heavyweight riffage of Monster Magnet*, while the way their singer flails and collapses over the front of the stage during the tumultuous climax of their set suggests this lot will stop at nothing to succeed. S.O.S. are certainly ones to watch for the future, particularly as the UK post-hardcore scene has buried itself so far underground even the daisy roots are out of sight.

And so on to Milwaukee's Since By Man, whose heavily tattooed frontman Sam Macon shouts and screams a lot, mostly incoherent, and definitely to the detriment of tune. Its at this point that I decide to leave, job done, although 2 out of 4 can't be all bad for a breezy Wednesday night in Mansfield.