Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs delivered on their promise to bring catharsis through noise to Aberdeen.
The psych metal five piece, aka Pigs x 7, also vowed to ramp up the amps to ‘trouser flapping’ volume to the Lemon Tree in their first Aberdeen gig.
Ahead of the Granite City show singer Matt Baty claimed the aim is for Pigs x 7 and the audience to become lost in music.
Mission accomplished.
As the feedback buzzed through the venue after the final riff of the night fans would have needed a compass to find their way back to normality after a euphoric show.
This was a celebration of noise, riff and the power of music.
Find What Feels Good… Pigs x 7
Newcastle’s Pigs x 7 produce a sonic maelstrom that sounds like Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Sunn O))) and Sleep mixed together in a blender.
If the blender is connected to a wall of amps all ramped up to maximum.
From the offset Pigs x 7 played with intense volume and relentless, kinetic riffs.
A charismatic and passionate front-man vocalist Baty was decked out in shorts and a T-shirt that proclaimed Find What Feels Good.
Pigs x 7 in full flow feel not just good -they feel great.
They unleashed a crushing Sweet Relief that moved at a relentless pace with Baty passionately delivering the lyrics.
GNT from critically acclaimed second album King of Cowards had the aggressive propulsion of Motorhead and call to arms of Crass.
Pigs x 7 a visceral experience
The rhythm section of John-Michael Joseph Hedley (bass) and Chris Morley (drums) provided a phenomenal, floor shuddering backbone.
Guitarists Sam Grant and Adam Ian Sykes added further punch to the crushing riffs.
In between songs Maty said someone in the audience had baked the band a cake to mark their first gig in the Granite City,
They had yet to see the cake. The search for the elusive cake continues.
Gloamer slowed things down and built like Playing With Fire era Spacemen 3 or Hawkwind until it exploded.
Then it dropped into silence for a few seconds with only the hum of the amps – before the maelstrom.
The sharp juxtaposition of silence before noise only made the volume seem even more intense,
Third album Viscerals was released in the early stages of the pandemic lockdown last year.
Pigs x 7 had been denied the chance to play this album live for more than a year.
The album title perfectly sums up Pigs x 7 – visceral. Their music dives deep down into the body. It becomes a raw, physical experience.
Reducer was another highlight from a band at the height of their powers.
Play the last song like you will be sick
Towards the end of a blistering set Baty made clear the band would not play an encore.
He explained Pigs x 7 discussed the issue of encores and decided unanimously never to play them.
Why? Baty said it was because the final song of every every show should be played with such intensity and power that ‘you are violently sick’.
No holding back. No thoughts of later songs. Leave everything on the stage.
They then launched into A66 and played it with such ferocity and intensity it was as if it were the last song they would ever play- not just the set closer in Aberdeen.
It was 10 minutes of riff bliss and proof of the power of music.
Then Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs left to rapturous applause.
As promised there was no encore. The way it should always be.