25/10/2013 Atomic Suplex & Terminal Gods @ Some Weird Sin

Friday night finds me back at one of London's coolest and best value for money club nights for underground rock 'n' roll. These monthly Some Weird Sin nights at Buffalo Bar are always worth checking out and it's dirt cheap on the door. Doors are at nine, but there isn't much happening in the first half hour or so and I find myself in the nearby Wetherspoons as the venue bar stock isn't to my liking...

After a couple of liveners it's back into the venue to see Atomic Suplex.

It's only the second time I've seen this band, the first being several years ago at the much missed Gaff club a mile or so up Holloway Road. The band definitely made an impression on me back then as I still remember their performance.

 This is a pretty intense and crazy punk rock 'n' roll band! They are also very loud!

Unfortunately I ended up stuck on the wrong side of the room and fiddling with camera settings so I didn't get much in the way of decent pictures - I'm not getting on terribly well with my new camera after breaking my previous one at this venue....

The most striking thing about Atomic Suplex (apart from the sheer racket they make) is their jet fighter pilot 'Bone dome' clad frontman - using a helmet mounted boom mic instead of a conventional one. This results in some distorted vocals but enables him to career about the stage, fall over, and still keep singing and playing guitar. It adds an element of danger, and you never know quite what is going to happen next - which is what rock 'n' roll should be like.

The only thing wrong with this band's set is that it's too bloody short! It only lasts about 20 minutes - then it's time to go back to the pub for some more reasonably priced beverages while the next band sets up...

The next band is Terminal Gods. This lot are popping up quite regularly on the London club scene at the moment and building a following. Their hard work seems to be paying off as they are the second band I've seen at this club than have been played on Team Rock Radio recently.

The band have a good sound in the Sisters Of Mercy style, but they don't seem entirely sure if they are a Goth band or not. They play well, and the singer has a very Goth stage persona, but I think the main thing holding them back is that they don't have a drummer. I think this makes it hard for people to take them seriously as a live band - using a recorded or laptop generated drum track makes them sound unconvincing and a bit 'Karaoke'. Apart from sounding a bit fake it really does feel like there is something missing - the power and dynamics that only a real live drummer can bring to a band.

Terminal Gods are definitely getting something right and have got a lot of potential, but I don't think they can really progress from being a club band unless they can address the drummer issue...

Only two bands on tonight, but still a worthwhile night on Highbury Corner - and still time for another pint in the pub before jumping on the train home.