Remedy, Slaves to Gravity and The Butterfly Effect @ O2 Academy

Three bands in one night, and only one I’d heard much from in advance. And they were up first. Newcastle based heavy metal four-piece Remedy were, in my opinion, the highlight of the night. Dynamic, entertaining and clearly enjoying themselves, these talented musicians provided a great start to the night, and vocals of Jenn Cherene provided a refreshing female element to a genre more commonly male dominated. If you like heavy metal, Remedy are definitely a band to keep an eye on.

They were followed by Slaves to Gravity, a band I’d heard less from, but was still eager to see. And not without reason. This hard rock band from London were entertaining and skilled, displaying extensive musical talent. The thirty minute set, comprised mainly of songs from the upcoming album UNDERWATEROUTERSPACE (scheduled for release in March of this year, and something I’d advise you check out), was a catchy, cool exhibition of the band’s ability. It wasn’t difficult to understand why they were named Kerrang!’s “Best British Newcomer” in 2008.

Ironically enough, the low point of the night (although by a fairly narrow margin) came from the headline act, Australian art rock group The Butterfly Effect. Although the band played more than competently, they seemed to lack the presence of the other two groups, and their music struck me as somewhat generic. However, that is not to say that The Butterfly Effect lacked any particular talent, far from it in fact. They simply couldn’t live up to the bands that had opened for them. However, on the whole, this proved to be a great night.