Rolo Tomassi give XOYO a fright

On a chilly Halloween night, it was a great idea to warm our bodies with a pumped up punk show at XOYO courtesy of Rolo Tomassi. Dressed as the Addams family, with the spritely lead singer, Eva Spence, appearing as Morticia, the band kicks off the night with ‘Howl’.

From the get-go the crowd were a blur of flying limbs and a stream of witches hats and unravelling mummy costumes. The band were really gratefull for the crowds exuberant response to new tracks from the latest album Astrea. Normally I am not a fan of this grindcore type genre but when you are int the middle of the crowd getting pummelled from both sides by crashing synths and sweating bodies, it is easy to understand the reason for the movement’s faithful following. The band is tighter than ever with ‘I Love Turbulence’ , ‘Pill Fox, and ‘Old mystries’ particularly impressive. After an 18 month touring absence it was great to see Rolo Tomassi back in action and something more mature than ever. I could hear some dickhead metalheadsbehind me complaining about the stage layout but these gripes were small compared to the noise and fun the band brought.

It is quite hard to define the music which Rolo Tomassi make - is it mathcore, post hard-core or jazz metal? As an Imperial square I like boundaries and so music so experimental and beautifully unpredictable is actually quite unnerving. This should not put anyone off, however, because sometimes it is great to immerse yourself in something so bold yet disconcerting.

I am still quite a way from growing my hair long and buying a Metallica hoody [Sorry- I love stereotypes, which are normally quite true for musical tribes] but the night was far better than expected. XOYO was an enjoyable venue and, although some of the issues people have with the sound quality became apparent during the night, I would definitely swing by this trendy hangout again. One thing is for sure, Halloween will not be so crazy next year!