With the added headache of finding a venue I’ve never been before the Moho Live doesn’t look like much from outside but with seemingly every metal gig in Manchester revolving around the Academy its good to find a venue with a bit of atmosphere, which the Moho Live has indeed. With a very cool post industrial vibe going on inside, what is it about exposed brickwork and riveted ironwork that makes you feel at home?

Any how, that’s some of the good points now onto the other points, one of which is the stage or lack of one. I didn’t bring my tape with me or I’d had to confirm if we’ve found a stage lower than Rock City basement but I think we have a winner! This means for any gig with more than forty people you’ll be spending the gig staring at the back of someone’s head or at best at a disembodied head floating around on stage.

After a brief wander, very brief! TOTIMOSHI were on, the alt. rock trio consists of Antonio Aguilar guitar and vocals, Meg Castellanos on bass and Chris Fugitt on drums. This band has a grungy metal sound but more importantly than trying to pigeon hole them is that every song is charged with emotion and an even rarer commodity soul. Antonio’s vocal style gives the impression he’s telling a story at times, although I think you need a few listens before you can properly take it all in, where’s a camp fire when you need one!

Such an individual and progressive sound is a breath of fresh air, set highlights ‘Opus’ and ‘The Dance of Snakes’ more than held the crowds attention, I for one will be giving their back catalogue a closer look.

And another one of those other points about the venue as I theorised with a friend, the basement that is now the Moho Live was probably designed to hold boxes of various crap not 200 people plus vat. In short the place quickly turned into a people oven.

With 200 sweaty Metalheads all geared up the chants started EYEHATEGOD! EYEHATEGOD! EYEHATEGOD! The band was not far behind. Singer Mike Williams decided to inject some mischief and got the crowd shouting I love pussy! I love pussy! Shortly followed by I love weed!

Be forewarned an EHG show is a full contact sport! Cue feedback and even before the first song had started proper a brutal pit had begun that never really stops throughout the set. And why would it? Few bands throw themselves into their music like EHG who seem to be in a world of their own onstage and a grim one at that.

Many bands have been described as having a brutal and raw sound but listening to EHG live takes it to a new level, Mike Williams is one sick puppy with a vocal style probably developed hugging the bowl after a Saturday night, this is as raw as you’ll get and I like it. Jimmy Bower’s riffs really give songs like ‘Jackass in the Will of God’ their doomed, unnatural groove.

I’m not sure crowd pleaser is the right term for any of EHG’s songs but ‘White Nigger’ got a second wind out of the flagging pit, while ‘Sisterfucker’ took the tempo up a notch to slow. It might just be a trick of Mike’s strangled vocals fighting against that seriously oppressive bass drone but it seemed like every song has fuck, shit or fuckshit somewhere in it.

I’m not 100% sure but I think the casualty list included one broken nose and a heap of bruises and a lot of happy Metalheads.

Ratings:

Review by Alex Shaw