Touring their new album Totally, which comes out Tomorrow, newly formed rock band Stöner brought their grungy hard-core style to Bristol’s legendary floating venue.
The show was opened by Slomosa, who had come from Bergen in Norway to join Stöner for this tour. Although they didn’t have a massive way with words, these guys came on and rocked the crowd out hard, and got them warmed up well for the main act.
It seemed that most people had never heard of Slomosa’s music before, bar a few dedicated fans, and I think this Norwegian band went away with a few new fans from this show (myself included). As a band, they played well together, and it was clear they were in sync with one another. Norwegian heavy music is world renowned for being in a league of its own, and Slomosa certainly proved that once again.
My personal favourite track of theirs has to be There is Nothing New Under The Sun.
And then it was onto the main act of the night. Although I do enjoy a night with a big line up and getting introduced to plenty of new music, there are also nights like last night that I like where it’s just two bands playing, keeping it simple.
From the moment Brant, Ryan and Nick hit the stage, they brought all the energy they could muster out with them. Another band not much for talking, it took a couple of songs to get the crowd fully warmed up and singing and dancing along.
Stöner are a relatively newly formed band, but previous bands that the members were in (from Kyuss to Queens Of The Stone Age) meant they had high expectations, and they certainly lived up to them, and the dedicated fan base that came along to the show brought just as much as the band gave. Some lockdown projects are certainly questionable, but this is one that has surely come out for the better.
Aside from some technical hitches with some monitor feedback, the set as a whole sounded amazing, with Brant playing, singing and using his array of pedals and effects to create a really good sound. My personal favourite from their set has to be Stand Down, with Brant mastering all three at the same time! A little bit more techno sounding than the rest of their set, it was still a really good track.
By the end of the main set, there was also some brilliant dad-dancing coming from Brant! And after the walk-off-walk-on, there was one last burst of energy, with the mosh pits finally starting and even one crowd surfer (despite it not being too successful!).
And then that was it for the night. It was a brilliant show put on by both bands, and I’m sure everyone who came down had a great night. As always, a massive thank you has to go to all the venue staff and security, the crew and of course Slomosa and Stöner for putting on a great show!
Review and photos by Ted Stargatt for TrueStyleMusic
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