KING KOBALT ,The Faithful EP Launch, support from The Hunt, Fight the Raptor and Table for Fourat Tooth & Claw, Inverness on the 12th of October, 2018, Photographs.
The venue, The Tooth and Claw, the dress code, wear something light, because its about to get hot heavy and sweaty! King Kobalt returned to the stage to showcase their brand spanking new EP The Faithful and were joined by some friends, including first act of the night Fight The Raptor.
This was my first time catching the Inverness based band and they set the tone for the night with a raucous performance, that grabs the audience’s attention from the off. Their stand out track of the evening for me, was the sublime By The Seaside, closely followed by One Month Stand, a bold in your face, heavy rock track, that was the perfect way to finish their set.
Next on to the stage were the ever-intriguing duo The Hunt. An act that really like to push the boundaries of the sound that they create. Kitted out with drums, lead guitar, synth, fairy lights and an energy I dearly wished I could possess. I first caught these lads at their first ever gig around six months previous and the improvement on the whole is very impressive.
Lead singer Alex Rennie took a break from singing and invited a member of the crowd, called Mr Tinkleberry, up to join the band for a track. This then seem like the complete package for the band with his vocals adding another dimension to the group. If you are going to a gig and these lads are on the bill, you will definitely not be disappointed.
The third act of the night were Inverness/Ross-Shire collective Table For Four. Coming on to the stage full of energy and straight in to the always brilliant Loser and The Box. Over the past 3-4 months you can see the confidence growing within the band and the delight in playing their version of Britney Spears Classic Hit Me Baby One More Time. Other tracks that stood out were Front Porch Stepand the most unsuitable track ever to play in front of children The BJ Song.
By the time that King Kobalt make it the stage, I am surprised that there aren’t people standing by tables handing out bottles of water like they do at marathons, as the heat in the upstairs area is close to boiling point. Well so I thought anyway. The boys kick of their set with the opening track, Heart of a Hurricanefrom the new EP. I think this is a great track to start with both on the EP and live in person. It shows the audience what they are getting by grabbing them by the scruff of the neck, before transitioning in to Fight Me, which brought out the first mosh pit of the night, which included front man Craig Kelly.
Warrior was next and its such a good track to catch live, full of passion and raw power that keep you wanting more. Two new tracks followed this in the form of Shadow Boxingand my personal favourite of the night Personal Pick Me Up. I think this one has a great sound and the added involvement with the crowd clapping along just makes it even better.
First ever single Martyr then helped produce one of the strangest things I think I have ever seen in the Tooth and Claw, a conga – mosh pit hybrid with bassist Kenneth Millen in middle of it for the chorus. They finished on a brilliant high with the outstanding Bourbon Nightmares.
This was a brilliant night showcasing some of the best local rock/metal acts, while supporting the release of The Faithful EP, think my ears are still ringing!
