New S**t Showcase // 5th of January 2019 // Pumpehuset, Copenhagen (LIVE REVIEW)

By Xenia Kromann

All pictures by Mladen Cipek Jørgensen

Last Saturday we were participating in the 6th edition of New S**t Showcase. For the 6th year in a row, the Danish metal-blog Blastbeast.dk has been digging into the Danish underground scene and found some fresh metal/hard rock bands to perform this evening. Together with Sort Søndag on P6Beat, where the bands get presented with their music in the radio, and Pumpehuset in Copenhagen and Atlas in Aarhus where the yearly event is held. Saturday the 12th of January the event was held again in the other part of Denmark, exactly at Atlas, Aarhus.

We were witness to six bands from all over Denmark. Pudsige Herre, Parentes0parentes, Drukner, Expatriated, EYES, and Human.

Parentes0parentes was the first band to take the stage. A couple of hours before the show they gave a statement, that due to sickness the show would be without visuals. That was a little disappointing because I think that it does a lot for the band's performance, but of course, they will come back with the visuals some other time. As they entered the stage they presented us with some great songs that really got the front row in motion, you could tell that they sure had some fans there. Around the second song the light went totally dark, it was not only dark but because of the smoke, you could almost not see the members on stage, which was really not okay at all. At times the vocals were very low and that was also an issue for the show. I think they did a great performance and an impressive opening of the event.

The second act was Human, who had their first performance in Copenhagen. A band I’ve never heard of before. I really liked their style and they caught my attention. At the beginning of their performance, there was a lot of technical issues with the vocal, it was almost not to be heard, it was very low, and some issues with the guitar as well. Halfway through the show, things got way better. They had an amazing atmosphere around themselves and the music they played just seemed right for them as if it was meant to be, so passionate. The light was also critical in the beginning but got a lot better halfway in the set. After hearing them live, I really liked the song "Solitude" which I remembered them play live. It was even better live than on speakers. I would like to see them again. 

We are halfway through the event, and up next was Expatriated, which is a progressive metal band from Horsens. Entering the stage the drummer came in first wearing his Opeth t-shirt and then the rest of the band showed up right after. As they started to play I was so sure that they played a cover of an Opeth song, cause it sounded just like. I was not a fan of the clean vocals at any time, it sounded really fake and discordant. They did not seem to catch me at any moment, it was a shame because it seemed like their show was a practice. On stage, there was not much action from them which could have made a whole lot of a difference. I would like to see them again with some more movements or effort on trying to get the audience’s attention.

What I was witness to right up next was really a show starter! Pudsige Herrer from Aarhus was more than ready to fire up the venue, and they sure did. From the moment they went on stage and till' the last breathing second of the last song, they managed to put the biggest smiles on people's faces. Made almost the entire audience dance and gave 110% from every bass strokes to every last drop of sweat that was dripping from such a strong performance. Earlier on there was something missing, the audience did not seem to have reached the stage where there was a connection between the band and the audience. Here it was, and it was intense and brilliant. For the first time this evening the light and the sound was smooth, there were no problems during this show. A lot of members from the other bands did even show up and became one with the party that was happening on the dance floor.

Second last band for the night was Drukner, a doom metal band from Copenhagen. This was probably the second band that I've never heard of before that actually caught my attention. As they entered the stage and began to play their first song, it sounded like Electric Wizard in a way. They had something new over them and it was exciting. On stage, the vocalist was standing in the left side with his microphone stand facing the wall a bit. Something different happened and it was really what made me think that these guys were the best new act I saw this evening. Between two songs one of the guitarists switched between his guitar and a keyboard, and the sound that came out of that combination seemed so right and complete. The synth in the background did a lot of a difference, and it was mighty. The audience seemed to enjoy it a lot and the spirit was held high. The breaks between each song were too long and that was kind of a killer for the show. 

The final show for the night was the metallic hardcore band EYES from Copenhagen. And that was definitely something that was too fast for my taste. I took a seat on the stairs and tried to watch them from there. You could definitely tell that they had experience, cause that was a band that could take over the whole venue in just a matter of seconds. The audience and the band became one, and the frontman was in level with the crowd a couple of times. Moshpit's, sweat and headbanging was crazy during the last half an hour of the night. 

It was a night filled with different genres and it was such an experience to be a part of again this year. Great people and a rich opportunity to get a hold of new merchandise. I hope that the show in Aarhus, Atlas was as good as this one. Thanks to Blastbeast.dk, Sort Søndag and Pumpehuset for this great event.

See you next year!