Saor @ Drygate, Glasgow (8th February 2020)

with: Winterfylleth and Wolvencrown

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Having foolishly missed out on seeing Glasgow's Saor at St Luke's last year after getting into the band too late and tickets selling out, I made sure that I got my ticket more promptly once their show in Drygate was confirmed this time around. Having gone back to last year's Forgotten Paths so many times over the year (review here), seeing project founder Andy Marshall's other band Fuath back in November (review here), this was shaping up to be one of my most anticipated gigs of the year. The later news that Winterfylleth were going to be the main support band of the evening meant that my apprehension about driving in the middle of a storm to a venue I've never been to before couldn't stop me from feeling incredibly excited for this one. 

Upon making it to the venue, it became clear why this place had been an attractive choice of venue for a band like Saor. Formerly operating as a box factory and now as a brewery, Drygate has been hosting an increasing amount of gigs of late and the industrial past of the venue space was immediately noticeable upon entering the room. With this being my first first to the venue, I was intrigued as to how this gig would sound in a brick-and-mortar style room. Especially with a room full of people who had had plenty of time to consume a selection of (rather strong) craft beers...

_________________

Up first to showcase these elements were the Nottingham-based band Wolvencrown. This was the one band on the bill that I didn't really know anything about before the gig, and had only listened to them enough to know that they were an atmospheric black metal act. Over the course of the next half an hour or so, it appeared that the band largely played material from their 2019 debut album Of Bark and Ash.

What I hadn't realised until writing this review was that the band had previously played with Saor at their last Glasgow show, and that the vocalist and guitarist Nick was also a live member of Marshall's other band Fuath. Providing guttural growls and barks, and occasionally some clean vocals, Nick's vocal style helped to construct a dense feel that was quite similar to that band. Over on the other instruments, there was a more direct but still rather layered approach to black metal with some nice lead lines to provide some melody to proceedings. This was supported by the work of Will on the keyboards as some subtle atmospheric Burzum-esque flourishes that were sprinkled on top. 

Unfortunately, I found that- at least from where I was standing at the very centre of the room- the mix of the sound onstage was a bit off. For me, the guitars sounded quite muddy and the drums and vocals were rather low in the mix leading to a lack of clarity. This meant that these atmospheric elements didn't really shine through as much as they probably should have. Perhaps contributing to this was the fact that the room had an oddly shaped, zig-zagging roof, and the sound seemed to bounce around and vanish rather than project outward to the audience. This is certainly the first time I've been to a venue with a roof like this, and it sadly didn't seem to do the band onstage many favours that night. 

A real shame, as this was a solid effort from the first band who have not played too many live shows yet, and the audience around me seemed to receive them fairly well. 

_________________

Up next to test out the acoustics of this venue were the rather more well-known Winterfylleth from Manchester. Being one of the more prominent UK black metal bands to integrate atmospheric and folk elements to their sound, the band was certainly welcomed by the (now rather full) audience. Having been a casual fan of this band for a few years, I had been impressed by their set at Lords of the Land in April last year (review here), so I was equally as excited to check them out once again. Moving closer to the front, I was keen to experience the band's layered sound to its fullest. 

Having only dipping into Winterfylleth's back catalogue here and there over the years since getting into them and not being able to find a setlist online, I'm not sure exactly which songs were played that night. But I do know that they played for around an hour; an impressively lengthy slot for a main support band. We all certainly got the value out of our ticket prices, that's for sure!

Instantly hyping up the crowd with a roar of "Glasgow! Let's av it!", vocalist and rhythm guitarist Chris Naughton immediately showed us that him and the rest of the band were very much up to the task of being an engaging live band. In between Naughton's impressive shrieking vocals, he would smile out to the audience. He was very clearly in his element. Lines like "I heard there is a piss-up in the brewery tonight" would probably receive boos from most other bands, but there is a genuine likeability to the man that he can get away with eye rolling wordplay like that. The interplay between Naughton and bassist Nick Wallwork was particularly enjoyable as Wallwork would provide a more low end growl and rather more aggressive stature to Naughton's higher register and cheerful demeanour. This really give a sense of added power to their overall sound as a whole amongst some of the more brutal blasted sections. 

As was the case with the last band, this extra sense of heft was sadly needed as the sound still hadn't sorted itself out... Although there was a marked improvement in the volume of the guitars, and the drums were less tinny, there was once again the feeling that things just weren't as loud or as clear as they ought to be. This was noticed several times by the band throughout the set as well where they asked for their individual instruments to be turned up. The subtle changes from the sound desk throughout did seem to have a positive impact eventually, but it would be within the last few songs that the sound would improve. This came at no better time too, as several of the people in the crowd who were less familiar with the band were starting to get a bit restless around about the 40/50 minute mark. Thankfully though, the majority of the audience stayed to watch until the end of Winterfylleth's set before heading out to grab some more drinks. 

Ramping up the band's majestic side, 'The Swart Raven' provided a great clean section where lead guitarist Dan Capp joined the fold to chant along with the other vocalists for an epic Gregorian section. Being the most gentle moment in this otherwise blistering set, it was certainly a memorable and beautiful moment which would hint more at what was to come later in the night. Another song later, the set closer 'Mam Tor (The Shivering Mountain)' then picked up the pace to give off some proper old-school ice-cold black metal vibes to keep the most kvlt of fans in the crowd happy and headbanging along.  

And with that, Winterfylleth finished their set, receiving great levels of respect from the audience. I very much hope that they get the chance to play in a more intimate venue next time around where the sound could be on point for the entirely of their set, as the songs and performance here were really excellent once again. 

With it being 3 years since the band last headlined in Glasgow, Winterfylleth should really make sure to come back once the new album is done!

_________________

After half an hour or so, it was then time for Saor to make their only Scottish appearance of 2020. As to be expected with a home crowd, Marshall and co. were greeted with thunderous cheers as they. The normally rather stony faced frontman couldn't help but smile slightly as the nearly full venue looked on in anticipation. 

Launching into the self titled track from last year's Forgotten Paths, it became instantly clear that this performance was going to bring a sense of scale and grandeur that hadn't quite been achieved during the night so far. With an opening flourish of fill-loaded blast beats, tremolo picked guitars and a soaring synth-driven backing track, the majestic nature of this folk inspired black metal band had even more intensity in the live environment. It certainly made sense that Bryan Hamilton on drums and Rene McDonald Hill on guitar had joined Marshall in Fuath's live performance, as this trio was a tight and solid unit here from the get go. Adding to this foundation though, the final two members of Saor's live unit really brought to attention just how gorgeous and emotive this band really are. 

Joining Rene McDonald Hill on guitars, Paolo Bruno provided some harmonisation with the lead lines to give the whole 11 minute tune even more of a spine-tinglingly bittersweet feel. Perhaps the element that gives Saor its uniqueness within their style of atmospheric black metal however, is Lambert Segura. Even before he took his bow to the strings, the violinist energetically swayed and headbanged along the music, all the while exuding a sort of delicateness that was really fascinating to watch. This translated into his playing as well, and as the first triumphant notes were bowed a few minutes in, the whole song seemed to lift into another plane of chest-beating melancholy that somehow still felt utterly joyful to experience. 

Things would then be given a harsher feel when the speed picked up once again, and Marshall barked in his distinctively raw and anguished fashion. Even more so in the live environment, you could tell that this music which recalls centuries old tales of heartbreak, loss and resistance means a hell of a lot to him. As the song eased off to its soft mid section, the piano backing track gently lulled us into a gorgeous clean section. Here, the crowd could singalong in place of Alcest's Niege who features on the album's version. I suppose a trip to France would be in order to see a feature from him in the live environment. Man, I wish I could do this one day... 

After being almost hypnotised by the sheer beauty of this opening track, the brief gap before the next song gave me a sudden realisation that I had been very much hoping not to have. As Marshall spoke rather awkwardly to the crowd, I realised that I couldn't hear much of what he was saying at all. Taking out my earplugs, I noticed that the vocals were very low in the mix once more. As the older track 'Carved in Stone' started off in more sedate fashion, I became aware that even Saor would have to battle the sound gremlins. Due to the more instantaneous nature of the previous track, I hadn't noticed that the drums were once again buried somewhat within the mix, and that the guitars were slightly muddy once again. Being a more slow building song, I couldn't help but notice these elements more and more. This was then sharply brought to my attention further when the heavier blasts kicked in once again. 

"Not again".

This thought was clearly not running through the minds of much of the crowd though, as a rather unexpected mosh pit erupted during the more raucous mid sections of the song. Moshing at an atmospheric black metal gig? Now this was brand new information to me... And to the band apparently as well, as they seemed briefly confused by the commotion. This was nothing when compared to the reaction of the venue staff though. 

With the protocols for this type of gig being broken already, it was then over to one persistent crowd member to try and crowd surf to the barrier of the stage, only to be told by overwhelmed staffers to crowd surf back as there wasn't anyone there that was able to catch him. Over and over again. This was definitely a first for me, and I'm still not quite sure whether I'm more baffled by the venue's lack of foresight or the guy's determination that he was going to make it over the barrier. This could've ended up with a nasty outcome but thankfully the crowd was savvy enough to not let any harm come to anyone and he finally got the message. Wild. Marshall later commented on how mental this all was and suggested that this sort of behaviour could only happened at a gig taking place in a brewery. Quite.

Low and behold though, this crowd interaction provided another unexpected moment of glory as Marshall's voice was suddenly audible. In fact, as 'Monadh' provided one of the set's highlights, the entire mix of the band onstage seemed to have been fixed. The drums finally had that low end punch they had been missing all night, the guitars were clearer and the vocals were louder and more powerful than they had been all evening. Honestly, the difference in sound was astounding and it took the whole song to another level entirely. To the point where someone in front of me burst into tears as the violins came in towards the end of the track. I could totally understand. So, apparently could the pipes that ran all the way through the room, as the torrential downpour outside meant that water began to drip intermittently from here on. Of all the gigs, it had to be this one for sure...

Keeping up this sense of poignant energy, it was then over to 'Tears of  a Nation' (from 2016's Guardians) to provoke the crowd's sense of patriotism. The track moved through its initial stages of rage and sadness before blossoming into one of the most uplifting songs I've ever heard live. The swelling bagpipes within the backing tracks accompanied an orchestral-like layering of luscious lead guitars and violins alongside the marching rhythm section which made the song feel like a bittersweet march to battle. Revelling in the song, Marshall and Segura had some wonderful moments of interaction here where they faced out to each other with joyful expressions before stepping out to the front of the crowd to share it with them. The moshpit had stopped, only to be replaced with simultaneous fist raised swaying and nodding. A truly beautiful song at the best of times, but this was one hell of a way to see out the band's main set that night. 

As the band took a quick exit offstage, it was clear that they would come immediately back on as the drummer still sat looking out to crowd. Cue the usual Glasgow chants and Saor saw out the remainder of their set in stunning fashion. Joined by folk singer-songwriter (and partner of Andy Marshall himself) Sophie Rogers, the gentle ebb of the 2014 track 'Aura' provided the perfect opportunity to present some vocal harmonies for the first time of the set. The interplay between Marshall's harsh bark and Rogers softer lull when placed up against the soothing tones of the violin and some of the most impressive drumming of the evening was an amazing sight (and sound) to behold. Thank God they fixed the sound levels earlier. 

It almost seemed like things couldn't get any better, but then came along 'Bròn' to see the entire set off in the best way possible. Showing off the fact (to me at least) that the band's newest album contains some of their grandest material to date, the 12 minute song presented everything that is so awesome about Saor. The dramatic, hushing slow sense of foreboding atmosphere that builds gradually to furious blasts. The gorgeous folk layers that sweep over the more melodic moments. The rousing clean vocals presented in dual Gaelic fashion. The ebb and flow of soft and heavy that continues throughout the track before coming together in a climax of pure emotion. It's easy to say that moments at a gig are "something you need to see for yourself to really experience", but this is easily one of the most applicable uses of this idea I've experienced in my years of going to concerts. Totally transcendent and completely incredible. 

Although the night could have been improved overall if the sound had been better for all of the bands onstage, I can't really fault any of them for their performances that night. In the case of Saor in particular though, this band are really something special and you'd be mad not to check them out if you have even the most passing interest in metal, folk or ambient music. Or really, just music that moves you emotionally. You owe it to yourself. 

As for me, I'll be pretty gutted that Saor won't be returning this year, but as there appears to be new music on the horizon, I'll wager it won't be long before you hear about them me sooner rather than later...

_________________

Thanks to you for checking out this review of Saor's gig at Drygate! Feel free to leave a comment below or you can help support RWEI by giving us a like/follow on the socials. As always, we're open to submissions and/or contributions from bands and writers in Glasgow and beyond so give us an email or message if you're interested. 

Cheers!