Aural Aggravation

Christopher Nosnibor

Tonight was always going to combine celebration and commiseration: in the decade since their inception, Black Moth have gone from Leeds-scene hard rock revivalists to a stoner / doom colossus of an outfit at the forefront of an albeit disparate movement, with fans spread internationally.

I first caught the band at the Cockpit, playing early doors at Live at Leeds, around the time of their 2012 debut The Killing Jar. Back then , they were solid, with clear potential, but were still in development as alive act. That would change quickly, and that potential was rapidly realised, with the band landing support slots with ever-bigger headliners and the albums growing heavier and denser along the way. I felt a certain pride seeing them more than hold their own supporting The Sisters of Mercy in 2015. This was a band in bloom, a band with immense confidence and tunes to match, a band capable of conquering the world.

And they fucking should have. But, life. Harriet’s frank interview with Kerrang! on the eve of their two farewell shows puts the bands end down to life – the reality of operating a band when the members are split between two cities, and of working rehearsals and tours around day-jobs and the responsibilities of adult life. It was her call, and not one she’s taken lightly. But the fact of the matter is- as I’ve said before – if you’re not Ed Sheeran or Coldplay or whoever, you’re not going to make a wage off making music or anything creative.

You can only go on international tours on annual leave for so long. Employers will only cut you so much slack, however much of a cult following you may have. And so Black Moth’s curtain call is for perhaps the most depressing of reasons: the economics of late capitalism.

But on a more positive note, they’ve pretty much packed out the Brudenell, and have a brace of belting supports in tow – local acts who prove for any doubters that women can rock as hard as any men. Kudos to the Moth for the choice, and mega thumbs up to a brace of killer support acts.

The first, Sky Valley Mistress are strong, cranking out no-messing hard rock.

“As soon as I’ve got this hair out of my mouth, I’ll start singing.” You couldn’t call Kayley “Hell Kitten” Davies pretentious. She’s a commanding performer, confident and cool with the between song chat. It’s rare. big hair, big voice, big presence, big riffs, big tunes. But what decade is it? The drummer’s been teleported from the 70s and the guitarist is double white denim. These are visual distractions from a solid set packed with songs that are meaty and strong on groove.

Sky Valley Mistress

All-female quintet Venus pile in with a more shoegaze / indie sound driven by throbbing bass and sturdy percussion. Simultaneously crisp and dense, they chuck out choppy, short songs. And fuck, are they solid. They talk mental health, they rock hard. This is a band who get behind their beliefs and aren’t afraid to address issues and use their medium as a platform. They’re also as good as any band you’ll see around.

Venus

And Black Moth – well, they’re pure quality on every level. Detailed guitar contrasts with slugging power chords as they open with ‘Istra’, the first song from their final album, Anatomical Venus, an album that brought them to a wider audience and also served as their definitive statement. I guess if you’re going to call time on a band, it’s best to do it after your strongest album.

Everything about Black Moth that appealed at the beginning remains true, although the confidence they show in their performances now is as immense as the riffs. That isn’t to say Harriet’s turned into some egotistical rock-star type: she’s as down to earth as ever, and still air guitars her way through the breaks, and it’s clear they absolutely love doing what they do. Same as it ever was.

Black Moth

Tonight’s career-spanning at is delivered at appropriate volume. Proper headbanging down the front and halfway to the back. There’s a lot of love for this band. When they go heavy, they go HEAVY. The balloons are out for ‘Loomer’, and we’re reminded of the band’s February 2018 show in the same venue following the single’s release that prefaced the album. The atmosphere that night was jubilant, and while it may be something of a black celebration on this occasion, there’s still an overriding sense of enjoyment, and a rapport between band and audience that’s a source of joy.

Burst of metal confetti for closer and whole venue lunges and lurches exuberantly as the band power through a final encore of ‘Pigman’ and ‘Blackbird’s Fall’.

Black Moth’s departure is a sad one, but they’ve signed off on a high, bowing out at the absolute peak of their game. Respect.