AMERSHAM SUMMER FESTIVAL – SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE

Twas a pleasantly warm day in the county of Buckinghamshire, where many young folk from Amersham and the surrounding areas had gathered to see a collection of musical offerings from fresh and upcoming bands, as well as a few well known names too. Regrettably, as late afternoon sets in, the crowd have had their brains suitably irked by the gaggle of clone bands presenting what the trendy people call 'screamo', in some form or another. (It should be noted, however, that the copious amounts of alcohol consumed by all present did not cloud their judgements in any way. A large majority of the bands truly were shite.)

Enter five very angry individuals, collectively known as SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE. A throng of supporters throw fists in the air and await the delivery of some good ol' sludge as the band prepare to, as they say in the biz, “fuck shit up”. Mr Sound Tech Man, however, seems to be refusing to turn up the bass. In hindsight, this is probably good for the welfare of those present. Were bassist Josh Langford Coxon allowed to fully unleash the capabilities of his artillery of pedals and assorted filth creators, we'd be running the risk of ruptured spleens and the like, which isn't convenient for anyone. Nevertheless, SYP proceeded to tear through their undeservedly short set. Pits break out almost immediately as Flaire Decoda barks “Destroy Yourself” in his somewhat Phil Anselmo-esque manner (not a bad bloke to be compared to by anyone's standards) to a crowd who do just that, or more accurately, destroy each other. Ouch. Other favourites like “Wasted” invoke similar enthusiasm as the crowd happily oblige to help with vocal duties as the mic is passed around. There is little banter with the crowd in between songs, as the music clearly speaks for itself. When axe duo Martin 'Bulla' Satterthwaite and Dave Brand combine one's seemingly effortless soloing with the the other's beastly chugging, it makes for a devilish combination if there ever was one. Of course, were it not for sticksman Scott Day relentlessly beating the skins to provide a sturdy backbone for it all, there would be nothing for everyone to be going absolutely apeshit at. Which they do. A lot. “Repent” goes down well, with it's unforgettable verse: “I will kill everyone you love/Paint my walls with their blood!” Cheeky chappies aren't they? As SYP's set threatens to draw to a close, raucous chants for an encore erupt. Unsurprisingly, they are the first band of the day to receive such a request. And quite rightly so, for providing a light at the end of a tunnel filled with side fringes, skinny jeans and questionable sexualities.

So with the scene kids and eleventeen year olds successfully dispersed from the vicinity, SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE can depart triumphant as ever. Truly monstrous, in the very best sense of the word. To the pub!