Jumping Jack and High on Fire at Islington Academy

When we walked into the venue, I figured Jumping Jack had to be winding up their set, they were giving it so much effort. I assumed I was seeing their finale. But actually they must only have been a song or two in, because they played on for a good 20-odd minutes more after that, all of it at the same admirable level of intensity.

Admittedly towards the end they started to become just a little bit samey, but throughout they walked a fine line between being satisfyingly heavy and OTT theatrical, and just about managed not to fall off. Their drummer was great, and seemed to be having about as much fun as I've seen anyone have on stage, although he really needs to learn how to catch the sticks he tosses in the air.

And, as my gig buddy pointed out, that name - good Christ guys. Still, sterling effort.

High on Fire, needless to say, were in a dimension all their own. I'd seen and loved them once before, supporting Fear Factory a year or two ago, but teasingly briefly given that they were the only reason GB and I were there, and we walked out of FF after about 10 minutes.

It took HoF few minutes to get going this time around, but they - ahem - broke the ice with the gargantuan Frost Hammer, and from there on out it was unadulterated awesomeness. Frost Hammer was followed by the even greater 10000 Years, and I thought the guys had peaked with Rumours of War, until the penultimate pre-encore track (a slower one: I don't know what it was but would love to be told) stepped it up even further, and then Snakes for the Divine all but swept away all that had gone before, so shining and stunning was its brilliance.

High on Fire are all about the guitar. Of course, they're a tight as hell unit and every part of them comes across with perfect clarity, but by God does Matt Pike own that fucking instrument. Not since Mastodon last year have I had so much to enjoy in that respect. High on Fire are a lesson or a privilege or a parable, or something. They're more than just an awesome band, they are a thing to be witnessed and savoured, and everybody there knew it.

Next-morning P.S.
I was surprised by the venue. I guess there must be another area to it, upstairs or something, because I'm sure I've been twice before, but I remembered a long and narrow room, not the decent medium-sized space of last night. I'm sure it was there that one of the guys from Cancer Bats jumped from the stage to the bar and then ran the length of it, and he'd have needed to be Lion-O to have done that in last night's room.

The bigger space is decent, but these Carlsberg-only places seriously need to get their act together with their bevvies - the Export on tap last night was not right at all. Thankfully there was the option to switch to cans, but come on guys, sort it out.