Bloodstock - Saturday 13.08.2011 - Part 8 - Pure Negative

Under the impression that I had just witnessed a pivotal stage in the career of a potentially huge band of the future, I smugly walked back to our meeting point. The sprinting back and forth for the camera was well worth the discouraging looks and mild embarrassment, for the pictures I took were fucking immense. I can’t remember the exact order of what followed, I’ve left it slightly too long to accurately remember certain stages of comparative insignificance.

I remember the bands on the main stage getting very boring, probably because I didn’t know any of their material – I'm not sure. But whatever the case, they encouraged me to explore the other stages with hopes of finding something better. A band had just finished at the Sophie Lancaster stage, so I followed a small crowd over to the New Blood tent. I’d already struck gold twice with this tent, so it was unlikely to happen again, but worth investigating none the less.

As I approached the entrance of the tent, the noise pollution from the main stage became overpowered and distant. I started hearing Phil Anselmo style vocals pumping out of the P.A system. Southern sounding riffs played at a neck snapping tempo, resonated in my gut and made me feel angry. This is the place to be I thought. Fuck all that complacent main stage bullshit, this band are ready to fuckin kill someone.

I had walked into a brick wall of contagious heavy metal, razor sharp and brutal beyond belief. Tight as a college girls arse hole, with a stage presence and dominance most bands will never sniff – Pure Negative, a band relatively unheard of, stole the spotlight. I’d go as far as to say that Pure Negative topped everyone on Saturday, and considering the talent offered from the New Blood tent alone, that’s a massive achievement.

There are a number of influences to be heard in their music, an amalgamation of styles worked into another, but the southern influence rang louder than any other. I’m sure they get sick of hearing it, but the comparison between Pure Negative and Down, or even Pantera, is undeniable. The singer doesn’t help matters with his Vulgar Display shaved head and Anselmo style stage antics – screaming on his knees with his head against the floor for example. But I actually enjoyed it more because of these potentially troublesome characteristics, you could see just how passionately they felt towards their influences, and there is nothing wrong with that.

I have a group of friends who I get drunk with whilst listening to similar music, and it always ends badly. With someone fighting, something getting broke, or the police turning up at my door (as was the case last time), there is always an expected negative occurrence. I blame it on the sheer aggression emitted from the speakers, I blame it on the lyrics, the volume, the speed, their idea of a drink, their philosophy and way of life, and I welcome it with open arms. I was already well into my Strongbows, and seeing this same kind of energy emanate from the stage made me feel like I was with my friends, only nothing could go wrong this time, for everybody else felt the same way I did. We were collectively one, with everybody part of the show and fighting for the same cause. Angry and drunk, our ears bled with delight.

I can try and be ponsy and poetic, or just tell it like it is. Pure Negative are one of the best bands I’ve seen in years.

Photos:
            http://www.flickr.com/photos/snap-your-neck/sets/72157627338555069/

9.5/10