pigs x7 play sell-out intimate show at edinburgh’s la belle angele

★★★★★ (5/5)

**PIGS X7 PERFORMING AT EDINBURGH’S LA BELLE ANGELE**
**PHOTOCREDIT: WILFRED MAGNUSSEN**

The Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs gig at La Belle Angele on Tuesday night was a full rock experience, with added noise, which left the audience, and me, buzzing and slightly physically battered! The band, known for their amazing live performances, did not disappoint, in fact I think they exceeded expectations, like there were on a mission to prove just how good they are, if they were mission accomplished.

The support act, Spilt Dogs, were also a bundle of energy, their singer was like a force of nature who, together with the guitarist, created a memorable opening performance which will have won them many new fans, some banter, at least one awkward question which only one person admitted to, that I could see, as the intro to a song and occasional swerves into punk territory all added to an excellent opening set. The crowd grew throughout their set, it was quite large to start with, and you could feel the appreciation and enjoyment growing.

From the moment Pigs took the stage, the energy was flowing, the audience fizzing with anticipation and it was clear that we were going to experience a fantastic gig that would live long in our memories and leave our bodies vibrating for a few hours afterwards. Opening with the intro to "The Wyrm," the noise was at a level that would probably lead to a health and safety shut down in most factories! If you went along with hearing problems, no problem, you had no hearing left after this show, job done!

This relentless aural assault continued with songs like Carousel and GNT, with Matt Baty proving that he is a great front man with an impressive voice which is like a battering ram, in a good way, when he gets going. He clearly was carrying a chip about them once again not being invited to play Download which led to a performance of a cover version of a Venga Boys song, the surrealist moment of this, and quite possibly, any other gig I’ve ever been to! Admittedly if he hadn’t told us they were covering the Venga Boys I don’t think I would have recognised it from the performance which changed it in ways that are hard to articulate.

All in all, this was a tremendous performance by a band on top of their game. Download really need to reconsider what they are missing out on, Pigs are a heavy rock/slacker metal band who deserve a much wider audience, as Matt said on the night, you don’t get to 5 albums without having some idea what you’re doing, they clearly do, long may they continue doing so!