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Review: The Void at The Thunderbolt
When three young purveyors of the grungy stuff from Thornbury advertised for a new vocalist, they were hoping to find someone who could add a Rage Against The Machine dimension to their evolving sound. Instead, they recruited Natt Davis from Bishopsworth, who had recently been given his sister’s old flute.
And so began an adventure.
Headlining a showcase night which included Sonic Sunrise, Glue Foot, Damaged Goods and Stone Cold Fiction, The Void proved immediately appealing and intriguing. Despite their young years, they have obviously spent many long nights in the company of Mr and Ms Volume Control and have concluded that loud is good and that louder is better.
Rob Barker plays grunge-inspired guitar, Ted Mead takes his bass-lines beyond the calling of rock rhythms and bare-chested, drummer Challen attacks his kit like it’s personal. It’s tight, aggressive, intelligent rock music with that Mead-Challen rhythm section providing a sometimes mesmeric beat for Barker’s guitar.
Enter Davis on vocals (and occasional flute) and we’re transported back to 1971 and the land of Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull and a band which never existed back then – one which combines the self-indulgence of Yes with the basic instinct of Black Sabbath.
The fresh-faced Davis compounds the curious nature of the beast by delivering an astonishing, searing vocal performance. He really doesn’t look like he should be able to sing like that and when he whips out his flute and goes all one-legged and swivel-eyed a la Ian Anderson, his more swarthy band-mates look almost as surprised as the audience.
As the set closes with a truly uplifting cover of Led Zep’s Immigrant Song, the menacing tub-thumper Challen breaks out into a smile as if to say ‘Did we really do that?’ Yes, you did, and very good it was too.
By Richard Jones
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