Sonic Brew, Tennafly Viper, the Koola, Newquay, 7/08/05

The Koola is a great little venue in the heart of Newquays club area. It’s easy to find situated a stones throw from the beach.

By the time the support act kicked off the nights proceedings the place was already sold out and rammed to the doors. Tennafly viper can best be described as a hard edged glam rock band with a dash of punk thrown in. Fronted by the striking Iva Viper, the band rocked the packed crowd with an impressive set of both original and cover songs. Ivas onstage antics have to be seen to be believed. He reminded me of Axle Rose meets Marilyn Manson, very impressive. Backed by a pummelling rhythm section, and some awesome fretboard wizardry Iva lead the band through the set with the confidence of a true pro front man, wowing the crowd with his stage presence. Finishing with a cracking cover of the eighties hit “Ghost Busters”, Tennafly Viper left the crowd well and truly warmed up for Sonic Brew.

The sound of the warning siren and the sight of the red warning lights signalled the start of Sonic Brews show. Frontman and lead guitarist Dave Reeves instantly had the crowd roaring with “Are you ready mutha fuckers, make some fuckin noise” in true Zakk Wylde style. With an impressive intro of shredding the band ripped through Black Label classics “Demise of Sanity”, “Graveyard Disciples” and “Bleed for me” without stopping for breath. The crowd loved it and mouthed every word, stood with jaws agape at every solo that was I have to say performed by Dave Reeves with meticulous accuracy. That’s what a tribute band should be, authentic and accurate. And these guys were. The sound the band produced was in a word immense. The mix of the two guitars, Monkeys brain mashing bass and Steve Williams pummelling drums was perfect for the Black Label Society sound.

Notable performances were the awesome Suicide Messiah, which saw the front row doing the “We are not worthy” bow during the blistering outro solo, Stillborn in which the Bulldog (second guitar) showed that he can shred with the best of them, the Black Sabbath Classic warpigs which again showcased the talents of the Bulldog, the Zakk Style solo with a ripping version of the British national anthem at the end, and the infectious “Fire it up”. Unfortunately due to over running Sonic Brew had to end their set prematurely, which is a shame because I got the feeling the best was yet to come.

All in all a great night of quality live music. Sonic Brew are an awesome tribute band. They ape Black Label Society perfectly. If you are a Black Label fan, go see this band, you won’t be disappointed. If you are not, you will be by the time you leave a Sonic Brew gig.