Cerebral Ballzy at the Shacklewell Arms

Cerebral Ballzy at the Shacklewell Arms

13 July, 2011
by: Domzig

"This song is about skating, drinking beer, pizza, burgers, and puking"

The words “We’ve been drinking since 10am, and we’re pretty much fucked up” are precisely the ones you want to hear when you’re about to watch a hardcore band. It basically means that Cerebral Ballzy will be going mental, and everyone's welcome to join in.

Looking like the ghosts of some Brooklyn street gang circa 1988, Cerebral Ballzy are exactly as anyone would expect them to be: loud, fast and a little bit dumb. Inexplicably signed to Moshi Moshi, a label more known for its cardigan-wearing indie than thrash hardcore, here are five guys who seem to live and breathe the speed metal of the early '80s. They dress in bandanas, play as fast as humanly possible, sell CDs packaged in grip tape and peddle band T-shirts that feature skeletal versions of Beavis and Butthead or Bart Simpson with a boner.

Whilst few would doubt Ballzy’s enthusiasm for the genre, how is it going to play out on a Tuesday night up at the Shacklewell to a room that seems to be a 50/50 split of denim-loving hardcore kids and strappy sandal-toting media luvvies? Are we going to get some serious moshing, or the usual semi-circle of bored looking hipsters staring forlornly ahead and flinching as the singer tries to get them to do something?

Luckily for everyone involved, we get the former. As soon as the first notes crash out, the hardcore kids that have been hiding around the room all rush to the front, bundling the photographers out of the way and grabbing the Jack Daniels from the lead singer’s hand. There then follows half an hour of circle pits, flying bodies and people breaking stuff left, right and centre.

To be honest, I couldn’t tell you if Cerebral Ballzy were good, bad or indifferent tonight. The guitar amp gives out a couple of songs in, and the singer’s mic seems to break more and more as the gig wears on, but it hardly matters. Everyone seems more interested in the dude hanging on the lighting rig than worrying that the band are playing ‘Insufficient Fare’ too slow.

I suppose that’s the brilliance of Cerebral Ballzy really. They may not be the tightest thrash band, or even the most brutal hardcore band, but they do have the ability to get a room of people to act like a bunch of kids on waaaay to much sugar. Hell, even the guys (like me) who stood at the back worrying about their phones, keys and personal safety ended up having fun.

Cerebral Ballzy will be playing this years Latitide and Reading/Leeds Festivals.

Click here to see all London live music
Click here for London gigs

Domzig