WORDS AND MAIN IMAGE GAVIN WILLIAMS
Influential Groove Metal Pioneers Play Marathon Set
Allow me to set the scene.
The year is 2023. You are a music fan. You like metal music. The kind with groove.
The bands you listen to today were influenced by Helmet.
Maybe not directly, but in one way or another the influence of this the New York quartet can be heard in modern metal time and time again. From the beatdowns of hardcore bands to the neck-crunching drops of modern metalcore.
Formed in 1989, Helmet and have proven themselves to be stalwarts of the genre. Aside from a 6-year hiatus between 1998 – 2004 they have released a total of nine studio albums including their recently released ‘LEFT’, which clocks in at a short sharp 31 minutes.
Tonight’s show in Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms is one for the die-hards.
After braving the frost-covered streets to get to the venue fans are met with a stripped back show offering no support bands and instead have an epic 22-song set from Page Hamilton and co.
It’s a well-curated set that packages their most popular songs together alongside their newer material. The set flows well, and that’s a lot to do with the fact that Helmet have never strayed too far from their original sound. The grooves, off-beats, and chugs are ever-present, and the band are tight.
Opening with the unmistakable rolling bass of Milquetoast and closing out with Meantime the band bookend their epic set with two of their biggest songs.
You don’t go to a Helmet gig for virtuosity or faultless musicianship. That’s not what makes them so awesome. You go to a Helmet gig for tight ass grooves and a greatest hits setlist.
They make you bang your head. And you like it.
As the band’s only existing original member, Page Hamilton has been there and done it all before. He’s utterly comfortable on stage as he makes small talk with the crowd and tinkers with bluesy riffs between songs. Despite describing himself as a” Senior Citizen” their music has aged gracefully alongside their leader. The average age of tonight’s crowd reflecting the epoch of Helmet’s most successful years in the 1990’s.
There’s something particularly nostalgic about their live show and guitar tone that you just don’t find in their modern peers. It isn’t contrived or an attempt to cling on to the past. It’s more an essence and a feeling than something which can be analysed.
Tonight’s show was a good one but a shorter set would have kept up the intensity and enjoyment levels.
Would I go to see Helmet play again?
I would.
But I’d hope for support bands and a set list that trims the fat a little.
22 songs can be a big ask even for the most enthusiastic fan.
SET LIST
1/ MILQUETOAST
2/ BAD NEWS
3/ GIVE IT
4/ HOLIDAY
5/ YOUR HEAD
6/ HE FEELS BAD
7/ BETTER
8/ YOU BORROWED
9/ NYC TOUGH GUY
10/ IRONHEAD
11/ ENEMIES
12/ BIRTH DEFECT
13/ TIC
14/ GUN FLUF
15/ BEAUTIFUL LOVE
16/ DISLOCATED
17/ MAKE ROOM
18/ JUST ANOTHER VICTIM
19/ WILMA’S RAINBOW
ENCORE
20/ I KNOW
21/ UNSUNG
22/ SPEECHLESS
23/ REPETITION
24/ IN THE MEANTIME
FOLLOW HELMET
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago
