…”We’re here for two bands affiliated with Sargent House, the first of which is Dublin’s No Spill Blood. At least, it’s two-thirds of No Spill Blood, because drummer Lar Kaye is absent, replaced  by Ror Conaty of Veroa and Wizards of Firetop Mountain fame. Such is No Spill Blood’s emphasis on rhythm, you may think a change of drummer is cause for concern, but Conaty is solid and dynamic, a blur of curly hair with a penchant for wild-eyed grimaces.

No Spill Blood have antecedents – their mechanical synth/bass/drums attack brings to mind Kling Klang, Zombie Zombie and fellow Dubliners Legion of Two – but their sound is singular and, just as Deafheaven nearly stole the show with Russian Circles two years ago, No Spill Blood aren’t far off doing the same thing here. Ruadhan O’Meara’s synth work is beautifully conceived, painting the songs with retrofuturistic colour and a sinister, dystopian mood, while Matt Hedigan is clearly having fun with his bass pedals, wringing all manner of weird noises out of his instrument. With this band, though, rhythm is king and as Conaty and Hedigan get busy with their robotic, heavy grooves, the cumulative effect over the course of a set is hypnotic and, ultimately, cathartic. It’s a thoroughly convincing performance from a band on top of their game.”

See Full Show Review here at THUMPED