Big Business & Whores, Mama Roux's, Birmingham - review

There's no inbetween song banter with the crowd, no lengthy speeches about the collapse of civilisation or the barmy state of world politics.

What we do get from the trio is eight songs of classic Am Rep noise rock blasted out by a band at the very top of their game.

Think Unsane at their nastiest, with maybe a bit of the Jesus Lizard's angular angst thrown in for good measure.

Guitarist Christian Lembach - who also provides some of the most thoroughly pissed off sounding vocals you are ever likely to hear - and bassist Casey Maxwell are livewires.

Frequently their instruments are raised to the ceiling in perfect symmetry, before they come crashing down like a pair of jackhammers.

At other times the pair stand in front of drummer Donnie Adkinson's kit, seemingly enjoying a short period of quiet reflection before launching into another hate anthem.

But Whores aren't just about the noise. Their songs are also incredibly catchy, a quality that shines through best tonight on set closer I Am An Amateur At Everything from 2013's 'Clean' ep.

The first and only time singer Lembach addresses the crowd is shortly before they leave the stage at the end of their half hour set.

"We are Whores from Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you."

This is perfect music to wind down to after a particularly bad day at work.

The crowd inside Mama Roux's is disappointingly small for the return of Big Business to the second city.

Now in their thirteenth year, the Seattle duo that started out as the Melvins' little brothers now have five albums under their belt.

They really come into their own in the live setting, so it's a surprise that barely 100 people are here tonight.

I last saw them in Brum supporting Mastodon at the O2 Academy in 2014, on a night where Big Business's mischievous side came to the fore in the shape of bassist Jared Warren's repeated (and possibly drug induced) promises to reveal his parents secrets.

Tonight there was a more serious edge to proceedings, with the duo, completed by drummer Coady Willis, appearing to be in sombre mood as they enter the stage and launch into Regulars off last year's Command Your Weather album.

It doesn't take long for them to hit their stride, with Hands Up from Here Come The Waterworks provoking the closest Mama Roux's is going to get to a pit tonight.

To describe Big Business as a metal band does them a monstrous disservice, particularly with their newest record containing nuances of psychedelic rock. It is almost poppy at times.

But at their very best, Big Business are masters of creating an ultra heavy tone that so many of their peers strive for.

It always amazes me that a two-piece bass and drums combo can make such an ungodly racket.

Finale Horses is monumental, its seven minutes featuring an ominous intro with cow bells giving way to one of the heaviest and most triumphant pieces of music the band has ever written.

All in all this was a great show. It's just a shame there weren't more people here to witness it.

By Peter Madeley