LIVE FROM THE PIT: Conjurer, Pjin and Death Goals

A sea of black band shirts waits outside The Underworld for Conjurer’s biggest ever sold-out

headline show. The tension with fans is palpable as tonight the lineup is a trio of brilliant live

bands: the brilliant Conjurer, Pjin and Death Goals.

Opening tonight is queercore duo Death Goals, providing heavy riffs and a positive message. The duo take to the stage and the audience is hit with the bands pure energy. Encouraging the crowd to dance and have fun without hurting anyone, the crowd head bangs, spin kicks and moves along with every heavy riff. For a half-hour set, they give everything they can into a performance built on intensity and sincerity. Towards the end of the set Conjurer’s Dan Nightingale joins on vocals for one song showcasing the band’s love of the heavy music community.

Next to take the stage is post-rockers Pijn. Their stage setup is unique, being built on just 3

lights surrounding the band. It’s not every day you see a metal adjacent band feature a cello

, but Pijn makes their unique sound work. Their sound is about building on an initial

atmosphere to a crescendo of power. The band works as one instrumental unit with every

instrument responding to every other. The band keeps building throughout the set every

song showcasing what the band can do. Pijn have a long legacy with Conjurer as they

created the supergroup Curse These Metal Hands. Seeing both bands separately show’s

what they both brought to the project. Pijn know their sound and have created their own

place in music.

Tonight’s headliners are Conjurer, playing their biggest ever headline set to a crowd of

dedicated fans. As soon as they hit the stage the sensory overload begins. A dense mix of

metal accompanied by some of the most intense lighting possible in a small venue. The

band create their own world on the stage. The initial hit of music leaves the crowd standing

in awe till the third song of the night leading the crowd into a frenzy. The crowd explodes intoa ball of energy. The band is heavy but it’s not just one dimensional, they explore almost

every avenue possible within metal. It’s extreme and beautiful. The band forms a wall of

sound that attacks the crowd with a nonstop onslaught of power.

The band do not slow down for the entire hour and a half they are on stage. Every song is

played with musical excellence, and the lighting makes everything retain that chaotic edge

that creates a perfect metal set. The band sound like no one else and the crowd loves them

even more for it. The band don’t do encores instead the final song of the night ‘Hadal’ is

dedicated to someone in the crowd who promised to get a tattoo if they played it. The band

is in sync with the audience for every second they are on stage. It’s Conjurer’s gig. They

have made their place in metal. the set is a showcase of everything they have achieved so

far and is likely the moment before they become massive. Conjurer are a must see band live

for a dose of everything great in metal.

Words: Will Freeman

Photos: Amy Smyth