EVILLE + RAGE DOLL + WREX – GREEN DOOR STORE, BRIGHTON 16.3.24
After a couple weeks break of reviewing, I’m getting back into the swing of things with a couple of live favourites of mine for a co-headline show at Brighton’s Green Door Store: EVILLE and Rage Doll.
EVILLE are a relatively new rock band whose two core members consisted of partners-in-crime guitarist and vocalist Eva Sheldrake and drummer Milo Hemsley. Blending elements of nu-metal, drum and bass, industrial music and punk, they are joined by the multi-talented efforts of bassist Billy Finneran and newly-appointed guitarist Riley Sweeney. The band have released a slew of singles across the last two years from their 2022 ‘Nightmare’ single to their Friday fresh ‘Monster’, debuting on a weekend of shows in London and Brighton.
Emanating from similar circles, Rage Doll are a three-piece that formed in the mid-part of 2022 by vocalist Tatiana Marcov and guitarist Akin Sivatheeswaran. Following the release of their debut single ‘Stay Away’, they appointed drummer Ethan Dowley into the mix and went on to release five more singles from the hyperactive ‘Crave You’ to the cinematic ‘Reflection Of You’, before announcing the upcoming release of ‘Patient’ set for release on 22nd March. Both bands have garnered a cult following across London and the South East as well as significant BBC Introducing and Radio 1 airplay.
Opening for these two powerhouses is a band called WREX, primarily spearheaded by vocalist Mae Seaton and guitarist and co-vocalist George Donoghue, and infusing various sounds to their mix such as 2000s metal, electronic music and industrial metal. Backing the two main members are guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Stevens, bassist Joe Constable and Greg Walton on drums.
The band provides a loud and fiery introduction drawing everyone from the bar and smoking huts to make their way inside. Opening with the song ‘Sleepless’, WREX already demonstrate their nu-metal-tinged soundplay as well as some haunting reverb-heavy vocals from Mae in-between instrumental passages and a stellar drum groove from Greg. The following cut, ‘Vacant’ kicks straight into action with Mae’s speedy vocal delivery and a gut-wrenching chorus, not to mention the amazing harmonies that are put on display between George, Mae and Tom. Mae takes a moment to say welcome to the show before heading into the song ‘Recovery’, which makes use of a sludgy but fun opening, as well as interlocking guitars from Tom and George. This track has a great progression of emotional chord and groove changes as Mae bellows her vocals towards the stage from the brick barrier in the corner of the venue.
The newly-released ‘Static Waves’ is by far the most emotionally impactful moment in the set, particularly in its verses with some serene vocal duties from George before a halftime groove change and marching snares tear up the song. He then takes a moment to say that “WREX is all about having a good time, so forget what you’ve got going on in the world and have a good time!” – life-affirming indeed.
The band then treated us to a three-for-three streak of new and unreleased songs, starting with ‘The End’ which features some breakbeat drums and a well-built song structure, not to mention George dropping his guitar giving him space to flex his powerful vocal delivery. The heavy power chords and erratic synth lines of ‘Take A Walk’ are a step further in WREX’s instrumental creativity with Mae and George having the time of their life, jumping across the stage. Closing out the unreleased leg of the set is ‘This Hell Goes A Long Way Down’, a track which sees Mae pull out a sarcastic vocal delivery in the verses, before duelling George with each other’s lyrics in the choruses and bridges atop syncopated riffs and drum breaks. Finally, the song ‘Paradise’ seems to be a crowd favourite with a sub-bass synth part lying underneath Greg and Joe’s propulsive rhythms, as well as a frantic and almost demonic lyrical passage in the song’s bridge before the band wish us a fond farewell as they leave the stage.
WREX:
Mae Seaton – vocals
George Donoghue – vocals, guitar
Tom Stevens – backing vocals, guitar
Joe Constable – bass
Greg Walton – drums
WREX setlist:
‘Sleepless’
‘Vacant’
‘Recovery’
‘Static Waves’
‘The End’
‘Take A Walk’
‘This Hell Goes A Long Way Down’
‘Paradise’
Rage Doll have always been a fun band to circumnavigate around; I’ve known the core members almost since their formation and have had the privilege to even perform alongside them at house parties and get-togethers. So, naturally the enjoyment of watching them in their element never wanes!
A backing track opens with sparse synth and drum machine textures as Ethan drums solo before Akin and Tati follow suit. Straight away, the latter brings forward a growling vocal underneath a simple but fun two-note riff from Akin. This track, better known as ‘Crave You’, also plays around with some breakbeat action which really turns the energy up to last for the remainder of their set. The band’s seductive stage presence is maintained on the track ‘Stay Away’ where the moshing has now begun… naturally I’m keeping to the sides with all my might! My favourite track of theirs, ‘Reflection Of You’ features some synth pad textures that reminds me a lot of ‘Songs Of Faith And Devotion’-era Depeche Mode, as well as some amazing groove flickering and screaming vocals in the bridge!
‘Fantasy’ is a highlight in the set as it allows the audience to really appreciate the on-stage chemistry between the three members, as well as an amazingly nightmarish sound palette of melting guitars and pummelling double-kick drum beats. Rage Doll then treat us to the unreleased ‘Patient’ which features some dubstep-esque textures in the introduction before sub-bass and screeching synths paint an almost deconstructed club feel to the proceedings. The track has a great progression with jumping guitar riffs and steady drum grooves from Akin and Ethan.
The penultimate track, and a close second-favourite song of Rage Doll’s, ‘Be A Star’ holds a great mixture of electronics and industrial metal which has become the staple of the Rage Doll sound. This track definitely has some of the best lyrical content in any of their tracks with the lyric “I wanted to put a hole in my brain just to be a star” sticking in my head for the rest of the night! Closing out the set is the track ‘Here To Stay’, packed with dreamy bridge synths and guttural screams, solidifying the trio as a deceptively powerful band that do not mess around. Make sure you keep an eye out for these guys…!
Rage Doll:
Tatiana Marcov – vocals
Akin Sivatheeswaran – guitar
Ethan Dowley – drums
Rage Doll setlist:
‘Crave You’
‘Stay Away’
‘Reflection Of You’
‘Fantasy’
‘Patient’
‘Be A Star’
‘Here To Stay’
Nearly half an hour passes before EVILLE makes their way onto the stage with Milo setting up a groove for Riley, Billy and Eva to make themselves known on the song ‘Nightmare’. As Eva and Riley duel each other with their respective guitar parts, Milo keeps hold of an almost mutated disco groove to hold the song in place, keeping up groove changes towards the end of the track. The freshly-released ‘Monster’ is next with rapid fire bass and guitar riffs from Riley and Billy, the latter of which provides a staggeringly gritty bassline in the bridge where moshing begins to peak.
‘Purgatory’s faint electronic drums in the intro give way to Riley’s power chords becoming the driving force for the song with Eva topping it off with a solid guitar riff, interlocking with he and Billy for its shining moments. This track transitions pretty swiftly into the song ‘Blood’ with Billy and Milo now donning glasses and Eva no longer donning her guitar, giving her the space to push her emotions through to the crowd with her vocal delivery. At this point in the set, the crowd are creating more circle pits, much to the chagrin of one BBC Introducing’s Melita Dennett who I can spot across the room.
The following song ‘Sick’ has a long introduction where Eva energises the crowd before some sparse guitar textures give Milo more space to demonstrate his rhythmic prowess. This track is definitely one of the band’s more elaborate tracks with some sophisticated basslines and a more dynamically flexible performance in both vocals and groove. Suddenly, a blaring orange light becomes active atop Riley’s guitar amplifier as the quartet head into the breakbeat introduction of ‘Leech’, my personal favourite song of theirs. The track goes at a blistering pace with group yells and relentless guitar performances that see the band at their prime!
EVILLE bid us a farewell with the track ‘Messy’, clearly the fan favourite with everybody dancing at full pelt in the pit. Again, there is incredible interlocking between Riley, Eva and Billy, with some stop-start guitar stabs and incredible tone and texture. The three of them assemble into the pit for the song’s final moments of flailing drums and guitars drawing the set to the close… but, wait! Cries of an encore bring the band back into play for a cover of Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’. Considering I’m not a fan of Limp Bizkit, EVILLE has won my opinion of this song over with a respectable and exceptional take on the song! Overall, this night was a success for all involved – WREX provided the best warm-up band possible for the night, Rage Doll came through with an incredible compositional motive and EVILLE brought the night into full fruition and energy with remarkable musicianship!
EVILLE:
Eva Sheldrake – guitar, vocals
Riley Sweeney – guitar, backing vocals
Billy Finneran – bass
Milo Hemsley – drums
EVILLE setlist:
‘Nightmare’
‘Monster’
‘Purgatory’
‘Blood’
‘Sick’
‘Leech’
‘Messy’
(encore)
‘Break Stuff’ (Limp Bizkit cover)
