Transistrrr at Centrala - 27/05/2024

Lazy Two Steppers have done it again! Featuring Transistrrr, Third Kulture and CHERRYDEAD, Centrala was the venue of choice for another night of punk madness! Definitely not one for the faint-hearted…

Third Kulture

Third Kulture are a three-piece band with a guitarist and 2 vocalists, accompanied by a backing track. Third Kulture’s mix of rhythmic, rap-like vocals and soulful, melodic vocals creates good contrast, and appeals to a larger audience this way. With their combination of hand gestures seen at the beginning of their set, holding three fingers up (presumably a reference to their name), chants such as “Burn the bitches”, and a sometimes ominous and eerie musical style, Third Kulture project subtle ‘cult’ or ‘ritual’ vibes, which can be perceived to create a tighter community amongst their fans, in a way that is sometimes seen in punk rock. I asked a member of the audience what they thought, and they said that, while the stage presence and technical ability was incredible, drums on a backing track can sometimes make it more difficult to encourage the audience to move. We discussed why this could be and came to the conclusion that it was probably because a live drummer can ‘read the room’ and change their playing to suit the mood of the audience. I feel like this could be something that Third Kulture consider in future to improve their set.

CHERRYDEAD

CHERRYDEAD were notable for the change in vocals, from one vocalist, between harmonic singing and more ‘growl-y’ vocals, and the ability to switch between the two quickly and seamlessly. The rhythm was emphasised enough to encourage the audience to head bang and was structured so people knew when to clear space for moshing, while the songs were also catchy, with the different vocal styles creating different moods and atmospheres. CHERRYDEAD have a really energetic stage presence and moved around a lot (including when they came into the audience) were chatty and friendly and they also have a fashion style that very much suits their genre.

Transistrrr

Transistrrr features fast and heavy drums, aggressive, ‘growl-y’ vocals and fast basslines. Their anti-capitalist views were undoubtedly obvious throughout their set, which resonated well with the audience. Transistrrr’s tendency to come in and out of the audience created a sense of fluid authenticity, as if they are one with their audience. This was best demonstrated when their bassist went right to the back of the audience while still playing, something which they were able to do thanks to their wireless amp connection. The band identifying their unique band name spelling allowed them to tell the audience to go and look at their merch to find out how to spell it, which was a great way to encourage people to the merch table! The audience remained very engaged throughout the set, with two-stepping and borderline acrobatic moshing which did not exclude the promoters, themselves! I felt like Transistrrr could have improved their set with more varied dynamics and tones, as, while heavier genres of rock do suit Transistrrr’s brand, there wasn’t any other sounds, still within those genres, that gave the audience a break from heavy drums, fast basslines and aggressive vocals. While these all suited Transistrrr’s style, it would be nice to see more variation in the future.

Overall, this was another excellent gig brought to you by Lazy Two Steppers and was perfect for those who love to let off steam by aggressively moshing to heavy, political rock music. Centrala was booming with life as the audience embraced the much-welcomed chaos with enthusiasm. Heads were banging, feet were kicking, and hands were thrown in the air to the beat of crash cymbals and guitars that demonstrated that there is no such thing as ‘too much distortion’.