Live Review: Canvas, Lifetight, My Only, My/Bitter/Half & Craft-D - The Black Heart, London 12/10/2017

Canvas just released their debut LP “Worry”. Cue: sold out show at The Black Heart and a brilliant group of supports to celebrate that fact; Lifetight, My Only, My/Bitter/Half and Craft-D.

Firstly is spoken-word poet Craft-D. Spoken word doesn’t usually find its way to this venue, however it lends itself surprisingly well to it. The room fills quickly for his set that features poems, freestyles and even a haiku. The crowd listens intently and respectfully; a surprisingly quiet start to an otherwise raucous night.

With minimal time for changeover, My/Bitter/Half take to the stage. As a new listener I’m impressed by their raw energy and theatrics; guitarists and vocalists jumping amongst the crowd make for a heavy set that’s accompanied by everyone’s favourite flat red light. Metal horns at the ready, right? They’re definitely niche, the play between William and Megan’s screams is an experience to behold - especially in a room as small as this. A relatively short set ends and the entire ambience changes.



With My/Bitter/Half: sludge, doom and red lighting; with My Only – blue lights, pop punk meets melodic-hardcore vibes and more of an “accessible” approach. Catchy vocal hooks and bouncy riffs make My Only a real joy to watch. Frontman Jon dances around the stage which only makes the crowd even happier. There are a couple of big fans in the audience singing back the words, it’s just a shame it isn’t more.



Before tonight, Lifetight had only played two shows together as a band. Confirming the phrase “Third time’s the charm”, the four piece fill the venue with groove, bounce and funnily enough – the title of their debut single: “Energy”. Heads rock, moshes form and the band put on a show to remember. Utterly “PMA”, utterly jumpy and utterly fun.



Floor space then becomes minimal as the crowd moves closer to the front. From all four corners of the stage, Canvas provide a fitting welcome for their debut release, “Worry”. Playing a selection of tracks from their previous single releases and the new album, the band sell out the Black Heart with great success – they also bring out the strobes for their set which is always an assault on the senses. It’s loud, it’s meaningful, it’s an honest testament to the scene right now.



Review and Photography by Rhys Haberfield