Astroid Boys - The Asylum, Birmingham 10.03.2017
On the same day that Cardiff City beat Birmingham City in the football, Cardiff based Astroid boys came to give Brum a second beating as they arrive on their UK headline tour in support of their debut album release 'Broke'. They bring a unique style of Hardcore, Metal and Grime to the table and in their short career have built up quite a following.
First up on the night was Hip-Hope duo 'The Northaze'. For me a little bit of a disappointment, the crowd were very hesitant with them to start with and although they started to pick up towards the end of the set, it wasn't anything groundbreaking. They definitely were skilled MCs, no doubt about it, they just didn't manage to get the crowd going. That being said, it would be harsh for me to not think that they do have some sort of potential, as they're still very much at the beginning of their career. Also you can't knock their work ethic, as one of the duo had just finished an 8-4 shift at his workplace before rushing to the show, hats off to that!
Next up and although I think 90% of the crowd would disagree, the best support act of the night, for me, were 'Balanced'. It was the Hardcore/Punk outfits only date on the tour supporting Astroid boys and they certainly made it count. Playing in front of a hometown crowd, they showed what they were all about right from the get-go, non stop energy. The frontman and the drummer were stand out performers, they were the driving force that was needed to wake the crowd up and were a joy to watch. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for them in the future.
Rounding off the support acts was Grime MC 'Manga'. Although he didn't really do much for me, there's no denying that this guy's talented and he went down an absolute treat with the crowd. I especially liked his crowd interaction, as he spoke a lot between songs and his humour was spot on, at one point he overheard a member of the crowd jokingly say something negative about him and he put him on the spot by performing most of the next song staring right at him. For the last couple of songs of the set DJ Comfort of Astroid boys lent his services to the decks and really added to the performance.
And finally Astroid Boys, I had seen them state that their live shows have got bigger and better and they certainly lived up to the hype. They dove straight into their set opening with 'Cheque', one of the more popular singles from their new album, and it really set the pace for the rest of the set list. All members of the group were on great form and they really bounced off one another and gave off a consistent energetic performance right the way through. Manga was brought on to the stage on more than one occasion and he looked right at home performing along side them, they had real chemistry together. As their set came to a close, fans left the venue delighted that Astroid Boys delivered on their promise of a bigger and better show.
Overall a good night of music, a top performance from Astroid Boys and a great new discovery in 'Balanced'. Astroid Boys have also just been announced for Slam Dunk festival which is worth keeping an eye out for!
Astroid Boys - https://www.facebook.com/astroidboys/
The Northaze - https://www.facebook.com/looknorthaze/
Photos & Review - Sam Robinson Photography
