Canadian post-rock horrorgazers Bonnie Trash impress on their debut UK tour on the 29th of September.

Back on the 24th of February on a review of Bonnie Trash’s album Mourning You I wrote, “It makes me very sad that there are no UK tour dates yet because this album is sensational music from a clearly very talented band.” Well, luckily the band decided to indulge me and were brave enough to book in their first UK tour, of which we caught the final night in London.

Eveline

We got two interesting supports tonight. Freya Eveline Downer is a full-on goth artist with a couple of really intriguing singles out on streaming services. Her sound is heavy on atmosphere and mood. New single ‘Inadequate’ is very decent, the simple synth line burrowing its way into your skull and getting progressively louder as the track progresses. One to keep an eye on.

Electron

Electron absolutely brought the rock tonight. They are one of those bands you suspect always gives it 100% regardless of how big or small the audience is, or what kind of day the band members might have had. Their tracks veer between heavy rock, grunge and touch onto metalcore at times. Check out ‘Echoes of a Dying World’ and ‘Burning Inside’ amongst a collection of releases including an album.

Bonnie Trash

It was very exciting to see the band in action tonight and they did not disappoint. Sometimes all you need to know about the quality of a band is a few seconds of them sound-checking. Drummer Dana Bellamy attacking the kit let you know this was going to be a very good night.

Whilst offstage they are personable and approachable, onstage they are all business in denim and leather. Singer Sarafina Bortolon-Vettor is a brooding presence. She has cultivated an intense stare and her eyes move slowly around the room locking onto different objects of interest. The band reel off tracks heavy on atmosphere, before opening up regularly with full on sonic assaults from the heavier end of their repertoire.

After setting the scene with ‘Maria’ they go straight for the jugular with two of their best tracks, ‘Veil of Greed’ and ‘Hellmouth.’ The crowd are absolutely in their pocket and loving every second of it.

Malocchio and Mourning You are both well represented. ‘Silence is a Killer’ from their earlier album really gives you a flavour of their range. The riff is reminiscent of a range of quality older bands from eighties. Going from that to the propulsive ‘Poison Kiss’ and then to their cover of ‘Red Right Hand’ shows a mix of their tastes and interests. You have to be brave to cover ‘Red Right Hand’ as it has been done to death in recent years, rarely matching up to the brilliance of Nick Cave’s original. Anna Calvi pulled it off as part of her contribution to the soundtrack of Peaky Blinders. Bonnie Trash deconstruct it slightly more before building it back up again, making it their own.

‘Haunt Me (What Have You Become)’ is of course saved until towards the end. It is a slow building juggernaut of intensity.

They sound fantastic from start to finish. They are well drilled, have a great set of songs and they deserve a far bigger crowd than is present tonight. We very much hope to see them back again at some point in the future.