Avenoir @ The Wardrobe, Leeds - January 2020

Leeds will always be one of my favourite cities and that isn’t just because of good childhood nostalgia but because, Leeds, you never fail to impress me (and leave me deaf). The Wardrobe is another venue that I have history with and is somewhere I’ve always wanted to play. It has a bigger capacity than most of the other bars around the centre and the drinks prices reflect it. As we descend into the venue part of the bar and socialite Jamie Styles (Ormstons/Rae) spots at least three people he knows I’m still scanning the room for Tye or any of the members of Avenoir, but they remain elusive for the rest of the night, only emerging from their backstage nest to tweak the onstage equipment between sets; I briefly catch a glimpse of drummer Jack Hendy’s painted face.

Our Generation

Nathan Robinson (Apertunes photography) is a nice familiar face who fills us in on DeadWax, the next band on the bill; “Limp Bizkit but not sh*t”. When I saw four young lads, one wearing a balaclava, another with a bandana, I wasn’t sure what to expect but “Rage if they were British” was definitely an apt way to put it. That combination of funk and punk can sometimes draw immediate parallels to the anarchist giant but DeadWax did it in a classy way, replacing the American rap with British grime, maintaining a strong groove and inserting fills and guitar-noodles where they needed to be without disturbing the rhythm. The vocalist also had a great voice for both rap and clean singing vocals, and this juxtaposition with the heavy riffs just worked. I was thoroughly impressed at their musicianship onstage and their original music, to the point that I regularly had to turn to Jamie and Nathan to express it: “ooo, yeah, that’ll do it”.

Juxtaposition

After grabbing another pint and watching a “kid do the worm into a forward roll”, we returned to our perch at the back of the room and patiently waited for the next treat to be presented. Said treat arrived in the form of three-piece Covent, who’s social media describe their influences to be a mix of grunge and indie-rock, but their opening track made me think of Deftones, even going as far to claim some pop-punk tropes. The bassist sported a flashy shirt and a black, vaguely spikey-looking guitar so I was intrigued as to what their sound would be like. Their performance was lively; having possibly one of the most animated drummers I’ve ever seen definitely added to their presence and all three members looked as though they were having a good time. However, I couldn’t help but look sideways as the guitarist had to tune halfway through their set, which happens, but had to plug into the bassist’s board to do so. Without wanting to dwell on this, please turn the amp off or stick it on standby, the soundman looked mildly stressed as the bassist tried to make conversation with the crowd. Knowing what to do when things go wrong is important and obviously this could be improved but their positive attitudes and confidence made the process quick, and it was instantly forgiven as the crowd went back to moshing.

After a brief chat with Hendy’s mum, and then the realisation that she had mainly come over to put Avenoir stickers on our backs, I thought about the fact that the crowd had a wide mix of ages, from younger kids with parents to other adults. This is something that has always been heart-warming about the Leeds music scene; I’ve always found it to be so inclusive. Regardless of age, gender or background you’re welcome on stage or in the crowd. Seeing younger people making all manner of music and me having to avoid the pit due to not wanting to be beaten up by people nearly half my age is actually a really positive thing for the scene and the future of the industry, and seeing families being there to support is just as important.

A Bridge Underwater

For Avenoir, the live scene is a playground. Monitors, drum risers and even the crowd are like an assault course. Frontman Tye Jozefowicz takes audience participation a step further by jumping on a fan’s shoulders mid-song, high-fiving moshers as neither him or his make-shift raft show any signs of wavering among the whirlpool of anger and excitement. Not only are the band’s presence enough to make their confidence known but painted faces and arms add to the visage. Halfway through the set Jozefowicz leaves the stage and returns wearing a unicorn onesie while the band stalk around him like ghosts, black makeup streaming: the perfect image to describe Avenoir and their attitude.

The set consisted of their well-known tracks; previous singles such as The Leviathan and Columbus alongside Orpheus and Eurydice and Drown, which translated perfectly in a live environment. While all the tracks definitely sound like Avenoir, they’ve ‘updated’ the older ones with added breakdowns to fit the new, heavier theme. While it’s good to see that they are embracing this new sound, I’m left wondering whether it’s necessary, as in some of the punkier tracks it might be too much of a segway to simply add a breakdown to what is otherwise a more upbeat, up-tempo song. In my review of their album I stated that I loved to see the new development and after hearing them live I think this will require new material in a similar vein as Drown, as opposed to trying to change their older stuff that was still successful in its own right. There might be added motivation here, however, as Jozefowicz makes a subtle joke in the direction of the old lyric-writer. While removing or making light of past memories might feel more comfortable, it isn’t always what the audience want and embracing it could lead to a higher understanding of their own place in the music scene and their own sound and song-writing niche, as it isn’t common knowledge what took place between the previous members, or whether there is bad blood or not. I feel as though Avenoir are at the border fence between punk and metal, and need to decide whether they cross the no-mans-land to the darker, black peaked countryside of metal, or whether they pitch their tent halfway and attempt to forge their own path into a unique combination.

AnTyeChrist

This heavily links into my interest of the impact Jozefowicz has had on the band, which is something that I talked about a lot in my last review, but seeing them in a live setting provides many more factors to consider. Obviously his energy on stage is rivalled only by that of Frank Carter, as he literally swings from the ceiling, but his metal and satanic influences make it clear that he has also made the executive decision regarding their image and possibly the covers they played too, primarily Wait and Bleed by Slipknot; an ambitious choice considering the original song is performed by an 8-piece band. And then again towards the end of the set with One Step Closer, Linkin Park. Guitarist Rob Arkle provides well needed backing vocals and the performance is received well by the crowd, throwing middle fingers to the sky, but again I wonder if another original song could have replaced it. Perhaps if they were playing a support slot they would have wanted to plug their music more, but this environment was very intimate and personal with the crowd, as they show their love for the late Chester Bennington by screaming the words right back.

After having seen their last headline show in Leeds, Drown was the only track that stuck out to me as being new, an example of their newfound sound. Jozefowicz told me that they had taken their time to make sure they were all comfortable with this new direction, which I think is a good thing from a creative standpoint, but as a member of the audience I would love to see more new material from them. Ride off of the back of Drown, live up to the hype and give us some more badass tracks.

Live, Laugh, Leeds(?)

“Without you we’re just four w*nkers on a stage”, Jozefowicz states, and for maybe the fifth time of the night I find myself cursing and laughing as he follows with; “I mean we are”. I can’t help but love the way he connects with the rest of the room, bandmates included. Leading into the Linkin Park tune he commands the crowd to channel something they’re angry at, stating that Drown was about being positive in the face of negativity, but that “this next one is not”. Jozefowicz is a face of rebellion and an outlet for negative emotions that Avenoir fans might have, and the fact that he is a couple of years older than a lot of the people in the room really benefits this. He is someone to look up to; a role model for how to let your anger out in a positive, friendly environment, and encourages those struggling to stick together. As musicians we are constantly in the spotlight, even when we step off stage. Whether it’s about our image on social media or the way we speak to people in the street, it all adds to our personalities as artists and reflects our ideals to the wider audience. Avenoir’s anarchistic values and image are both vital to their progression into the music industry and their live personalities. While some people might have seen a room brimming with anger and aggression, I saw people full of energy and positivity and Avenoir will not only benefit themselves from their own success, but will provide their fans with a much needed emotional release; an escape from the boredom and pain of daily life and a journey through the depths of the heart and soul with coiled fists and lungs ready to burst.

Photos by Tom Berridge