Review And Photos By Dave Martin
On a dark Friday evening the Penny Theatre in Canterbury was lit up by the high energy crowd that had come ready to enjoy their night in the company of bands covering two of the biggest names in the industry in Nirvana and Metallica. Andrew Kesby who does the bookings for the Penny knows his audience and again planned a fantastic night of music. The audience was not quite at capacity but those in attendance did all they could to make the night electric.
First to the stage were Essex based Nirvana tribute Mullvana. The group were playing the iconic album “From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah” in its entirety. Having purchased the album when released in 1996 I was excited to hear the album performed live and Mullvana didn’t disappoint. Covering many tracks from the bands US number one album Nevermind the band warmed up the crowd and by the end of the set the audience were jumping around and cheering. The high-octane performance particularly evident in songs such as breed set the scene for the headline act that followed.
Track Listing
1. Intro, 2. School, 3. Drain You, 4. Aneurysm, 5. Smells Like Teen Spirit, 6. Been A Son, 7. Lithium, 8. Sliver, 9. Spank Thru, 10. Scentless Apprentice, 11. Heart-Shaped Box, 12. Milk It, 13. Negative Creep, 14. Polly, 15. Breed, 16. Tourette’s, 17. Blew
The Metallica songs were being performed by Kent’s own Some Kind of Metallica not long from their performance at Rock the Mote: Thunderdome. Having photographed that event I knew what to expect from the group and knew the crowd were in for a treat. Before the set had even started Jimmy (Hetfield) and Stephen (Hammett) were in the audience clearly knowing some of the diehards that had gathered at the venue.
Kicking off the set with fan favourite Creeping Death from the Ride the Lightning album the front few rows almost instantly started up the mosh pit and this energy was evident throughout the evening. The mosh pit was maintained through the renditions of Fuel and The Memory Remains. The band incorporated some of the lesser played live tracks such as of Wolf and Man from the Black Album. After a quick guitar change the group launched into The Unforgiven, which was clearly a fan favourite by the number of audience members choosing to video the track.
Due to its more emotional nature the crowd could be seen with swaying arms throughout and lending their voices in support of Jimmy singing on stage. During Wherever I May Roam Jimmy and Stephen lean on each other back-to-back whilst Stephen delivers the blistering solo Kirk Hammett style. On completion Stephen starts to conduct the audience during the intro to For Whom The Bell Tolls who sing vigorously along while headbanging to the music. The band clearly know how to energise those watching and this continues as bassist Connor tells those assembled to finish the lines he starts at the beginning of Seek & Destroy. Preeceding arguably the most famous track released by Metallica, Master of Puppets, Jimmy gets the crowd to do a vocal warm up before pointing at them part way through the song and commanding them to sing. Prior to the breakdown the group pauses and asks “Do you want the rest of it”. The mosh pit recommences for the first time since the earlier tracks of the set.
In advance of track One, artillery fire can be heard over the PA simulating the intro to the music video and those gathered were again in full voice before the band went straight into my favourite Enter Sandan. On completion the group announced their last song Battery and the mosh was joined by the members of Mullvana who were clearly enjoying themselves along with the rest of the crowd.
Overall an energetic and entertaining evening and for those of you who are gutted that you missed it, the bands can be seen playing together again at Leo’s Red Lion in Gravesend on Friday 13th December. Tickets are available at ticketsource.co.uk/leosredlion.
Setlist
1. Creeping Death, 2. Fuel, 3. The Memory Remains, 4. The Four Horsemen, 5. Of Wolf and Man, 6. The Unforgiven, 7. Wherever I May Roam, 8. For Whom the Bell Tolls, 9. Fade to Black, 10. Seek & Destroy, 11. Master of Puppets, 12. One, 13. Enter Sandman, 14. Battery
Some Kind of Metallica upcoming gigs:
15/11/24 Victoria Biker bar Colville
13/12/24 Leo’s Red Lion Gravesend
31/1/25 Patti Pavillion Swansea
8/2/25 acoustic couch Bracknell
7/3/25 Cart and Horses Stratford
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