VOIVOD

UNDERWORLD, LONDON “This band make me feel scared and paranoid,” says one fan as VOIVOd start their set with Post Society. The Canadians’ music is intense, dark and emotionally raw, so can elicit a wide range of reactions, but this tour is about celebration, marking the band’s 35th anniversary. And they are out to have fun. To prove this point, frontman Denis ‘Snake’ Bélanger at one stage even introduces what he terms “Our top 40 moment”, as the band mess around with a snippet from Kiss’s I Was Made

For Loving You and a nod to Rebel Yell from Billy Idol, before launching into

The Prow. While there are three tracks from new album The Wake, much of the night pays tribute to the past, with songs like Ravenous Medicine and Order

Of The Blackguards getting an ecstatic response. Prior to set-closer Voivod, there’s a huge chant of “Piggy, Piggy, Piggy” from the large crowd in tribute to the band’s late guitarist. This seems appropriate as Voivod reach such an anniversary. Is the assembled throng scared and paranoid? Perhaps. Are they elated? Definitely.

MALCOLM DOME