Gig Report: Sober Fest .2 @ Ilion Plus Music Theatre

On a very high-energy night, the Ilion Plus Music Theatre (Facebook, Twitter) was filled with powerful melodies, on Saturday 08.10.22. On stage came together Anorimoi, Sober On Tuxedos, Speak In Whispers, Irene Ketikidi and Dead South Dealers, rounding out the musical lineup for Sober Fest .2!

Dead South Dealers

The night was opened by Death South Dealers. Having known their work firsthand (I'd had the chance to hear their record titled 'Walkk Through The Line'), but hearing them live for the first time, the band made a powerful start to the evening. Their style leans into a heavy sound with southern rock and metal elements. The Dealers played for about half an hour, also offering tracks from their new, upcoming record. Being my first live encounter with the band, they left me with an excellent impression. Very tight and with an excellent sound, they got the crowd moving to their rhythms. I'd definitely like to see them on stage again, and I'm also looking forward to hearing their new work in full.

Irene Ketikidi

The stage continued with Irene Ketikidi and her band. Moving into a more progressive rock setlist, fully instrumental, Irene let her guitar melodies 'talk'! Although there were a few technical hiccups here and there during their set, the band never seemed to lose its vibe. On the contrary, it kept 'filling' the venue with excellent sounds. Notably (as Irene herself pointed out), it was also significant that this act was the only lineup that appeared playing in E standard tuning! One of my favourites was 'Snake Eyes', a track that's very close to my own listening tastes. To wrap up, I'd like to highlight Irene's very interesting musical style, as well as underline the quality of the musicians involved in the band as a whole. 

Speak In Whispers

Coming from Cyprus, Speak In Whispers gave a continuation to the Sober Fest! The metal band had an outstanding presence. Heavy sound, quality vocals and tracks that impress. I hadn't come into contact with the guys' work before, so my surprise was huge. With vocals moving from calm melodic lines to explosive outbursts, the band gave it their all. After this appearance, they definitely managed to get onto the radar of Λαγωνικού and I'll now be keeping them in mind for the future, hoping to see them again soon. In general, Speak In Whispers were the 'hammer' of the festival, seeing as they touched on the 'heaviest' sound compared to the rest of the bands. Performance-wise, they were truly flawless!

Sober On Tuxedos

So we've arrived at the hosts! The Sober On Tuxedos took to the stage ready to raise hell! To the sound of their music the intense pits continued, with the crowd finding itself in ecstasy. I knew them musically, but this was the first time I'd seen them up close. The band was truly impressive both from a musical standpoint and from the perspective of stage presence. The only downside was the fact that we didn't get to enjoy them as much as we would have liked, since the festival had run marginally behind schedule and so they were forced to cut down their setlist. Sober are a very tight-knit band. They explore the wider spectrum of southern hard rock and every time they have something fresh to offer us. We're definitely looking forward to the next time we see them on stage. For me, their performance of the excellent 'Outcome‘!

Anorimoi

Seriously unserious! More mature than ever, Anorimoi, closed out the Sober Fest! With their one-of-a-kind musical style, the beloved outfit took the already frenzied crowd and sent them completely over the edge. For the few who don't know what this is about, the band operates in a metal style with Greek lyrics and an intense satirical bent. What needs to be made crystal clear about Anorimoi is that they are excellent musicians. Listening to the music behind the lyrics, it's easy to understand that compositionally the band is on another level. I couldn't help but be impressed by the varied melodies and the members' performance on stage. Of course, what will always come to my mind is the band's announcement by the Queen Elizabeth clone, her reference to Bruce Dickinson's Greek Cunt Incident, and the lyrics of the songs (first and foremost 'Καριόλα'). But I can't get over the musical foundation, which in the end made me follow them!

An excellent festival

The Sober Fest .2 left me with very good impressions and brought me into more direct contact with artists and bands I'll definitely be following in the future. Overall, by the end of the program I felt musically fulfilled by the outcome. In closing, I'd like to say that the venue's sound was also quite good (despite whatever small problems came up), with Ilion Plus Music Theatre firmly establishing itself among the capital's music venues.