Trespass/Kaine/Beth Sullivan -
The Quay Theatre, Sudbury, Suffolk, Saturday, 8th April, 2023
I can’t say I was excited to be travelling to Sudbury Quay Theatre to see Trespass. Surely this old NWOBHM band were well past their sell by date? Yes, it was a hometown gig in front of a seated 100 capacity crowd but I didn’t expect to get much to write about.
How wrong was I? It was incredible! Though it did get off to a slow start. The opening act was Folk Singer, Beth Sullivan who hails from Sudbury. She told us her songs were fairy tales and looked nervous.
She was assisted by some bloke in a cap and a laptop. He also had a keyboard and looked out of place. Anyway, I remember the opening song was about a Forest. Beth Sullivan had an enigmatic smile which was quite captivating as she sang her whimsical tunes.
The sound was thin and patchy. The last song suffered from a laptop malfunction making her look more vulnerable and uncomfortable. I spoke to her briefly after the short set and wished her luck.
I think she would be better playing solo so she can connect with the audience. She received polite applause, this despite the laptop being centre stage which was weird.
Set List: Reforge The Steel/Rebirth/Left Behind/After Extinction/Bright And Green To Grey.
Then BANG! Almost instantly the showed turned to ROCK as Essex based Kaine arrived on stage. The band comprises of Rage Sadler (Guitar/vocals), Liam Etheridge (Drums), Toby Woods (Lead Guitar) & Isaac Healy (Bass).
They woke up the crowd as they powered through a set of Metal which got some heads banging. Rage commented that they had never performed to an all-seated crowd before but that didn’t stop them delivering a set of prime metal.
With 5 albums behind them they chose a great set list, which I don’t have as apparently it was only written on the singer’s arm! Before they stormed the stage I was having ‘A Crisis Of Faith’, which just happens to be a title of an album they released in 2018. That said album features a stunning cover design and artwork.
‘After Extinction’ was the standout track by a band I need to hear and know more about. They certainly gave us a good night of traditional NWOBHM ROCK! Noisy buggers!
In June, Kaine will be supporting Mean Man, Chris Holmes (from Wasp). There is sure to be a buzz about this tour and it will have a sting in the tail!
Set List: Duel/Live It Up/Footprints/Visionary/Blackthorn/Prometheus/Bright Light/Daggers Drawn/Bounty Hunter/Assassin/Bloody Moon/Live Like A King/Lightsmith/Stormchild.
Encore: Wolf At Your Door/Jealousy.
The great thing about being part of the www.metallivillezine.com team is you go to gigs that you maybe otherwise wouldn’t. They can be a real eye opener. Sometimes you see bands that you are aware of but for one reason or another have passed you by or eluded you.
For me, someone who has been buying music for nearly 50 years, tonight at the Quay Theatre was a jaw dropping experience, one that I could not stop smiling about. As the show developed the more engaged and frankly astonished I was at what I was both hearing and seeing.
I did know the name of Trespass and had heard a couple of songs from the likes of the 'Metal Explosion' and 'Metal For Muthas' compilations but that was it! From the opener, ‘Duel’ I knew I had missed out on some great music. Tonight was really my introduction to Trespass, a band formed in Sudbury, Suffolk, barely 30 miles from my home town of Thetford.
Mark Sutcliff’s personality and stories make him a terrific frontman. He simply has a great stage presence. His guitar playing and vocals are outstanding. I had made these observations and drawn these conclusions after the opening couple of songs. But there was more, is more, so much more to this band.
The youthful presence of Guitarist, Joe Fawcett looked somewhat out of place initially, but what a mesmerising sound he created. What a player! The duelling guitars between Mark & Joe were a joy, as were the smiles and engagement they had together.
An early trio of songs, ‘Visionary, Blackthorn & Prometheus’ were utterly compelling, as you felt the togetherness and sound wash over you. If the sight of Mark & Joe were not quite enough for you then Bassist, Will Wilmott’s bouncing, forever posing smiling character gave you another great focal point, his playing adding yet more quality to proceedings. Though he was a difficult man to photograph as he constantly moved just out of the lighting, more illumination on Will please.
Somewhere at the back, in a kind of booth, was Drummer, Jason Roberts, who despite being obscured at the start of the show provided the heartbeat of sound with enough bombast and energy to light up Sudbury and Great Cornard!
Back to the show, Mark regaled us with a story of his Yamaha FS1E and having maybe one to many has he rode to Bures and back, the road to Bures is not the best so it is just as well he cannot recall his journeys home!
The stories kept coming as he told us of lost bandmates and ones, he perhaps didn’t always see eye to eye with. ‘Daggers Drawn’ is the next single off the superb new album, ‘Wolf At The Door’. It features a choppy cutting rhythm which is instantly memorable with great lyrics with a chorus simple enough we can all join in.
The show continued to amaze me as the interplay and intwining of guitars got better and better, if that is possible! You could feel the delight emitting from stage to crowd and back again. Then we got ‘Lightsmith’ featuring a twin neck guitar. It was my highlight and again the playing between Mark and Joe was astonishing!
This guitar is apparently heavy and as Mark relieved himself of its weight. A seemingly impromptu, improvised bit of funk erupted from Will and Joe, leading to Mark saying, “We don’t need any of that stuff here!”.
With beaming smiles, they go into ‘Stormchild’ which is obviously a fan favourite and a classic and takes us up to the close of the set. After a short, more, more, more! Trespass return with ‘Wolf At The Door’ before closing with ‘Jealousy’. What a night! What a brilliant venue with excellent staff!
After the show I spoke to Mark. I could not conceal my excitement of their performance. I cannot wait to see them again, hopefully at their album launch party.
On my journey home I was buzzing more than a Yamaha FS1E!
Review By Paul 'Rhino' Mace
Photographs By Paul 'Animal' Hampson