The Great Escape – Rolo Tomassi

It’s always a bit odd watching the token metal band shoehorned into a predominantly indie Great Escape line-up. No different, damnedly heavy British metalcore kids Rolo Tomassi took the stage to largely blank, fashionably-groomed faces. Still, all credit to this Sheffield quintet; their blistering, bruising headline set was probably the most intense performance of the weekend, leaving diminutive frontwoman/screeching megaphone lady Eva Spence croaking near the finale. At times almost frustratingly inaccessible (early numbers out-Dillingering The Dillinger Escape Plan’s blend of complexity and sheer volume), portions of the crowd, though, were eventually won over by the punk groove on more direct newer songs, a small victory indeed.

The Haunt, 11 May 2012

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