Battle won, now for the war!
It’s been a few years since we had the chance to catch up with Senser at a regular gig instead of a festival slot and I’ve really no idea what size crowd they are going to pull. Back in the 90s Senser were a major draw, playing the main stage at Reading and their unique blend of rap with metal, punk and dub spawning a succession of charting singles. Things are a little more low key these days but that could all be about to change with the release of their best album for some years in the shape of ‘How to do Battle’.
I’m clearly not the only one that has kept up to speed with the band as there is a good crowd inside the Roadhouse, which is not always a good thing! The stage and ceiling are so low that unless you are right at the front the view is almost non existent and for a small venue it’s remarkable how much better the sound is near the front compared to further back. No sooner do the band hit the stage than they launch straight into hard hitting new single ‘Resistance Now’, vocalists Kirstin and Heitham looking as intense and eager as they ever had. It’s hard not to raise a smile when you see a band like Senser in full flow; hard hitting riffs and a thumping rhythm section just continually build the intensity and it seeps into the crowd, the pit getting faster and wilder as the set progresses.
There’s a good mix of old and new on show tonight with old favourites like ‘State of Mind’, ‘No Comply’ and ‘The Switch’ sandwiched between songs from the new album like ’Hex’, ‘End of the World Show’ and the blistering ‘2 3 Check’. It’s hot, sweaty and just how it always was at a Senser gig, musically they are on top of their game and the crowd respond in kind. There is a succession of crowd surfers, which is no mean feat with a ceiling this low, the rest of the pit at the front gets wilder with every song and whilst all good natured there is a fair bit of macho posturing going on!
Some of the newer songs have some out of character catchy choruses but it really works in their favour and gives them a new edge, especially as the main guitar parts are as visceral and cutting as ever. They play for just over an hour and finish with a predictable but no less stunning double hit of ‘Age of Panic’ and ‘Eject’, during which security has to step into the pit on more than one occasion. The simple fact is that nobody did it like Senser back in their heyday and nobody does it like them now, they remain a fine live band and are as solid and as relevant as they ever were.