Funk metal at it's finest
Spirytus set up to a handful of people on the 2nd stage at Kick Out The Jams and for a moment it looked like they'd be playing to an almost empty room, but by the time they took to the stage and played the first note the room was a quarter full and soon after the crowd swelled. It's an unfortunate situation of a two stage festival with the rooms in close proximity that everyone leaves it to the last minute to switch!
Spirytus's particular brand of funk metal really appealed to the crowd who committed to enjoying the set from the get go. And the boys from Nottingham made sure they were worth the attention, melding genres and creating something fun and intense that just made you want to move.
Their style is a mix of flowing funky grooves and sharp jabbing beats; Which occasionally resulted in a odd rhythm, throwing the movement of the crowd slightly. But on the whole the room didn't really mind they were here to enjoy the set and Spirytus made it worth their while.
Frontman Ryan Walton played off the crowd, chatting, connecting and clearly drawing his energy from them. When he asked the crowd if they'd seen Spirytus before the vast majority said no, it didn't matter he'd already won them over and guaranteed a new wave of fans would leave the venue that night.
Walton switches between rapid-fire lyrics and screams all the while moving with intense motion to the beat. He is the clear focal point of the band, even on a tiny stage his presence drew the attention while the rest flowed with their funky beats. The entire band were completely connected to the music and it showed.
With an intro of "this is where we stick in the obligatory cover song" they broke into The Prodigy's 'Breathe'. Not quite as good as the real thing, but a pretty decent heavy version of it nonetheless.
With a heavier song they asked for movement and got a mini circle pit, before setting up a small but impressive enough wall of death
Closing with 'Crucify' the crowd up front went nuts. This was a sweat inducing and energetic set and well worth watching.