SOME KIND OF METALLICA + MULLVANA - The Penny Theatre, Canterbury Friday 3rd November 2023

Making their official live debut, Nirvana tribute Mullvana subvert expectations with a 15 song set that starts with Radio Friendly Unit Shifter and ends with Blew, and features very little in the way of hits. Those eagerly awaiting Come As You Are, Lithium, Heart-Shaped Box or just about anything from the eponymously titled best of are likely to be disappointed; Mullvana’s focus is on the deep cuts. And they do them very well. But this is the truly grungy, punk-influenced Nirvana that a fair-weather fan could be utterly unaware of. Though Kurt Cobain was never short of a hook, as the repetitive choruses of Aneurysm or the bass heavy Sliver attest, it’s the unbridled aggression of Negative Creep and the unhinged incoherence of Tourette’s that provide the biggest thrills. Smells Like Teen Spirit does, eventually, make a surprise appearance, but I sense that it’s begrudgingly, because to leave this song out would be one omission too far. Though it (predictably) gets the biggest reaction, it actually feels a little incongruous in a set dominated by the obscure. I suspect Mullvana are just the kind of tribute Kurt might have hoped for. 

In total contrast, Some Kind of Metallica go for the crowd pleasers, and play arguably the best of Metallica’s first five albums. There’s no messing around, Creeping Death opening a set that is consistently enjoyable and remarkably faithful to the source material. As is often the case with tribute bands, you’re reminded of the strength of these songs and the reason certain bands are so enduringly popular. It’s hard to imagine any Metallica fan not enjoying this group tear through Harvester of Sorrow, Ride the Lightning or For Whom the Bell Tolls. 

If it’s possible to stand still whilst listening to the relentless thump of Sad But True, there’s no evidence this evening; and though the Black Album has its detractors, it’s madness to argue with that gloriously heavy riff. At times, a modest mosh pit breaks out near the stage, fists are raised and the crowd jump around with as much enthusiasm as if James Hetfield himself was in the room. In fact, we’re so invested that guitarist Steve’s name is chanted loudly on more than one occasion! The sheer jubilation of shouting Seek and Destroy or Master of Puppets in a room of like-minded metal-heads is hard to beat. As I leave to catch my lift, the band are ripping into Battery, sounding just as formidably brilliant as they have all evening. If I didn’t have work in the morning, I could have happily listened to Some Kind of Metallica for another couple of hours. As tribute bands go, they don’t get much better than this. 

MULLVANA SETLIST

Radio Friendly Unit Shifter/Breed/Aneurysm/Floyd the Barber/School/Serve the Servants/Sliver/On a Plain/Negative Creep/Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle/Tourette’s/Drain You/Territorial Pissings/Smells Like Teen Spirit/Blew

SOME KIND OF METALLICA SETLIST

Creeping Death/Harvester of Sorrow/Welcome Home (Sanitarium)/Ride the Lightning/Sad But True/Whisky in the Jar/For Whom the Bell Tolls/Fade to Black/Seek and Destroy/Master of Puppets/One/Nothing Else Matters/Battery