Bloodywood
Special Guests: Lake Malice
Venue: The Mash House, Edinburgh.
Date: 12th June 2023.
Review & Photos By: Dave Buchanan
A bit of a rarity, but the people of Scotland are currently basking in temperatures of over 25° Celsius. Some might say, the perfect beer garden weather! Some others might say (me), the perfect night to get hot and sweaty watching some killer bands!
Straight from the Download Festival stage and onto a tour bus to Edinburgh, we have the Indian Folk Metal sextet, Bloodywood, gifting us with the 2nd part of their Rakshak Tour! Joining them at this sold out show, once again, are UK Alternative Metal band, Lake Malice.
Lake Malice
With The Mash House already nearing full capacity, it’s clear tonight’s crowd are well aware of who Lake Malice are. With only a handful of singles to their name, Lake Malice are here for one reason, and one reason only…to deploy a set of raging bangers. And they do just that.
Exploding onto the stage with Magic Square, things go from 0-100 in the blink of an eye, with vocalist Alice and guitarist Blake launching themselves around the stage with way more energy than you’d expect for a band that just played Download Festival two days before.
The Edinburgh crowd is onside from the get-go, and as the band thunder through tracks like Black Turbine and the bellowing, progressive riffs of Bloodbath, their performance goes from strength to strength. A huge shout-out also goes to Emily Ainger, filling in on drums this part of the tour, and is absolutely killing it! Great natural groove and plenty of intricate flurries around the kit give the tracks another reason to stand out.
As the closing riffs of Blossom ring out, and the crowd wipe the sweat from their eyes, it’s clear to everyone that this band are on the climb to something major, and it won’t be long until a venue of this size is no longer capable of housing the huge Lake Malice fanbase.
Now, let’s get that album finished! 
(4 / 5)
Bloodywood
Returning to Scotland after a mere 3 months, and selling out their chosen venue for a second time, just shows what level Bloodywood are now operating at. Granted, it’s a slightly smaller venue than previously, in Glasgow, but to be honest, I’d much rather see them up close and personal, in a more intimate venue like The Mash House, than try and catch a glimpse of them in a room three times the size. Smaller venue also means smaller stage size, and trying to fit 6 members (plus instruments) on it is a pretty tight squeeze. But it’s not long until vocalists Jayant and Raoul are off the stage and down in amongst it all, creating a touch more breathing room for the rest of the band.
I’m going to be totally honest, and say that I did have some minor issues with the bands debut album, Rakshak. As much as it was enjoyable, and there were some massive highlights on it, parts of it felt like a band on their debut, throwing everything and the kitchen sink into it. Some of it worked, and some of it needed refinement. I did also say during our review, that this band, with the right selection of songs, I imagine would be highly enjoyable to see live. That was the understatement of the century.
Chants of “Here we, here we, here we fucking go!” blare from the crowd as the band take their positions, and wasting zero seconds of their hour-long set, the band launch into Gaddaar, with the room, front to back, erupting into a wave of bodies jumping in unison. The band are super locked-in, with a tight, punching sound, and it’s abundantly clear that all of the shows and festivals they’ve been playing since Rakshak dropped has paid off massively. Swiftly moving into BSDK.exe and then Dana-Dan, they show no signs of letting up the intensity, picking the best bangers from the album to make sure the crowd stay engaged the whole time. But, to be honest, with Jayant and Raoul as the energetic frontmen of the band, the crowd are more than happy to participate.
The slower tempo of Zanjeero Se provides a much-needed breather for the band, and the currently sweat-drenched crowd. But that respite doesn’t last long, as the band erupt into Machi Bhasad and start dropping percussive riff bombs left, right and centre. Vocalist Raoul takes this opportunity to spit some bars down at the barrier, up-close and personal with the crowd, and they love every second of it. The epic Ari Ari finishes the set on a high, but as they walk off-stage and the crowd scream for more, the band happily oblige, giving this Edinburgh crowd one more chance to give it their all. Gaddaar kicks in once more, and the band somehow sound even more intent on blowing the roof off (video below).
I can honestly say, I’ve never seen a more passionate bunch of fans than I have tonight at The Mash House. The adoration and connection they had with Bloodywood was amazing to watch, and I now totally understand why Bloodywood chose to come back to Scotland so soon after their last tour here. I also get the feeling it won’t be long until they are back again, with another new release to share with us all. 
(5 / 5)
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