Quick Review: Batalj + Catholic Spray

Wow that was a surprise! I wasn't at all familiar with Batalj beforehand but I knew this is going to be good from the moment they started playing. Batalj is a three piece synth/guitar/drums band with members from Sweden and Australia currently residing in Berlin. They play a fast and chaotic mix of hardcore/grindcore/screamo (are you even still allowed to use that term?)/whatever strongly reminding me of bands like the Locust and An Albatross. What was so impressive about them was the ease with which they performed. Moments of chaotic noise alternated with almost dancy parts with dirty bass synth sounds and stunning drums. Hands down this was one of the best bands I saw live this year and they're probably one of the best bands in Berlin right now. No complaints at all, the sound at bei Roy was amazing and the band was awesome to say the least.

Catholic Spray followed next, they had a bit of a difficult stand after what just happened minutes before. They played something completely different, which I found was a good thing as I like combining bands of different genres to play together. They do like a surfy garage punk mix with trebly guitars and muffled bass. I didn't really like what they played, as it all sounded too similar and boring to me. But I'm also not really into that sort of music and I was still strongly captivated from Batalj's performance...