With the new year well underway, and the harsh winter weather digging in its heels, what better way than a nihilistic metal concert to stave off the seasonal blues and put the final nail in dry January’s coffin?

Fresh off their debut performance at last year’s core. fest, Gout have wasted no time in consildating their sound and gathering their resources to put on a deafening EP launch in the appropriately grungy, well-spaced basement of Glasgow’s Nice N Sleazy’s. Unapologetically loud performances from Guiltchamber and Civil Elegies set a high bar for the evening, so that by the time Gout make their headline appearance, tattered ear plugs are being swapped out for fresh new packs, and boy are they needed.

A fresh-looking Gout arrive to an eager crowd, ready to have their spirits livened by an onslaught of angst and dismay. Not wasting any time, Gout welcomes the audience with a sudden burst of pain that pays homage to their name. No attempt is made to ease the audience into the performance, as they burst onto the stage with songs such as ‘Bed Sores’ and ‘Bloodworms’, each as subtle in their performance as they are in their imagery. Yet, despite the sheer volume and rage that underlines their often indistinguishable lyrics, Gout’s songs and style emphasis the genuine vocal and musical talent possessed by the group.

Since their debut, Gout have tightened up their act, as displayed by their undeniable ability to command the stage, and sometimes even the floor, with a meticulous performance that still depicts an unavoidable sense of chaos. Coarse performances are interspersed with equally coarse moments of audience interaction. Choice words are slung in the audience’s general direction, which in any other location would result in mass exits, but here only gets the audience further on their side. When the band abruptly departs without warning, and the lights slowly return, the audience is left blinking in utter confusion as to what they have just witnessed and how it could be possible that so much time had passed by so quickly.

Gout’s angry, deafening performance, seamlessly combining elements of doom and sludge metal with deceptively soft vocals and dreadful imagery, creates a feeling of hope at odds with the band’s cynical appearance. Hope that this is only the beginning for a band fresh out of the ward, and ready to make a grimace-inducing name for themselves.