Evil Scarecrow / Rock City / Nottingham
As we head in to the 2025 festive break, it’s our last show of 2025, and what better way to end a year of incredible music, than at Nottingham’s home of live music Rock City, to see home town metal, from the cities finest…… Evil Scarecrow on their ‘Premature Obsolescence’ tour ?
Answer: There isn’t a better way lol
First up on stage are a band I’ve known about for a long time, but somehow never seen live – Derby’s very own Raised by Owls. A great band, with a brilliant, fun social media persona well worth checking out (Instagram/raisedbyowls).
Raised by Owls play a grindcore style of metal, with a very very big pinch of fun in their lyrics and song titles, such as David Cameron’s Favourite Band are Pig Destroyer, Carol Vorderman’s Countdown to Extinction and Burning Churches if the Most Fun you can have Without Taking Your Clothes Off.
Tonight we enjoy an 8 song set packed with fun and entertainment. It has to be said, Raised by Owls are a good band, technically very very good indeed. They open with
The subtle and delicate ballad that is the Dark and Twisted Realm In Which Fred Durst Resides. Nah….. its raw grindcore bliss ! Singer Sam introduces the band, and tells us that after twenty years of doing this all they have to show for it, is that Sam’s mum is a minor internet celebrity (a regular on their social media videos).
For the next track, we are told they will be joined on stage by the devil himself, as they rip into Strictly Come Danzig, a giant Mr Blobby appears, waving what appears to be two, ginormous double ended dildo’s round his head as he bounces all round the stage, and down on the barrier. The devil himself indeed !
The next three songs are introduced as a competition for the crowd. First, in round 1 – a prize is to be presented to the best headbanger presented, appropriately enough by the legend himself, Corey Taylor from Slipknot, who them bumped into at the jobcentre earlier on, as they give us Going for a Pint with Corpse Grinder.
For Round 2 it’s a cover of Napalm death’s You Suffer, as we play Grindcore Karaoke to the Wallace and Gromit theme, Each side of the audience takes it in turns to give it their best grindcore growls and screams, and the lucky contestant ends proceedings with a grindcore version of “cracking cheese gromit”. It’s stupid, and infectious and hilarious !
Finally it’s Round 3 – and to the song Dance Like Barney Greenway, the crowd are encouraged to play ‘Dance Like Barney Greenway’ ! Barney is the lead singer in Napalm death and as Sam observes, dances like he’s being chased by a swarm of wasps. The mosh pit doesn’t disappoint as arms flail to the music.
The highlight for me had to be I’m Sorry I wore a Dying Fetus T-Shirt to your Baby’s Gender Reveal Party which I’d seen on Instagram many times with it’s hilarious video.
The time just whirls by and before you know it, it’s time for the finale. Sam pulls out a red baseball cap and turns it backwards as they launch into an astonishingly punishing grindcore cover of the Limp Bizkit hit Break Stuff, accompanied by a. big blue Sesame Street character (Groover ?)
Raised by Owls are simply brilliant. It’s musically great, but just so much fun too.
Setlist
The Dark and Twisted Realm In Which Fred Durst Resides
Strictly Come Danzig – the devil himself Mr Blobby wielding 2 giant double ended dildos
Ainsley Harriott Advises You to Give Your Meat a Gold Ol’ Rub
Going for a Pint with Corpse Grinder
You Suffer (Napalm Death cover)
Dance Like Barney Greenway
I’m Sorry I wore a Dying Fetus T-Shirt to your Baby’s Gender Reveal Party
Break Stuff (Limp Bizkit cover)
Next up, is something very different….. a comic ! I’d seen Andrew O’Neill before, having previously supported Evil Scarecrow. In a black dress and glasses, carrying a notebook, Andrew introduces himself as the Evil Scarecrow audience evaluation officer.
What comes next is chaos….. quick one liners that are hard to keep up with, but have us in stitches. Andrew has a distinctly alternative edge and can be cutting and edgy, such as calling out the asexual community… they can fuck right off my flag ! He also asks all the most important questions in our troubling times, such as ‘why is it called a grape fruit, when there is already a fruit called a grape’ ? I’m still puzzling on that one now lol
We are encouraged to take part in the ‘counting game’ which involves us shouting out the numbers 1 to 7 in turn, and after each Andrew replies with a shout of ‘the counting game’. That’s it ! Nothing more, nothing less, and it crops up several times during the set, each time we eagerly join in. Madness !
Growing up on metal, we get one song, The Magpie Song which is unique…… As the song progresses extras bring out magpies on mic stands, until a veritable mischief of magpies surrounds him.
Fast / sharp / quick witted – Andrew is a delight to see live.
Finally, it is time…….. The lights dim, and the smoke machines go into overdrive as out of the darkness out step Evil Scarecrow, led by guitarist / vocalist Dr Evil, bassist Kraven Morrdeth, guitarist Count Gravedigga and drummer Ringmaster Monty Blitzfist !
Tonights set is packed with classic Evil Scarecrow hits, but a number of new tracks from the latest album “Silicon Tea”, and they open with one such track Nuclear Fallout Machine Sentience. Packed with the Evil Scarecrow chants it’s a great addition to the live set – dark and heavy !
As with all Evil Scarecrows, entertainment and crowd interaction is at the forefront. You don’t go to see Evil Scarecrow, you go to experience it, and take part ! Next up is the classic Master of the Dojo but as they start the song, there’s a problem with the drums requiring a fix, so Dr Evil laughingly suggests a rendition of Little Donkey which the crowd chat back, demanding he oblige, so – off they go on a metal version of Little Donkey while Ringmaster Monty Blitzfist fixes the drums. It’ shilarious, watching a metal crowd singalong to this, a bit like Corey Taylor doing his hilarious version of the Spongebob theme tune lol.
Soon fixed, we finally get into Master of the DoJo. Extras join the stage dressed as skeletons in ninja costumes, for the chorus sections they hold up in turn signs that say ‘Strike First’ and ‘Show No Mercy’ as a giant inflatable judu fighter waves across the stage. As the song reaches its conclusion a pair of giant chopstix are brought out and an audience member has to try and catch a giant fly to win a cheap charity shop DVD.
During Cosmos Goth Moth Gong a delicate moth flutters round the stage as Kraven Morrdeth decends down into the centre of the Rock City crowd on bass, with a giant moon globe above his head.
Dr Evil, is on great form tonight and while everything is set up for Release the Krakhen from the new album, he somehow convinces (not hard, this crowd are up for anything lol) the crowd to squawk like chickens to him. Setting the crowd against each other, left side squawking in a questioning manner, while the right side squark back in a confident answering style. It has Dr evil and everyone in stitches, as the giant chicken strides out onto the stage, revealing it’s tentacles part way through the song ! (Don’t ask – this is Evil Scarecrow !) The chorus is another sing along chant fest and the Rock City crowd shout back ‘release the krakhen’ with gusto.
Another new track in Green Bin day brings new antics, a green bin wheeled out onto the stage behind Dr Evil, which opens to reveal sinister eyes staring out, as extras sweep the stage, this one has a lighter feel, almost like the Offspring, while for Shoptomus Prime it’s an excuse for another giant automaton to be wheeled out, a ginormous remote controlled robot.
As the set draws to a close, again the crowd are encouraged to join in, by shouting ‘eggs’ at each other on command !
I was disappointed there was no Robototron tonight, but that’s just me, a sucker for the classics, but the new additions were a worthy add to the set, and of course, no Evil Scarecrow show would be complete without an appearance from the half-crab, half-robot overlord Crabulon who scuttles onto the stage for the finale. The confetti cannons explode and shower us in fine paper as the band scuttle left and right, as do many of the crowd, as they raise their crab claws in the air. It builds, from a drum beat, fists pumping the air as the crowd chant along ‘Crabulon, Crabulon, Crabulon….’
As always, Evil Scarecrow bring the mayhem, shake it up and unleash it on their eager audience. There is never a dull moment. What always impresses me with Evil Scarecrow, is strip away all the antics and props, and at their core, they are an incredible metal band making great music that stands proud on its own merits….. but pair it up with a dose of chaos, mayhem and stupidity….. and there’s no live experience quite like it.
The perfect to round out a year of brilliant music !
Setlist
Nuclear Fallout Machine Sentience
Master of the Dojo
Little Donkey (Singalong due to brief technical difficulties)
End Level Boss
Cosmos Goth Moth Gong
Release The Krakhen
The Ballad Of Brother Pain
Green Bin Day
Shoptimus Prime
Hurricanado
Future Machine
Crabulon
