Thursday 14th February 08 - Divine Sinn at Winston Churchills, Driffield By Steve Rudd Photos By Matt Rudd

It's been a long time since Metal fans in Driffield have had a band to call their own. Too long, in fact. So, thank the devil for new quartet Divine Sinn. Not to be confused with Swedish rockers Divine Sin, Driffield's Divine Sinn have been practicing hard for the past seven months in anticipation of performing live, with this being their first proper show. And there was nowhere better for them to unveil their songs than in Winston Churchills.

The last time such a venue played host to a live band was some four years ago. Back then the place was known as Mavericks, when it provided the perfect stomping ground for much-missed groups such as Cowpuncher and Innocuous. Playing two twenty-five minute sets, it didn't take long for the crowd to stream forward to the stage for a closer look and listen. Hammering out songs from their debut album, Redemption, it soon became apparent that Divine Sinn aren't vying to just play Metal music.

Given that the band's influences range from Paradise Lost to Tool, via Rammstein and A Perfect Circle, the net effect has Divine Sinn playing a high-octane brand of rock with a refreshing Metal twist, intoxicatingly infused with raucous punk spirit. Both energetic and highly photogenic, Divine Sinn are fronted by Tom Chadwick, with Bengi Gladstone and Lee Sherwin on guitars, leaving Spike to play things cool on bass. Surviving admirably without a live drummer, they are currently being backed by pre-programmed synths and scintillating beats to stunning effect.

As for the huge wall of sound produced by the guitars, it's exhilarating, with Lee and Bengi skillfully plucking out a smattering of stunning melodies from amidst the tumultuous riffage. Tom, meanwhile, isn't afraid to eschew the art of screaming when it comes to singing. Instead, he focuses on projecting gruff soul into his voice, lending the music a formidable and emotive grunge edge.

Come the second half of their set the crowd was all for going berserk, especially when the band announced that they'd award a free CD to the best dancer. So dance the crowd did, before the spectacle of a lonesome crowd-surfer duly deflected attention.

The slow and sinister Smiler was performed by just Tom and Bengi, while Sinsation and Warning proved to be prime examples of just how talented the lads are at arranging songs, obliquely paying tribute to Tool in regards to how they are unafraid of transforming their songs into rollicking epics. Hell, Murder One went down so well that the crowd instantly demanded more of the same, providing a fitting climax to what had been a tremendous live debut from a band clearly determined to go places - and fast. In the meantime, Divine Sinn are due to play at The North Eastern in Goole on February 22nd.

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