Article & Photos by Kyle Ostrander

New York City – If you asked fans of metal and noise rock who the can’t-miss live acts are, you’ll undoubtedly hear the name Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs (abbreviated Pigs x7) at the top of many lists. The group has become famous for their incredibly energetic and action-packed performances over their nearly 15 year career. This week’s show at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC to celebrate their latest release, Death Hilarious, delivered an evening that nobody in attendance will soon forget.

The large room with its low, dark ceilings created an immersive atmosphere as fans filled the space. Soon enough, the speakers began loudly playing “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” by AC/DC, which began to ramp up the atmosphere. As the last few notes of the song rang out, the band members marched onto a stage saturated in red light, greeting the cheering crowd. Without hesitation, a wave of synchronized drum hits, fuzzy guitars, and clanking bass embodied the space as Pigs x7 kicked off with “The Wyrm”. After the song’s instrumental intro, vocalist Matt Baty ran out from behind his synth, and took position front-and-center with mic in hand. If the room was a powder keg, Baty’s words were the spark that lit the place on fire. Undoubtedly one of the best frontmen in the game today, Baty spent the entire show barefoot as he lept, danced, headbanged, and leaned over the crowd while unleashing his lyrics. “New York City! We come to you as the reigning heavyweight champions all the way from England! We’re here tonight to celebrate our fifth album. If my research is correct, we’re proud to say we’ve now released more records than the Vengaboys!” joked the vocalist before the band launched back into their sonic onslaught.

Adding to the beautiful chaos, guitarist Sam Grant would frequently fling his instrument around, raising it overhead while deeply entranced playing chugging riffs. Augmenting Grant’s playing was their other guitarist, Adam Ian Sykes, whose lead lines would soar above the distortion and press the songs to new heights. And driving all of this forward with furious grooves and impeccable sense for timing was the band’s rhythm section, bassist John-Michael Joseph Hedley and drummer Ewan Mackenzie. Baty did take time to introduce the band, although jokingly introducing them all using former pro wrestler names. It was moments like this that truly underscored why Pigs x7 are such an exceptional group of musicians. Not only can they craft a catchy song and killer live show like nobody else, but they’re also genuinely and wholeheartedly enjoying themselves.

The group even took a moment in the second half of the set to crown an audience member as the “headbanger of the night”, and invited the fan on stage to have a celebratory dance with the band, and be crowned with a free Pigs x7 hat to proudly wear for the evening. The 75 minute set, which pulled from across their entire catalog and featured five cuts off Death Hilarious, was full of unique moments like this that truly made you feel like this one-of-a-kind concert was a special experience. After closing out with “A66”, the group thanked their fans one last time, and made their exit as “We Like to Party” by Vengaboys played over the speakers.

Pigs x7’s current run of North American shows continues through the end of June, before they return again for another batch throughout the month of August. All dates and details can be found on their website.