Return to Dust Live at The Barfly: Unfiltered Grunge, Rock Royalty, and Real Authenticity

After around an hour, and a strange mix of songs, the doors opened and a surprise opening act came on. Who? I'm still not sure, I believe the singer did try to introduce the band, but his Scouse accent was drowned out by the growls from a distorted guitar. I was still confused by the playlist, which consisted of Michael Jackson's 'Remember the Time' and 'Jam'. It was, of course, setting a fitting mood and atmosphere for a '90s-style L.A. grunge band. Sarcastically speaking. Though the crowd didn't seem to mind as they were 'hee-hee-ing' away and dancing along. What made it even more entertaining was when the entire front row were head banging and aggressively singing along to a Korn song, when suddenly, the lyrics "Do you remember, when we fell in love" came on. But I can't complain since I'm a big Michael Jackson fan. After that was a Lamb of God song and then some Latin hip-hop. I don't have to emphasise how odd and un-fitting this playlist was, and I wasn't alone as a woman standing next to me questioned the playlist choice too. 

Reverting to the opening act, they were great. I just couldn't bring myself to care about the band, and that's not a result of their set, but rather me thinking that Return to Dust was going to be the only performance. My theory, if you can call it that, was that we would settle in and they would come on and blow the roof off The Barfly. This was because the band greeted fans outside before the doors opened. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to say hello beforehand, they were far too busy accepting gifts and taking photos with people at the front of the queue. Given that my pockets were empty, and I was at the back of the queue I just smiled and waved every time they looked over. 

I don't know how to find that band, and until Return to Dust posts about them on social media, I must remain unaware of who they are. I can't search for a song of theirs because all the titles are just generic singular words, like "Fall" and "Ghost". I think this is a good lesson for any small band or artist to make sure the crowd know who you are when you perform. Whether that's a banner with your name on, or distinguishable song names, you need to make the audience aware of who you are. One memorable time from their set was when, at the end, the drummer took his shirt off leading to the audience, jokingly, wolf whistling and cheering. Something like this happened during the set-up for the headliner, when a sound guy was running a mic check. The sound guy did the familiar "Check one" "Check two" a few times and when he got to the last "Check one" some attendees chanted and shouted for "Check two". The crowd were great throughout and made the moments memorable.

The sound check was finished and the music went silent. It went black. Flashing lights made it clear that Return to Dust were making their way to the stage. The sold-out crowd roared and everyone took a big step forward. The band left no time for anticipation; they took control of that venue the very moment they picked up their instruments. "Black Road" played and a mosh-pit instantly formed to the left of me. The band sounded just like the recording, only more chaotic and more aggressive. The Barfly was packed out with a predominantly young crowd for Return to Dust. The front few rows were taken over by younger fans going mental, shouting every lyric back at the stage and pushing the energy through the roof. Further back nearer to the bar, an older crowd settled in, taking it all in with cold drinks in hand and nodding along to the heavy riffs. From the barrier to the back doors, you had a whole range of ages in the room, but the front was pure young energy from start to finish. Maybe it was just the atmosphere and crowd participation, but I wish they were able to capture the unfiltered sonic belligerence in their studio recordings. Grunge thrives on imperfection and rebellion; the mix doesn't have to be clean and perfect. Up front, packed tightly against the stage, was a wall of young fans pouring pure, chaotic energy into every riff, jumping, shouting every word back at the band, and keeping the pit moving.

Return To Dust have a great sound, a mixture of Alice in Chains and Soundgarden, but with less gritty vocals. The lack of grit made their sound more eerie, especially with their haunting harmonies, when paired with heavily distorted guitars. Matty Bielawski (lead singer/rhythm guitarist) and Graham Stanush's (Vocalist and Bassist) voices blend perfectly and have a natural sonic chemistry that appeared to feed off each other. Matty has a higher range whilst Graham has that 'unbothered', yet emotional, classic grunge sounding voice which pairs well with Matty's. I enjoyed the two contrasting style and really thought they both sounded great individually too.

On the train to the concert, I was researching the band members, and recognised a familiar last name, Hudson... Turns out that the drummer is the son of Slash; lead guitarist of Guns 'n Roses, Velvet revolver, and other successful side projects. This intrigued me, especially since Slash is in my top three favourite guitarists, and because I'm a massive Guns 'n Roses fan. And in turn makes this band even more interesting, not because he's rock n roll royalty, but because it brings about the discussion of nepotism. Nepotism has become a huge talking point in today's music industry and has created a lot of controversy, but this isn't an issue with this band. London Hudson holds his own and choosing drums over guitar was the right choice. Whether this was passion led or a strategic move, not having the risk of being compared to Slash removes the shadow of comparison. London is a very talented, highly energetic drummer and at one point I believed a young, Nirvana era, Dave Grohl was playing in my peripheral vision.

Sebastian Gonzalez didn't miss a note throughout the show, was great with the crowd, and didn't need his mum to grab our attention. I love that story; Sebastian first came across Matty and Graham jamming in their garage whilst he was on a walk with his mum. Sebastian was hesitant to knock on the garage door and introduce himself, so his mum unapologetically did it for him. His mum introduced her son to the duo and told them Sebastian plays guitar and wants to be in their band, and it worked. He joined the band at only age 16 and despite being the baby in the group, Sebastian left all the crying to his guitar. Stories like these need to be told more as new fans should be aware of what made the band who they are today. There was a very personal part of the show, and it happened just before the song 'Downfall', when Graham was talking to the crowd and spoke about how the band started, and the fact Matty and himself dropped out of college. They were lost and didn't know what to do, but writing songs and jamming in their garage was the thing that saved them. They "collectively went through a lot" and "people close to you die... life becomes a bit more confusing".

As someone who dropped out of college twice and unexpectedly lost my sister, I couldn't help but relate to this. I was lost and confused when I was a teenager, and my life only seemed to be getting worse when my sister died when I was 20. But I changed my mentality and started working towards my future, which has been going very well. Relatability and authenticity like this are what makes and keeps fans, and if you've got a story to tell then tell it. The biggest disappointment is that these stories aren't published on their Spotify. The band attempts to be nonchalant with "Returning to Dust" in their bio; my biggest pet peeve. In an industry that thrives on authenticity, narratives are key. Don't try to be mysterious. Mysteries are unknown, don't make yourself that.

After the biggest mosh pit of the night, conducted by the lead singer, the glorious set finished. The band members gave their picks, set lists, and drumsticks to lucky audience members and they left the stage. A few others and I waited around as there was an opportunity to meet the band. I had bought a Vinyl record before the show started so I waited to get it autographed and fortunately did. They came back and took photos with us and signed merchandise. They were very friendly, gracious, and made time for everyone. This was a strong end to the experience as audiences like to feel appreciated. Small things like this will create strong word of mouth and memories that will last for years. Everyone wants to feel noticed and have a positive experience with people they idolise.