A tour that’s taken in five countries (so far), Rolling Quartz’s European jaunt (titled MY TURN) comes to visit London’s iconic Garage venue. To say this show is highly anticipated would be something of an understatement: a queue started to form outside the venue at 5 a.m. (really!) as the V.I.P. ticket holders stake their claim for a prime spot in front of the stage. Those with golden tickets are admitted for a pre-show soundcheck, the band blasting through three songs to finely tune their sound for the main set. By its very nature, this has a looser feel than the usual Rolling Quartz show, the band having fun with the crowd, creating an intimate vibe that gives this select group of fans the feeling that they’ve seen something very special and sets things up nicely for the rest of the evening.

With the remaining crowd safely ensconced inside the venue the expectation that has been bubbling all day finally reaches boiling point. It makes the countdown to showtime painfully slow, but when each band member arrives individually to soak up the applause, the roar of the crowd increasing incrementally with each new appearance, and when Rolling Quartz launch into opening track ‘RE.BOLD’ it feels as if a safety valve has been released to ease the pressure and finds both band and crowd primed and ready for action. The preceding five dates have warmed the band up and songs such as ‘My Turn’ and ‘Blaze’ sets the amplifiers aflame and gets the speakers smoking.

Unlike many all-female bands from Asia, Rolling Quartz have had the same line-up since their inception and that’s been a definite boon to their meteoric rise. In guitarists Hyunjung and Iree, the band have a pair of six stringers who could rival Iron Maiden’s Murry/Smith and Judas Priest’s Tipton/Downing, and they spend the evening unleashing all sorts of fretboard fireworks. Bassist Arem plays like a lead guitarist, dictating the pace and forming a formidable partnership with diminutive drummer Yeonguen who fires off rhythms with machine gun rapidity, and with vocalist Jayoung leading the charge, Rolling Quartz are an unstoppable force. Five very different characters who fuse into a collective whole, Rolling Quartz are akin to a rowdy street gang, and they attack the stage as such.

With bands such as Lovebites, Babymetal and Nemophila making inroads into the Western consciousness, the spotlight is very much trained upon J-rock and J-metal. That’s understandable but is often to the detriment of other regional scenes, yet Rolling Quartz are proving they can more than hold their own with anything from the land of the rising sun. Each band member is intent on making contact with the crowd, not only with their mic sections, but by their constant protestations that the crowd chant, sing along and clap in unison. It creates a shared experience and ensures that Rolling Quartz inspire a rabid fandom in their following that could rival anything within the J-rock and J-metal scenes.

The band have built up an enviable discography in their short history, whilst the new songs debuted signpost a bright future. The band still find time to insert four cover versions into their set, avoiding the usual suspects they claim ownership of MAYA’s ‘Azalea’ and Paramore’s ‘Misery Business’ by putting their own stamp on proceedings. As we near the set’s conclusion Rolling Quartz tease the crowd with snippets of classic rocks songs, a melody of ‘Stairway To Heaven’, ‘Enter Sandman’, ‘November Rain’ and ‘Crazy Train’ before they bring the curtain down with another cover, this time Crying Nut’s ‘Sing Your Heart Out’. Of course, the band return for a well deserved encore in the shape of ‘Romantist’. With Yeongeun on keys, it’s a semi-acoustic number, a small seed that grows into a mighty oak when Yeongeun returns to the drums and Jayong takes over on keys, the track builds to a huge crescendo when the rest of the band kick in.

Each band member is given a bouquet of flowers before they take their final bows, which makes this an emotional finale that brings tears to a few eyes and leaves a sense of sadness that the show is over, but also a feeling of joy in that we have witnessed a concert that is rare and precious.

Set List:

1. RE.BOLD
2. My Turn
3. Blaze
4. GOOD NIGHT (DREAMCATCHER cover)
5. Rock’n’roll Paradise
6. ONE
7. Roll The Dice
8. Pink Venom
9. Delight
10. Azalea (MAYA cover)
11. Masquerade
12. Fearless
13. Misery Business (Paramore cover)
14. Stand Up
15. Sing Your Heart Out (Crying Nut cover)

Encore:

16. Romantist

Soundcheck Set List:

1. Burn It To The Ground (Nickleback cover)
2. My Turn
3. Blaze