It was a hardcore extravaganza in London on a frosty Thursday night and our Alex Goose was in the middle of the action!
Tonight the New Cross Inn is completely sold out, and so it should be for a hardcore bill of this calibre. All chairs and tables have been removed, and there’s a sense in the air that this show is going to go off – and then some.
The place is already half full when Trading Hands kick things off with some quality ‘power-violence’. Chunky breakdowns rain down on the crowd like granite boulders and at times things verge on death metal intensity. They’re justly rewarded by some impressive hardcore aerobics, and kudos are especially due to the guitarist for his great sense of humour (“All our songs sound the same, so we have to check which one to play” after a false start).
This is Shooting Daggers‘ first London gig since October (a storming set at the nearby Birds Nest in Deptford, since you ask). They weren’t exactly tame back then, but tonight, the queercore trio sound absolutely MASSIVE. As the whole place yells along to ‘Liar’ – a true feminist UKHC anthem in the making – it’s easy to imagine SD headlining their own sold-out show here in the near future, and the bassist inviting “all the girls and queers” down the front, is a welcome, inclusive move. If you haven’t yet got their ‘Athames’ EP, then hurry up, you’re missing out.
Going Off do pretty much what it says on the tin. Their frontman is a magnetic figure; a heavily tattooed master of ceremonies, gurning at the crowd and moving spider-like across the stage, as his band unleash a savage, muscular bass-heavy attack. “This songs about loving yourself, because you should!” he rasps in a somewhat creepy voice. Sounds good to us, mate!
Romanian crew Cold Brats are beset by technical gremlins, and that’s a great shame, because their take on hardcore is compelling and unorthodox. Dissonant guitar lines are weaved around driving, insistent rhythms, with – at times – an almost stream-of-consciousness vocal style. People are dancing as well as moshing, and their set seems to fly by, leaving us hungry for more. Whilst we all they wait for their return ‘Shock Therapy’ split EP (with GEL) is essential listening).
Headliners GEL have been tipped for great things by the NME, but the New Jersey quintet clearly aren’t feeling the pressure; taking the stage with a nonchalant “Hi, we’re GEL” from vocalist Sami Kaiser. The hype is justified; this lot have everything that’s great about hardcore blended up and spat out with abrasive, us-against-the-world fury, and the place goes absolutely mental, with stagediving and crowd-surfing galore. Again, it’s over all too soon, but not a moment is wasted, and the likes of ‘Mental Static’ and ‘Vibefucker’ sound even fiercer than on record (if you can imagine it). Clearly, pub-size venues like this won’t contain them for much longer.
There’s little else to say, except congratulations to Real Life Promotions for putting on a belter of a hardcore show. Keep up the good work!
GEL’s new release ‘Only Constant‘ is out on 31st March. Pre order HERE.
Follow GEL on Their Socials
Need more Punk In Your Life?
EP review: Year Zero’s new release ‘The Louder You Scream’
From the West Midlands, UK, Year Zero are the punk band for the 21st century, playing electrifying Rock n Roll. They released their latest EP
Live review: The Hip Priests, The Black Heart, London, 8th Nov 2024
The Hip Priests are a band who have got better with time – and they weren’t exactly sub-par when they started out all those years
Album review: ‘Burn Down Tomorrow’ the incendiary new release from Department S
Since reforming in 2007, Department S have continually pushed forward with new material, and this latest studio album ‘Burn Down Tomorrow’ showcases them at their
Laurie Wright’s second album launch with Super Swamp Jellyfish / A.R.T / The Molotovs
A new venue for me tonight; London’s Scala, which is a stone’s throw from Kings Cross station and not far from Euston Square, where Laurie
Eville unleash anti-misogynist new single ‘Ballistic’
With 35k+ followers on TikTok and Instagram, Eville are turning the new generation of fans onto the 90s nu-metal scene and standing at the vanguard
Desperate Measures / Split Dogs / Dead Fun, London Water Rats, 6th Nov 2024
Tonight’s bill features three bands, none of whom outstay their welcome, and there are only 15-minute breaks between their sets. Of course, such antics wouldn’t
I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
