A reminder of why small gigs are so often the best ones!
I must confess to feeling a bit smug as I make my way to Deptford this evening, That’s because the long-past-their-best The Offspring are playing the nearby O2 Arena, and unlike the folks heading to that, I know I’m in for an evening at an intimate venue with great sound and reasonable bar prices. Oh, and four superb bands for only a fiver. How could I not show up?
“We’re the best thing from Kent since Mick Jagger!” That’s the sharply-dressed vocalist of NxFxG, whose stage patter is on point – probably just as well, as he has to entertain us whilst his band battle a few technical gremlins towards the end of their set. When they’re firing on all cylinders, though, they’re great; delivering filthy raw, malvevolent bursts of hardcore with bug-eyed ferocity. Apparently he’s done “fuck all to promote” this year’s ’Die On Your Feet’ record, but not to worry – we’re here to tell you that it’s ten songs in just over ten minutes, and it’s brilliantly abrasive stuff.
Shreds’ vocalist cuts something of a Mike Muir figure with his bandana. His attempts at a spot of mid-pit skateboarding make us laugh, but he and his band are clearly deadly serious about crafting blisteringly fast no-frills hardcore punk, ripping through nearly twenty songs in about half an hour. Fans of the likes of Minor Threat, 7 Seconds and Negative Approach will love last year’s ‘Step Back’ album, and out of all tonight’s bands, they take the gold medals for both speed and stamina.
Glu, on the other hand, take the prize for being the most unorthodox – and are no less compelling for it. The angular hardcore trio keep us guessing throughout their set; their bassist/vocalist switching between spoken-word, singing and screaming, whilst their guitarist unleashes sonic warfare from her instrument on a powerful ‘Sleep Jeans’. There’s not much in the way of pit action for their set, but some bands’ music you just have to stand and feel – and Glu are a prime example. Your listening homework is this year’s excellent ’These Rotting Flowers’ LP.
As someone who came of age during the heyday of Fat Wreck and Epitaph Records, Barriers are manna to my ears, having clearly borrowed a trick or two from the likes of Strung Out and Death By Stereo. They’re clearly having a blast as they rip through anthems like ‘French Bulldog’ and ‘Sick Sad World’, and the couple of new tracks aired tonight bode well for their future. They come across as four close friends who decided to play melodic hardcore together – and those friends, it turns out, have serious musical chops and a gravel-throated beast of a frontman. It matters little that the venue isn’t full – they still play as if they’re being chased by fire, and bring the night to a gloriously sweaty end.
Yep, I definitely made the right choice tonight! Cheers to Cashpistache Promotion for putting it all together, and keep an eye out for future Barriers happenings on the links below.
All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
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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.
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