The NYC veterans lead a celebration of hardcore both new and old!
More than most other genres, hardcore punk has always had egalitarian ideals. The bands are not a bunch of superstars to be put on a pedestal, they’re ordinary people just like their audience, and the two should not be kept apart. Alas the capacity of London’s Electric Ballroom meant a stage barrier had to be in place for Gorilla Biscuits’ show with Terror there last year, and although it didn’t stop the youth crew veterans from playing a great set, it’s fair to say that a certain intimacy was lost. Tonight is different, though; a smaller venue, no barrier, and an absolute beast of a bill. We’re damn ready.
Unfortunately, we only catch the last song of Aku’s set, but it’s a good one, and there are some stirrings in the pit that bode well for the rest of the evening. Check out last year’s ’Evil Twin’ EP; it’s beautifully bleak, and tonight its creators make for fine ambassadors of Brighton’s fertile hardcore scene.
Clobber play like this is their own headline gig, and we wouldn’t have them any other way. Frontman Charlie is at his usual beer-spitting, crowd-charging best, but he already knows that we love him here at Punktuation, so let’s give shout outs to guitarist Alex (great riffing!), bassist Jack (great rhythms!) and drummer Sam (utterly relentless!) for a change. In addition to tried-and-tested belters like ‘Bully Boys’ and ‘Tottenham Court Road’, they treat us to a cover of Killing Time’s ‘Brightside’ and a suitably furious new song of their own. The pit goes nuts throughout, and so it should.
“Check, check, check! Cash, credit cards!” That’s Knuckledust vocalist Pierre during a pre-set soundcheck; here’s to more humour in hardcore! That said, there’s nothing laughable about the London stalwarts’ ability to whip the floor into a war zone, unleashing plenty of old-school hardcore crunch on the likes of ‘Frontline Soldier’ and ‘25 Years Dead’.
It’s pleasing that everyone stops to listen as guitarist Wema reminisces about discovering Gorilla Biscuits via a hardcore CD sale (remember those?) back in the day; and as Pierre notes, tonight there’s a lot of love in the Underworld for music so often used as an outlet for hate and aggression. They finish with the punk rock blast of ‘Bluffs, Lies, Alibis’ and depart, having reminded us exactly why they’re billed as ‘UK hardcore legends’ on the flyer for tonight’s show.
From the moment Gorilla Biscuits take the stage, the vibe is of one of relentless positivity and fun. They kick off with ‘New Direction’ and the smile on the face of frontman Anthony ‘Civ’ Civarelli as we all yell that immortal “rebirth of hardcore pride” line says it all. “This is your floor, this is your stage, this is your night!” he declares, and believe us, the Underworld takes note. By now, the venue is packed, and although there’s a steady stream of stagedivers throughout the band’s set, there’s thankfully precious little macho bullshit – more a desire to go crazy and show these New Yorkers that London can hold its own.
Truth be told, the setlist differs little from that of the aforementioned Electric Ballroom show, but what the set lacks in surprises is more than made up for in thrills. There’s a circle pit around the central pillar for ‘Degradation’, a cover of CIV’s ‘Can’t Wait One Minute More’ that gives us a chance to get our groove on, and plenty of between-song shout outs from a band who are clearly grateful to be here – 40 years since they originally formed, no less. Forgive us if we sound overly evangelical here, but as they close with ‘Start Today’, we find ourselves wishing that all gigs could be this life-affirming and unifying; with both promising young blood and revered veterans coming together to make this a night to remember.
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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