An evening of hardcore in all its diversity!
This year’s Great Unorthodox Hardcore Alliance (GUHA) is upon us! Two bands, plus support, each with their own unique take on the genre. In one corner, we have Baltimore, USA’s Angel Du$t, who we saw play a superb set at this year’s Slam Dunk Festival. In the other, we have Edmonton, Canada’s Home Front, who also played a blinder across town at the Lexington back in February. If Earth isn’t sold out tonight, then it’s pretty damn close, and rightly so.
“You’re the only non-posers in this room tonight!” We’re not quite sure what The Dogs’ vocalist means, but perhaps it’s that showing up early at shows is keeping it real! His band’s hardcore/street-punk sound is nothing that we haven’t heard before, but the songs are definitely there, with the likes of ‘You Bark I Bite’ and the closing ‘Hate Chu’ tailor-made for yelling along and fists-in-the-air action. An excellent start.
Turn Of Phrase take the stage, rip into ‘Keno’ passionately, and then run head first into technical guitar gremlins. We feel for them, but they recover in fine style. Fusing blistering and bleak hardcore with dissonant guitars and a touch of grunge, they clearly have a fair few fans present, with frontman Logan frequently offering up the mic to the sweaty cluster down the front. ‘Petrichor’ incites some serious two-stepping in the steadily growing pit, and by the time they close with ‘No Time For Now’, it’s clear that any new fans gained tonight are richly deserved. Superb stuff.
Home Front’s ‘Watch It Die’ would have been one of our top albums of 2025 if we’d actually heard the thing in time (more fool us), and tonight, its prime cuts of Oi-tronica are quite rightly given a substantial airing. In particular, it’s a joy to watch the pit utterly explode into action for a bruising ‘For The Children (Fuck All)’.
The vibe is definitely one of underdogs triumphing against the odds; underlined by vocalist Graeme’s speech about working class unity, to which everyone listens closely. He’s his usual bundle of boundless energy, clearly relishing playing on a larger stage, and as he leads us through an anthemic ‘Nation’, he can rest assured that the stages are only going to get bigger if he and his band can keep up this calibre of performances.
Home Front have raised the bar, for sure, but Angel Du$t are not about to be outdone that easily. Taking the stage to a grin-worthy intro tape of 90s R&B classic ‘Return Of The Mack’, they kick off with ‘I’m The Outside’ and the place goes berserk, with a steady stream of stage-divers throughout their set.
These guys could never be accused of taking themselves too seriously, and whether leading us through the gloriously catchy ‘Brand New Soul’ or going full-tilt hardcore on ‘Cold 2 The Touch’, it’s hard to tell whether crowd or band are enjoying the show more. As with their Slam Dunk set, it baffles us as to how singer Justice and bassist Zachariah don’t crash into each other as they bounce around the stage, but somehow they make it work, and the sea of satisfied smiles at the end speaks volumes.
A spectacular finale to an evening that has reminded us that the best hardcore bands often bend the rules. Cheers to all involved!
All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
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