The Underworld is located in the heart of Camden and is renowned for being a venue with an impressive roster of gigs and diversity. For this particular gig it was the excellent setting with its claustrophobic capacity and dingy interior.
Hang the Bastard starts off this heavy as hell setting with their psychedelic mix of sludge and hardcore infused metal. Crushing riffs, strung out bass, thumping drums, wrecked shrieks and groove spilling out every orifice from this bands arsenal; the perfect start. (4.5/5)
Next up is Blind to Faith who had a more chaotic punk streak but combine this with thick doom riffs for a satisfying mix. Going from fast beats with buzzing guitars to massively drawn out riffs a doom album would be proud of, Blind to Faith surprise in all the right ways. (4/5)
Nails are one of those bands that have become fairly popular recently if only for how extreme their music is. Considering they are headliners, they only have around 45 minutes of content to play with. They literally couldn’t play a longer set (unfortunately) even if they wanted to. This doesn’t however stop them from tearing The Underworld a new one.
Supporting their newest record released at the beginning of 2013 ‘Abandon All Life’, Nails play a set revolving around 80% of their discography and from the very first note played, chaos is ensured.
Sharp, abrasive and relentless in their style, Nails is not for the faint of heart. With a mix of grind, hardcore and power violence, their songs are short, raw and cutthroat. The crowd embraces everything which is thrown at them with a sea of synchronous head banging and stage dives.
Throughout, frontman Todd Jones displays a humble persona, which seems totally out of character for this style of music. Jones Expresses his shock for the sold out venue and applauding the crowd after every song whilst exhibiting genuine menace. He delves into the depths of the music being performed with physical embodiment and clenched fists, before smiling towards the crowd.
A force to be reckoned with, Nails brought a maelstrom of disorder to The Underworld. Their music being a testament for a bitter and pissed off generation. (5/5)
5/5
Words by Grant Fullick
