It’s not often you come across the combination of wrestling mixed with some of the most unique emerging underground bands. What more could you want than a day filled with great music and questionable puns? Dalston’s Deprestlemania had just that.
Four-piece pop punk girls Molar had the challenge of opening the day and shone with the rawness of their music. Shouty group vocals, fun but brash lyricism and shoegaze-esque instrumentals make for a distinctive sound and prove they are a quartet to watch out for in the future. (3/5)
Playing their first ever show, “fuzzmania” duo Splurge make a brilliantly distorted, punky but short debut appearance. Otherwise fresh to the scene, the duo are set to their record ‘Drinking Poison’ at the end of the month. (3/5)
Self-dubbed “hungover folk-punk” Brighton band Murderhouse bring a fresh lease of life to an often untouched lease of music. Casual acoustic instrumentals mixed with brilliantly gruff vocals create a distinct sound as songs from their newly released record ‘Self Help’ are sampled. (3/5)
Emerging newcomers Montana are standouts as the doom-pop duo display their talents, showcasing Hyperview generation Title Fight-esque instrumentals and powerful, bright vocals with tracks from the recently released record ‘Still Here’. (4/5)
Modern Rituals put on a great show with their unique droned-out garage, alt-rock soundscapes and muffled raw vocals with tracks from their recent demo which is seeing them gain an expansive following. (3/5)
The brilliant indie-punk formation of Fresh make a lasting impact, showcasing tracks from their shiny EP ‘These Things Are Not That Fun’ which grabs attention with poignant lyricism and whimsical music style. (4/5)
The self-proclaimed “four old guys” Trials Of An Early Man are a stand-out amongst the day’s bands, with their youthful energy and jarring punk sounds. Almost acting as the cool big brother of the other acts, they’re also a visually brilliant band who are clearly about having fun and throwing themselves about the room – almost putting some of the younger bands to shame energy-wise – and they also whacked out some great wrestling puns. (5/5)
Always an enjoyable watch, power-pop-emo trio Sad Blood display their incredibly flowing tracks. With vocals which turn from gentle and lamenting to raspy and brash with ease mixed with distorted instrumental backgrounds, Sad Blood are not a band to be overlooked. (5/5)
Penultimate band itoldyouiwouldeatyou perform a set load of tracks best described as “sad songs that make you happy”. The indie punk self-proclaimed sad kids entice with their infectious eclectic energy packed with tight, twinkly guitar work, erratic drumming, synthed-out keyboard and honest vocals resonating familiar themes. They may also have a new record on the way soon… (5/5)
Lastly, alt-punk outfit create a hard-hitting but ambient soundscape with big distorted guitars, nifty percussion work along with anguish-drenched, drawn-out vocal work. Simmer manage to perform a somewhat serene, immersive but angst-ridden set and the five-piece rightfully round the day off with one of the top sets. (5/5)
Overall,Deprestlemania proves to be a brilliant, well thought-out, feel-good day showcasing the best underground talents, a good reminder that to make it big you sometimes have to start off small – and that’s not always a bad thing when there’s fun shows like this to play.
4.5/5
Words by Phoebe Messenger.
