It’s the second day of a short Euro tour weekender for tonight’s headlining band; it takes place right here in the midst of a residential area in Sheffield. Here, in this community centre, six hardcore bands are primed and ready to unleash loud noises that are sure to wake the neighbours up.
Up first is young South England upstarts Blind Authority. Their style and formula is pretty straightforward at this point; brash, heavy hardcore. The band certainly gets the warmest reception as the crowd kicks off from side to side. Blind Authority has the blueprints but it’ll be a while till the creases have been ironed out with growth. For now, they’re on the right track. (3/5)
Following with a faster hardcore punk approach to the senses, Huddersfield straight edge crew Obstruct provide the right wake-up call. This band is firm, angry and spiteful. Now this is what this reviewer calls potent rage to get the floor moving. (3.5/5)
Violent Reaction offers a similar enraged rush of straight-edge hardcore to the floor, but with more added bite and swing. The usual side-to-side patterns and mic grabs occur with fine results. One highlight is an appearance from Rival Mob vocalist/Mind Eraser drummer Brendan Radigan offering his lungs out for one of the band’s songs received by a rapturous response from the audience. (3.5/5)
Despite a cringy name, Irish mob Bang Bros up the tempo and chaos further causing a whirlwind of spin kicks and arm swings. Hidden behind the spite, there’s a charm and wit from the band that makes this set all the more fun. After a unified mass shout along during ‘Weak!’ and a blinding cover of Minor Threat’s ‘Seeing Red’, you can’t help but have a grin of satisfaction at this quintet’s unwavering energy. (4/5)
Featuring members of The Rival Mob, there are no questions asked when confronted by the heavy stylings of Mind Eraser. The atmosphere devolves into a trudge-filled sucker kick to the face. Watching the wrath unfold by the shifts of power violent tenacity to the boot-crushing hardcore on display here is every mosh monster’s dream. Suffice to say, if your ears aren’t ringing with happiness then exit left as this isn’t the place for you. (4/5)
The moment eventually arrives as Boston’s The Rival Mob delivers a gnarly performance. As each band has passed by, the participation and restless nature of the crowd has increased; now the room bears witness at its eruption. The Rival Mob harken back to the classics as to what made hardcore punk such a dangerous genre in the first place. The meaty Eighties guitar licks and ramming speed bounce off the mosh monsters like a game of ping pong. Lead vocalist Brendan Radigan is maniacal and welcoming during the set’s duration. Numbers like ‘Mindfield’, ‘Raw Life’ and ‘Mob Justice’ spew out an explosive cluster bomb which fuels the thirst for adrenaline. Have the neighbours been disturbed? I bloody hope so. (4.5/5)
4.5/5
Words by Aaron Lohan (@ooran_loohan)
