Will Marshall
It’s one hell of an opening statement but Good Cop certainly do their utmost to live up to it. Chaotic hardcore sits alongside occasional gutturals and even a demand to get punched in the face at one point – though this never materialises, there’s still the odd hardcore dancer that gets more than a little close. They wear their politics on their sleeve, declaring “fuck the police!” before and after the ironically titled ‘Good Cop: The Musical’. It’s all more than a little rough around the edges but with their frantic hardcore, and the bands on tonight’s bill, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Following them are Candescent A.D., making their second appearance in London in support of latest EP Dissociation In Three Fractions. The venue’s filled up a little more for them, though it’s a shame it still can’t be called busy. Their chaotic metalcore sounds like the early 2000s in the best way with pained shrieks and panic chords aplenty that gets a good few people dancing round the front of the stage. There’s a knack for melody that’s elevated by the chaos they incite both musically and in the pit that’s cathartic as well as just a damn good time.
Grief Ritual are what you get when hardcore kids put their own spin on old school death metal; in other words, it’s heavy as shit with a real snarl and bite to it. They might only have one EP out so far in Spiritual Disease but they sound like they’ve already nailed where they want to be sonically and are tight live, where the hardcore influence gets to shine through even more. ‘Telluric’ tackles the privatisation of the NHS which they unequivocally condemn before flattening the room with the track. One enterprising crowd member even cartwheels amidst the spinkicks and dancing, no mean feat in a venue so intimate. It’s a savage set, perhaps the heaviest of the evening but perfectly suited given their clear love of the two step.
Duo Death Goals more than live up to their self- chaotic hardcore as they close the evening in a flurry of limbs, shrieks and a barrage of screeching guitar. They’re chaotic on record and live are even more unhinged, guitarist/vocalist Harry Bailey setting up on the floor in front of the stage to have more room to throw themselves around while drummer George Milner thrashes their kit to within an inch of its life. The front of the crowd is all flailing limbs and Bailey makes themselves as much a part of it as the performance. It’s a real equaliser that brings the crowd into their set with more than the occasional mic grab and flurry of bodies. It never feels dangerous even with the mass of bodies constantly moving; instead it feels like a community coming together, sharing the catharsis. Death Goals have always made clear they’re a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community and allies, and that’s more than borne out by tonight’s incendiary, but ultimately welcoming show.