Live Review: Rust, Spirit Of Vengeance, Losing Sight, Street Justice | The Poachers Arms, London ON, Canada | 20/04/23
Metallic hardcore 4-piece Rust show up to London, ON's The Poachers Arms for the first time to play to a nearly sold out crowd of friends and fans alike. Get ready to step inside a Rust gig with absolutely phenomenal shots by Ontario legend David Praph
Street Justice
Vegan straightedge outfit Street Justice opened up the night with an absolute bang. Coming in with a very straight forward style of hardcore punk, this Toronto quartet managed to command the crowd from start to finish. With non stop two step erupting from the pit, there was almost no time to breathe. That is until the band takes a short water break before the final song of the set, using that time to also promote veganism in the hardcore scene and world alike. Joking with the crowd, vegan vocalist Mike Parsram can be heard stating “Go vegan, come on man. I’m literally stronger than all of you, just do it.”, before slamming into final song ‘Scum World’. Opening with a short set yet with enough power to get the crowd warmed up just right for the next few bands, these guys definitely didn’t suffer from opening band syndrome this night.
Photo Credit: David Praph
Score: 7/10
Losing Sight
Forest City’s own, and the only band actually from London on the bill, Losing Sight came in to nothing but love with this set. The hometown heroes and one of the more hyped bands of the night, the team manages to keep control of a rowdy crowd while also demanding utter chaos at the same time. Playing two new crushing songs among a handful of well loved tunes, you’d think the crowd had listened to them a ton before. But no, that’s just the amount of love and respect these guys get in their hometown. Rage from start to finish with nothing but metallic hardcore goodness the entire set, they set the bar high for the last two bands following them.
Photo Credit: David Praph
Score: 7/10
Spirit Of Vengeance
Toronto beatdown hardcore newcomers Spirit Of Vengeance stepped up to the plate third; over halfway through the night and with a crowd getting rowdier by the minute, these Toronto heavyweights showed everyone exactly what “SOV Style” really means. Elbows, feet, and fists were in abundance with every song being a slug fest. No matter where you stood, you felt the violence that resonated off the stage and pit. At one point, vocalist Elijah Johnson actually jumps in the crowd himself to throw a few spin kicks and fists around. Consummate pit commanders on and off stage, these guys kept the energy up from start to finish demanding two-step, mic grabs, and crowdkills all in one set. They also had probably the biggest crowd reaction in terms of pit involvement.
Photo Credit: David Praph
Score: 8/10
Rust
Ending the night strong, as if it wasn’t just that all night, we got Rust. Warming up the crowd with track F.T.S., the crowd was more than ready for more. In their own special style of metallic hardcore, the band managed to pique interest and keep it there as vocalist Tommy Wood seems to love interacting with the crowd. Keeping to that fresh and entertaining mindset Tommy can be heard saying before a breakdown, “time to put the hot wheels away because playtime’s over.”, which was exactly the case because the pit erupted in to violence after that. Playing banger after banger, with multiple guest spots from David Praph, Mike Parsram, and (full disclosure, this writer) Nathaniel Maure, the band managed to keep the energy up from start to finish. Somehow managing a circlepit in the tiny bar.Creating new fans and always impressing old ones, Rust proved exactly why they’re of headlining status within the Ontario hardcore scene and why it’ll stay that way for a long time.
Photo Credit: David Praph
Score: 8/10
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Beatdown, #
Hardcore, #
Live Music, #
losing sight, #
Metal, #
Metalcore, #
Rust, #
spirit of vengeance, #
stompbox london, #
street justice, #
summercamp productions, #
the poachers arms, #
vegan straightedge, #
xvx