The Engine Room’s particular must of beer and sweat, and it’s terminally cranked PA system makes it a no go zone for a few, and particularly pungent this evening – but for tonight it’s all part of the atmosphere.
If anyone turned up half asleep then Holy Roar’s Throats, spurred on by a swelling crowd, make no mistake of waking them up. Their particular brand of blast beat madness is a great warm up for the carnage to follow, and anyone capable of launching some gob onto the ceiling and catching it in their mouth when it comes back down is a winner in my book. (3.5/5)
Last time I saw Trash Talk was from from almost exactly the same spot two years ago when they supported Paint it Black – tonight is a much sweatier affair than that particular visit, and though there’s far less room for swing kicks, the quantity of fists in air and shout alongs more than makes up for it. Hassle’s involvement with the band has been nothing but catalystic to a recent surge in popularity in the UK – and after a terrorizing set of snarling hardcore complete with plenty of the Trash Talk crowd “interaction”, they impress far beyond expectations. The only real downside is a few technical glitches, and also wishing that bands on this side of the pond not a million miles away stylistically could draw the same ferocious following out to shows – in Brighton at least. (4/5)
Despite tonight running late, the numbers still remain for Rolo Tomassi, whose eventual appearance reminds me I’ve somehow avoided seeing live for quite a while. Forthcoming album Cosmology is expected to cement the band as a force to be reckoned with, though if tonight is anything to go by their live show is on the verge of or already doing that anyway. Frenetic, unpredictable and almost impossible to drag your eyes away from – the synth driven mathcore outfit are as raucous as ever. The new material is sounding great and the effortless switching between soft and soaring melodies to screams verging on possessed from lead singer Eva is as stunning as ever. Rolo Tomassi have never beenfor the faint hearted, but it’s brilliant to see a UK band producing a unique sound going from strength to strength. (4/5)