Saying you’ll go to a Sunday night gig is always a dubious
proposition, entirely dependent on the amount of cash frittered away over the
previous couple of days, and levels of fragility/rum flu allowing for movement.
However last weekend’s line up at the Fox and Newt was too good to miss out on,
a stance I clearly shared with a fair few of Leeds’ music patrons. We missed
opening act the Platitudes, a local ska punk band whose inclusion on a hardcore
bill seemed odd – not having seen them though, I couldn’t comment on how they
went down. Luckily we reached the pub in time to see Jaded Eyes, a band made up
of local scene veterans who wear their influences on their sleeves. With a name
taken from a Government Issue song, and featuring ex members of the Voorhees
and the Horror, they ripped through a set of Dischord influence hardcore punk which
immediately grabbed the attention of the quickly growing crowd. This DC
influence is muddied with a slightly debauched edge - no more than in 'Factotum', whose title is taken from a Bukowski novel -
which, along with the hoarsely shouted vocals, place the band firmly within a strong tradition of throat ripping Northern hardcore. Definitely a band to keep an eye on, especially with a record out later in the year.
which, along with the hoarsely shouted vocals, place the band firmly within a strong tradition of throat ripping Northern hardcore. Definitely a band to keep an eye on, especially with a record out later in the year.
With the crowd amped, and slightly pissed in many cases,
Sheffield’s Dry Heaves hit the stage and pummelled eardrums with a set of thrashy
80s style hardcore. If you get the chance go and see them (if you live in
Yorkshire chances are you will, due to a heavy gigging work ethic), this is
abrasive music at its rawest. Headlining tonight’s show were Pig//Control from
Berlin, who I hadn’t checked out before but was informed were alumni of various
rad German hardcore bands. This proved to be a good tip off, as we were treated
to an ear melting set of D-Beat influenced hardcore; short fast songs, squeals
of distortion and ferocious vocals melded to create an inescapable wall of
noise which grabbed by the throat and didn’t let go. Despite a surprisingly
quick cut off, possibly from the venue, no-one could feel cheated after seeing a
line up like that. I staggered home, ears ringing, safe in the knowledge that
the hardcore scene in Yorkshire is going from strength to strength.
5/5
Jono
