The stage is dark and is pumped full of dry ice as slabs of industrial noise pulse through the venue, heralding the start of Street Sects' set. The beat is then pitched up and the vocals come in, adding a poppy, accessible edge. It's a steady start but then the stage lights dazzle and the set explodes into life with some Nine Inch Nails style industrial metal which combines the synthy style of 'Pretty Hate Machine' with the difficult noise of 'The Downward Spiral'. The vocals take a spikier turn too. The contrast between the first two tracks is striking. The driving electro-punk of 'Spitting Images' is stunning despite its brevity. The beats are heavy and hard but when combined with the glitchy electronics and confrontational vocals, there is a challenging, uncomfortable edge to them. These are not the industrial tinged rock classics you get at the local rock club on a Friday night. This is much more visceral, like being punched with broken glass. 'And I Grew Into Ribbons' has a rampaging 'Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste' era Ministry feel. The final track sees the singer leap onto the floor, screaming in people's faces and slamming round. Excellent.
The place is steadily filling by the time King Yosef takes to the stage. The name may give off the impression of a dub artist who's collaborated with the likes of Lee 'Scratch' Perry, King Tubby and Yabby You but that's about as far removed from the reality as can be. The band come across as hardcore kids who have discovered electronics, and that shows in the music which is industrialised heavy hardcore. Yosef's vocals are intense whilst, musically, there are plenty of breakdowns. The live drumming powers the faster parts but is still punishing on the breakdown sections. The drums are thinner sounding than the electronic beats of the other acts but it does give it a more organic feel. 'The Dull Blade' has a powerful groove, like hip hop influenced hardcore with all the settings firmly in the red. 'Mist Of Pain' is slamming hardcore with a harsh industrial edge. Imagine if Stampin' Ground and Author & Punisher were combined into a single act. It may sound like an odd mix but it works because of the intensity with which it's played. 'Shame's Mirror' is more atmospheric but still has passionate, ragged vocals. The punchy 'Doomtown' hits hard. If this was played conventionally on bass and guitars instead of the electronics, I'd probably be less interested but the marriage of the two styles is thrilling. The groove laden 'Power' is like Downset if they were on Wax Trax. King Yosef is an energetic presence and an intense focal point. The closing 'Spire Of Fear' has an ominous spoken word introduction before crushing with probably their heaviest track yet. Unexpectedly brilliant.
Youth Code come on stage to Orff's 'O Fortuna' which is always epic but it's then straight into the dancefloor heavy industrial rhythms of 'Transitions'. Musically, they're firmly in early Nine Inch Nails territory and it's pretty infectious. Sara Taylor is a formidable presence upfront whilst Ryan George bounces away behind his bank of electronics like the old hardcore kid he is. The deep electronica of 'For I Am Cursed' provides a dirty, fetish club vibe, and the dual vocals are really cool. Being a fan of Ryan's old straightedge band, Carry On, I must admit that it's a thrill seeing him grab the mic and throw some classic old school hardcore shapes. Sara is a force of nature that is in constant motion. She performs one track upside down, clinging to the support girder, and then gets stuck, which she later describes as 'fucking dumb' although she thought it would be the 'coolest shit ever'. They have a number of stomping, driving electronic anthems which are absolute bangers. They still have a glitchy edge though, whilst the vocals still add a spiky punk influence. They're still probably the most straight forward band of the night though. Ryan seems to be having some problems with his hardware but it doesn't seem to affect the sound or performance too much. The beats are so heavy and relentless, that you feel you barely have space to breathe. It's as loud as hell and the pounding beat is intense. Towards the end, it looks like Sara has cut her forehead open, presumably from smashing the mic against it repeatedly. King Yosef joins them onstage for a preposterously heavy 'Head Underwater' which sounds like dälek. A cracking night all round.
Youth Code ****
King Yosef ****
Street Sects ****
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