Tonight's show sold out almost instantly, hardly surprising when you consider that one of the bands played a venue double the size only a year ago. This is borne out by the huge queue which greets us when we get to the venue. The doors open later than advertised and the queue is rather slow moving meaning that it's a) already pretty busy by the time we get inside and b) Cannonball are already most of the way through their short set.
We only catch a couple of tracks by Cannonball. They play old school hardcore in the vein of the '98 revival bands, and as such they sound like a mixture of all of the bands on the 'Growing Stronger' comp. From the couple of numbers I catch, it seems like the size of the stage and venue dwarfs them a little and there is less energy than the last time I saw them. 'Sour Grapes' is pretty dynamic though and has a cool mosh part. Probably not their best showing but they're still a great band as demonstrated by their recent album.
Wit's End know the value of a good intro and following in the fine tradition of bands like Floorpunch, Sick Of It All and Cro-Mags, theirs is a doozy. They play a mean take on old school New York style hardcore. They have lots of mid paced breakdowns which are perfect to mosh to whilst the faster parts absolutely rage. The vocals are gruff yet full of authority. The band have that Killing Time style fury nailed down and they have a knack of writing mosh parts just made for two-stepping. Every riff is well defined and is crafted with a love and reverence for the originators of this style (Killing Time, Raw Deal, Sick Of It All etc). Wit's End pack an awful lot into their short time slot.
This is a smaller scale show than High Vis have been used to of late, having shared the stage with Deftones a couple of times in the past year. They open with 'Mob DLA' and Graham seems amped as he keeps shouting 'where the fuck are ya?' until every last inch of space towards the front is filled with bodies. The track is mid paced yet full of fire. 'Walking Wires' ups the energy with everyone singing along to the chorus. The jangly hardcore of 'Talk For Hours' is glorious, and the chorus is genuinely life affirming. The intensity is off the charts for 'Altitude' The chorus poses the question and subsequent answer, 'why go any higher? 'Cause you know it feels good'. Indeed. The crowd participation is insane, with stage divers everywhere. The baggy flavoured 'Guided Tour' is still dripping with attitude. Even straight forward tracks like 'Drop Me Out' are deceptively technical. The guitar playing is excellent and has more flourishes than you'd think. In contrast to the weather outside, it is very hot and sweaty inside the venue although the massive parka I wearing because of the climate probably doesn't help. Graham genuinely looks like he is going to break down during 'Out Cold'. No-one gives more than him in a live performance. The Oasis style solo in '0151' is sublime and it's little touches like this that make them so unique. The punchy 'Choose To Lose' is insanely good. The dance orientated 'Mind's A Lie' is a welcome change of pace, and is both bold and provocative. They close with their tour de force, 'Trauma Bonds', which is intense, anthemic, cathartic but ultimately unifying with everyone shedding their demons by screaming their lungs out. Incredible.
It has been eighteen years since Cold World last played Manchester, although they have played Leeds semi-regularly. After a brief hip hop intro, they blast straight into the solid but amped up riffing of 'Refuse To Lose'. 'Low Places' has some hard riffing and the cleaner vocals from the guitarist add a Biohazard influence. 'Boom Bye Bye' even has an early Life Of Agony feel. There are hip hop grooves running throughout their songs but they still have a satisfying crunch to their sound. They have always mixed dudey hardcore with an old school sound but they manage the balance of power, groove and attitude well, avoiding what could be really cheesy in lesser hands. They stop abruptly at one point due to an incident in the crowd. I see a guy being carried out and, having spoken to him afterwards, it seems that he had dislocated his knee. Ouch! Dan Mills is a classic hardcore frontman, moving constantly and commanding the stage with ease. The last few tracks are where it starts to get a bit repetitive but overall, they are much better than I expected them to be. The closing 'Dedicated To Babies Who Came Feet First' packs a punch and has the memorable 'my life, my life, my life' refrain. They get an equal reaction to High Vis from where I am stood, which is no mean feat considering how beloved High Vis are in these parts.
Cold World ***
High Vis *****
Wit's End ****
Cannonball ***
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