NØ MAN, BIRDWITCH, GRIM HARVEST & TETHERED
Hardcore that it is as fun as it is intense and cathartic? Yes, please.
The Holloway is rapidly becoming my favourite venue in Norwich. I mean, where else can you see British folk, German experimental electronica, US hardcore or French post-rock in a room that holds less than 50 people?
Tonight is the more extreme end of the scale courtesy of Washington DC’s Nø Man.
TETHERED’s DIY punk/hardcore and GRIM HARVEST’s black metal are decent if nowt particularly original but both bands are suitably intense, committed and set the tone for what was to follow.
BIRDWITCH are a band that I love and they didn’t let me down with their take on Amenraesque doom/post-metal. It was bassist Tim’s last gig with the band but a very fitting send off (and replacement Sam is a more than fitting replacement).
As decent as Tethered and Grim Harvest were, as great as Birdwitch were, NØ MAN took things up another level or two, delivering an absolute fantastic modern hardcore. This is a band that is deeply political, cathartic but also hugely good fun and chock-full of charisma. My favourite of their songs (and the title track of their latest album) Glitter and Spit came early in the set but was everything I hoped for and more. And the songs that followed were just as good, if not better. Absolutely brilliant.
