Possibly one of the most anticipated live dates of this year – a muggy Sunday evening sees The Underworld packed to the rafters with people that have travelled from as far as Norway to witness the devastatingly heavy presence of American crust four-piece, All Pigs Must Die. While this might seem pretty extreme, it’s also completely understandable when you consider the fact that this is a one off performance and not part of a tour. The exclusivity of this show means it’s a must-attend event for fans of the band.
Plymouth based Quiet Man open the show, an ironic moniker when you take into account their weirdly tuneful and methodically adept brand of hardcore/crust. They make for a challenging listen for those out purely to pump their fists and stomp. However, the band’s burly stage presence and electrifying enthusiasm is a definite crowd pleaser, even for those that can’t wrap their heads around this type of band actually having some riffs.
Up next are local lads Throats; still proudly flying the flag for UK hardcore. Their performance rages through a whirlwind of anger and bitterness, with a stage presence that is reckless and somewhat dangerous but utterly captivating. In the eight or so years that Throats have been on and off as a band they have carved their own niche as one of London’s most monstrous underground acts. An organic mixture of bile, rage and despondency mutates to encompass dreamy riffs and devastating breakdowns that sets into motion an already sweaty venue and paves the way perfectly for our headliners.
All Pigs Must Die are one of those super groups among super groups. A band that has some really insane chemistry, apparent from the first few seconds of any song they play. A few taps of the hi-hat and within seconds the audience is fired up into one of the most violent displays the Underworld has ever seen. Vocalist Kevin Baker brandishes his microphone stand down towards the crowd as fists and legs fly to a soundtrack of frantic drumming and steamroller riffing. There’s an eclectic selection of material from their back catalogue, featuring ragers such as ‘God is War’. APMD feature a special quality that enables them to completely enchant their audience no matter how much time passes between each album and/or live performance. Tonight is no exception as they roar their way through an absolutely punishing performance, overseeing a crowd that looks hellbent on destroying one another. Truly ferocious; the closest a crust band can get to becoming a religious experience.
(Review by Angela Davey)
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