LIVE REVIEW: HORNS UP FOR SOPHIE @ THE UNDERWORLD - 22ND MARCH 2018

Background:

In August 2007, Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend Robert Maltby were savagely attacked whilst walking through a park on their way home. The couple were beaten relentlessly by a group of teenagers who had singled them out due to the way that they were dressed. Both Lancaster and Maltby ended up in a coma following the attack and although Maltby would later recover from his injuries, Sophie Lancasters life support was terminated two weeks later. Following this horrific tragedy, her family founded The SOPHIE Foundation; a charity aimed at educating people and challenging the prejudices against people from alternative subcultures. In 2009, Bloodstock Festival renamed their second stage to The Sophie Lancaster Stage. We are currently living in a period of increased prejudice and discrimination against people from all backgrounds and following the tragic murder of Julie Tudos in December 2017, the need to challenge these act of discrimination is still of utmost priority.

The Worlds End - 22nd March 2018

It is a relatively quiet evening in Camden tonight, but beneath the famous ‘Worlds End’ pub, a group of punk and metal fans have congregated for a night of celebration of all things heavy. The night kicks off with punk group ‘Healthy Junkies’. Their set begins with a chugging bass riff reminiscent of ‘Bleach’ era ‘Nirvana’. Lead singer Nina Courson is full of charisma as she staggers and lurches around the stage. Courson treats the stage like a theatre and her energetic interaction between the band and the audience is infectious. The band are pure punk rock through and through, but provide enough variety within their material to avoid ever coming across as repetitive. The songs range from the frantic pace of ‘Nirvana’ to the more relaxed style of ‘The Pixies’ with a large smattering of ‘The Ramones’ running throughout. Courson channels the spirit of the late Joey Ramone with regular “oh oh oh’s”. The final song of the set goes through a wide range of musical styles from a haunting intro all the way to a crushing breakdown that sounds like ‘Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes’ ‘Juggernaut’ before the band climax with a psychedelic wah outro.

We are then treated to a brief, yet touching speech from the hosts of the night who make it clear that this is a night of celebration for Sophie Lancaster and not a memorial mourning her loss. After getting everybody suitable psyched up it is time for ‘Earthbound’ to take to the stage. Formed at the tail end of 2017, this is only the third gig for ‘Earthbound’ which is startling considering how well crafted they are already. This is metal core in its truest sense; death metal riffs to melt your face off combined with the snarling fury of hardcore. Guitarist Louie Penfold tears through a set of crushing riffs and incredible solos whilst Chris Stroud makes his six-stringed bass seem like childs play. Lead vocalist Tom Watson alternates between ‘Cannibal Corpse’ style growls to Howard Jones era ‘Killswitch Engage’ clean vocals at the flick of a switch whilst Richard Shearing pummels the drum kit. There is a moment towards the end of their second song where the pace drops to slow acoustic guitars and spoken word similar to the final track from the ‘Employed To Serve’ debut record before returning to a savage breakdown. There are moments towards the end of the set where Watson struggles to hit some of the high notes, but for their third gig together this is an incredible accomplishment and ‘Earthbound’ show that they are definitely a band to keep an eye on in the future.

There is another short break before the next band as ‘Dreamscope Media’ perform a cover of ‘We Are The Others’ by ‘Delain’ a song written in memory of Sophie Lancaster.

Continuing on the theme of skull crushing metalcore, Stevenage based quintet ‘Outright Resistance’ waste no time easing the audience in as they descend instantly into brutal metallic hardcore that will make you want to start on a murderous rampage. The band have full command of the stage and new vocalist James Jest is a hive of energy as he stomps, jumps and careers around the stage. He may have only been a member of the band for a few months but it is clear that he is right at home. Every band member is at the top of their game throughout. Guitarists Michael Worsley and Joe Jacobs trade riffs and shred at speeds that would make Usain Bolt weep. Equally drummer Micael O’Neill pounds the kit with such speed and precision that Joey Jordison would bow at his feet. Chris Everett makes mince meat of his bass whilst Jest ties everything together. They close their set with the relentlessly heavy ‘Made In Chelsea’ that makes the crowd go wild. This is music so heavy that it will make you want to take a chainsaw to the face of anyone stood near.

There is then an interval as ‘The Four DJs Of The Apocalypse’ play a set of metal favourites whilst dance group ‘The Sirens’ take to the stage. The atmosphere is fun as a conga line forms during ‘Walk’ by ‘Pantera’, but the intermission seems slightly awkward and out of place and you can’t help but notice that this would be a lot more entertaining if more people had attended the gig. The set does the trick though as everyone is more than ready for headline act ‘Enslavement’ to take the stage. If ‘Outright Resistance’ made you feel like a murderer then ‘Enslavement’ make you feel like the victim. This is death metal in all its glory. Pure evil riffs that feel like a chainsaw to the face and shredding solos that cut right to the bone. ‘Enslavement’ are a perfect end to a fantastic night as everyone is united in a love for heavy music as the crowd headbang in unison. It is a shame that the attendance for the evening was fairly low, but all bands performed at the top of their game. A fitting tribute to the late Sophie Lancaster and a bold middle finger in the face of prejudice and discrimination.