Trapped in by standards set by someone else.
This tour was a very “UK heavy scene” tour: the blistering Manchester punk band Going Off, who are on Church Road records (a label with certified strong links to Employed To Serve), plus London based Pupil Slicer as the proggy alternative to the metalcore-leaning headliners. They’d been playing some key venues across the country – Bristol’s Exchange, Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach, Milton Keynes Craufurd Arms, Brighton’s Green Door Store, to name a few – the kind of medium sized venues where heavy metal was born and continues to thrive.
Going Off
The early hour meant the audience wasn’t quite ready for Going Off’s antics, but no matter – the band stretched and bounced with every limb anyhow. I’m certainly not (yet) used to seeing a support band rattle through sixteen songs with time for audience banter in between. Their recent singles have been sounding a bit more metallic, but the set made it clear to me that this band is about the ensemble performance, and not just the riff. The bassist and the singer even swapped places, not because either could do the other’s job better, but just for fun, and fun it was.
Pupil Slicer
Embracing the support slot that they’re currently used to, mathcore underdogs Pupil Slicer played a lean set, planning just four songs, starting with “No Temples”, “Departure in Solitude”, and “Blossom”. Using only material from Blossom with its longer songs kept the band focused, with fewer mosh calls (though when requested, they were answered). The newest track on the set was “The Song At Creation’s End”. I know it well (it’s my song of the year) but I didn’t expect the mood in the room to change so completely when they played it. A noodly prog intro blended into the track’s bursting blast beats as the lights hued blue. The track’s ‘gaze’ elements turned the set toward introspection, but they didn’t finish without really getting the audience moving, thanks to the riffy ending.
Employed To Serve
A tight curfew meant a short set from the band, losing out on two of fifteen planned songs, but Employed To Serve had all the energy a headliner needed. Once they got playing, the spacious room was much harder to navigate. Ardent stans clutched the stage monitors at Justine Jones’ feet, singing every word. Things were constantly busy as circle pitters swirled. Later, surfers on their way on and off the stage added an extra challenge (or opportunity, if you see it that way). The setlist was varied, showing off the micro-adjustments they’ve made to their metalcore style over the years. I felt the years catch up to me when Jones introduced “Eternal Forward Motion” as an ‘old one’ (2019 does feel a decade ago). The mates-show atmosphere peaked with vocal features from both supporting bands. Overall, a stellar night that ended a bit too abruptly due to the venue’s requirements – the bands would have given even more.
