Bodyweb, Smother, Cainhurst, Invasion & Witherhorde at the Underground, Stoke-on-Trent

“The ladder’s right, it’s just the wrong wall.”

All photography by Maisie Cooper – contact Maisie prior to any use. Words by Jack Walker

We’ve been saying for well over a year now that the Stoke-on-Trent scene is on the up. Having undergone a renaissance kickstarted primarily by Stormfest ’24, with 1782Promotions and Spirit Of Fire both flanking it up, the Stoke City scene is slowly making a name for itself within the UK. Already, we’re seeing bands from across the country play here, with fans travelling from far and wide to catch the magic. Engelfest ’26 proved just what the city was capable of, with people in attendance from the very top and bottom of the country. Looking to further its reach, Bodyweb were booked to headline a remarkably stacked lineup, with a mix of local talent and familiar faces in support of them – something which would go on to mark a turning point in the city’s history and cement it as a new stalwart for the hardcore scene.

Witherhorde

Kicking off the proceedings, Birkenhead natives in Witherhorde took to The Underground‘s stage once more, bringing their death-metal tinged brand of hardcore to The Potteries. From the very beginning of their set, vocalist Ted commanded the crowd to move in unison, with two-steps and moshing ensuing in swift response. Playing through a slew of older and new material, Witherhorde had the crowd in the palm of their hands. This is a band whose sound is wholly unique in the current scene. There’s very few bands doing it like Witherhorde, full stop. They capture something special, and if you’ve not seen them already, then you absolutely must.

Invasion

Local newcomers Invasion up next, sporting an SCFC scarf on their stack so you know what they’re all about. These local lads have been on our radar for some time now, with us covering their debut EP when it dropped, as well as a handful of live sets. If one thing can be said about Invasion, it’s that they just keep getting better. Busting out a handful of tracks both from the promo and new, it was clear that they’ve won over the locals. Heavy mosh ensued from the very first track and never let up. Stomping side-to-side, two-stepping, and crowd-killing, there was little not to love. Frontman and promoter, Josh Morgan took a moment mid-set to reflect on the state of the SoT scene. Having played a huge role in it’s rebirth, he took no credit, instead thanking the fans and the bands for making 1782Promotions and the scene what they are today. Of course, this was then followed up by even more mayhem – we can’t get too soppy now, can we?

Cainhurst

Cainhurst made the trek up from Bristol, bringing their screamo-tinged emoviolence back to the city and showing just what it is that makes them such a catch. Aggressive, chaotic, and unpredictable, Cainhurst are a band who can only be described as violent. The crowd absolutely lapped it up, with members of other bands on the bill opting to throw caution to the wind and dive into the pit alongside the rest of the audience. Cainhurst‘s ridiculous live presence makes them something otherworldly. There’s a stage presence shared amongst the whole group which truly elevates their sets, allowing them to stand out on any lineup.

Smother

For many, a band who need no introduction. If you’re s Stoke local, you know Smother. Hell, if you’re an avid BoolinTunes reader you’ve undoubtedly seen us positively gushing about them. All of this notoriety is for good reason – they’re really fucking good. Bursting onto the stage, the band kicked off a medley of tracks, both old and new, turning The Underground from a fighting ring to a battlefield. Limbs flew, fists swung, heads banged. Nobody was safe, and the band fed on this energy. Also taking a moment to shout out the local scene, vocalist Jacob Morgan cemented his brother’s claims, also taking the opportunity to call out all of the great work that his brother has done over the last year or so. This sense of family extends outside of the band. This was all about the Stoke City scene. If you’re a local, you know all too well how great it feels to finally have regular shows with great attendance and fun, exciting bands playing. Hell, even if you’re not local, the sentiment was clear. Speech aside, the band continued their set with an unreleased track, followed up by some fan favourites, including Precious Things, for which Witherhorde‘s Ted joined the band on stage for their feature. Coming out of this set, one thing was at the forefront of our minds – this was the best Smother set to date.

Bodyweb

To close out the night, nu-core superstars Bodyweb made their SoT debut. I’ll be up front in saying that the few times I’ve caught Bodyweb over the years, they’ve not wowed me. Little did I know that this was all about to change, with Bodyweb‘s set being one of the best I’ve seen at the venue in some time. From the get go, it was clear that plenty had travelled for this event, with the swarms of people moving in as the band took to the stage. The vibes were a bit more stripped back here, with the crowd moving away from hardcore moshing somewhat, and embracing their dancier side – something which suited Bodyweb‘s sound perfectly.

Sounding absolutely massive through The Underground‘s sound setup, Bodyweb put on a show like no other, with tracks spanning both their debut EP, train_wreck_simulation, and their latest release, deadwire. Fans sang along, jumped around, and threw themselves about without a care in the world. This is what live music is all about, and the smiles across everybody’s faces only went to prove it. Bodyweb‘s music is built for venues like this. Small, intimate shows where fans can feel a part of the experience are always going to have their charm, but in this case, it was so much more than that. This set won me over, and really highlighted the importance of a good venue and decent crowd. Bodyweb‘s debut Stoke appearance was nothing short of a rousing success, and will go down in local history as a turning point for the scene.

A huge thank you to 1782Promotions for putting on the show and giving us the opportunity to cover it. Support your local scene. Big up the Stoke City Hardcore scene, long may it continue to thrive.