“Witness this demeanour, witness your demise.”
All photography by Maisie Cooper – contact Maisie prior to any use.
It has felt like a long time since hardcore brought its sound to the Frog and Fiddle in Cheltenham. Many will point to the Madball show in 2018 or the metalcore-leaning shows such as In Fear or Heart of a Coward that have occurred over the years, as. Those old enough will even harken back to the 2 Pigs days, which are now just a faded memory. Yet, within the hardcore scene and beyond, there have only ever been fluttering of one taking root within the quiet hills of this shire. Gloucester Hardcore had its moment, as some will remember the bold brandishing of their t-shirt design. Like many scenes over the years, it quietly dispersed, with lockdown providing the final blow.
Beyond the nostalgia and mild despair, it’s funny how quickly things can change, and how a sold out hardcore show at the Frog and Fiddle can brush all the litany of the past away. The genesis of GLHC forming with an Instagam story and a dream, it was one that formed into a line-up of scene veterans in Perp Walk and Not Without Punishment, alongside stalwart newcomers Demeanour and Black Mould. And as you’d expect, that combination alongside what is one of the best venues in the country, in our slightly biased opinion, made for an absolutely incredible show.
Black Mould
For those who had caught Black Mould live or listened to their debut material, their potential lit up like a flare in the night’s sky, seeing them as a bolstered pick in our Ones To Watch for 2026. The command of “no push pits” from Black Mould told the room what sort of evening this was going to be, as limbs began to swing and two-steps danced from the outset of Black Mould’s set. Moving through the likes “AK” and “Skin & Blister”, both of which are standout tracks to bark along to, the Midlands unit with their performance have immediately become one of our UKHC favourites. The narrowness of the Frog and Fiddle from this set and onwards made for a tight and engrossing setting, and ensured that the speakers either side of the stage lived a charmed life.
Demeanour will be one who would have been familiar to many in the room, and for those who weren’t, will now have their shitposting ways in their minds for an eternity, with Peep show references aplenty as their backdrop. Truthfully, the North West unit showed once again why they’re an absolute gem in the UKHC scene. Their brand of hardcore that has the influence of acts from across the Atlanic such as fromjoy, Demeanour blend their creative songwriting with a stage presence that is undefeated. There is a reason their vocalist is on every photographer’s feed on Instagram, as Demeanour (and Rozemary) are just that good to see live. The material from My Own Fate seeing a full outing, with a new song that will hopefully release this year, the Frog crowd ensured that the chaos continued throughout their set.
Demeanour
As Not Without Punishment’s set opened with “SOHC”, that chaos returned in full-force. As the annual pile on to yell “Not Without Punishment, Soton Hardcore”, served as a reminder to not let the Frog and Fiddle crowd tap-out early on. The demands for more came early on, for stage-diving and more movers, with the short stage of the Frog soon seeing divers both to its left and right sides. Being able to draw on their hard as nails material in NWP and Blood Runs Cold, it served as another reminder that Not Without Punishment are that consistently good, whether it be here or at Reality Unfolds. As the Southampton unit do share a majority of members with Concrete Jungle, who had to unfortunately not play due to illness, the final moments of their set were dedicated to them by cracking out one of their tracks.
Not Without Punishment
To headline and close out a night, Perp Walk was the perfect choice for that. Their frantic and abrasive hardcore sound, is one that will keep a room engaged and dancing. A set for the two-steppers and bouncers, Perp Walk showed their experience in ensuring the crowd did not tire after what was already an intense showing. Collier on vocals expressed the values eloquently that tie hardcore together; standing against injustice, support your local music scene and being there for your friends. As hardcore and other DIY scenes continue to break through in local areas like in Cheltenham, and as we see in the likes of Stoke and Plymouth, it won’t be anything unless such values are maintained.
PERP WALK
GLHC should serve as a reminder of what hardcore can continue to achieve and what it can be to many communities across Britain. With much of the doctrine of the last 20 years to see much of our culture and lives centralised around major cities, tours and live shows soon followed. While the politics of that, mainly that individualised people are easier to control, is one for another day. GLHC showed how people can be brought together in a town such as Cheltenham, and eventually Gloucester, all supporting a hardcore scene that is seeing a renaissance. This should be seen as the first step in what could become a thriving scene, given how lucky Cheltenham is to have such a venue as the Frog and Fiddle, and promotion from GLHC that has evidently cut through. Ultimately, whether shows like this continue and reach to new towns and cities depends on those who turn up and support these shows. This night proved how incredible shows like these can be when it is part of something beyond itself, and long may it continue.