“Marred and broken, followed by the thirst.“
It’s only March, and we’ve already had the tour of the year. Knocked Loose are not just in their prime, they are drawing hardcore itself to new heights. Being at these shows felt like history being written. We couldn’t be more excited for their recent material, their live show, and even the bands they brought on this tour. The line up was like a splinter from an Outbreak poster, something that was not lost on the festival, who plugged their upcoming events with screens on wheels around the venues (and, if you didn’t get a targeted ad for Outbreak London on your socials, you’re clearly not part of “UKHC” – sorry, we do make the rules).
All photography from London at O2 Academy Brixton by Joe Steven Hart (Pest Control and Bryan Garris cover photo) and Sarah Tsang (Harms Way, Basement and Knocked Loose) – thanks to both of you for supporting this piece. Words by Dobbin T from the London date and Jahla Fisher from Manchester on Basement.
To no fault of Pest Control, appreciation for the crossover thrash sound is mixed within the Boolin Tunes camp. You can count me as one of its supporters – fight riffs from the school of Death with hyper-precision whammy solos? Count me in. Their booking was also a great choice, helping the line up intersect a much greater portion of the hardcore scene than a typical beatdown band might. The satisfaction of a good band-name drop is not lost on Pest Control, with “Year of the Pest” and “Don’t Test The Pest” revelling in self confidence, drawing new fans before our eyes. They mostly deal in micro-songs with all the fat of traditional thrash trimmed, providing maximum gratification. The exception is their set closer, “The Great Deceiver“, a track that invokes the sci fi grandeur of their cartoon artwork. They successfully activated the crowd and had devouts shouting lyrics back. Like all the bands on the line up, they humbly paid thanks to the UKHC scene, whose growth has made events like this possible.
The hardest band alive. Harms Way delivered their blunt force take on metallic hardcore to compliment Knocked Loose‘s more technical angle. Their set list acknowledged the influence of their record Posthuman, including their catchiest numbers “Human Carrying Capacity” and “Become a Machine“. I couldn’t resist investigating the pit – far from the scenes created by Harms Way you’ll find on YouTube, its shape was elastic, with speedy moshers carving out space only to find it fold back on them. They’re completely aware of and embrace their ‘meme’ status, ending the set with “Infestation“‘s famous ‘running man’ move. This went down a treat and remains a modern hardcore classic. I can imagine they’d be over the allure of the moment captured by hate5six six years ago, but I guess you have to run your bangers.
The final support act out of three was the straight-from-the-UK post-punk-emo band Basement. Since forming in 2009, it’s easy to say they are always going to bring a great crowd out. The band have hooks that suck you in and spit you out, with a set list of songs spanning from their beginning, to performing a song simply called “New Song” which was also played during their headline performance at Outbreak 2024. Although the bill was heavily hardcore, the five piece emo band brought their own energy to the stage, especially through their strong vocals.
Their set was filled with songs that created an ebb and flow through the crowd, from crowd surfer after crowd surfer throughout their opener “Whole” whilst giving a minute for the crowd to rest during the slower songs. It’s clear, no matter what year music is released from, Basement‘s lyrics will always be shouted back by the fans as loud as ever. During their final song “Covet” this was definitely the case – Andrew Fisher‘s vocals are as powerful as ever, but the crowd at the O2 Victoria Warehouse was definitely louder than Fisher at points.
To state the obvious, the scale of the Knocked Loose experience is now far away from ‘lights on hardcore’. Since A Different Shade of Blue their music has eclipsed this setting, and their performances to audiences of thousands can never resemble the makeshift horseshoe arenas of their past. The surprise overture to their tour at the Camden Underworld for lucky five-hundred attendees was a glimpse of a past where stage theatrics were unnecessary – nothing more than a stage and the music was enough to make it work. Festivals like Outbreak and Furnace Fest, or any other fest willing to take down their barrier (apparently, Coachella?!) will recapture this energy and will be coveted experiences, but the major venue experience has come home to roost. Will this grow to the arena level? Only time will tell. What we can confirm is that Knocked Loose are in their element at this scale and conjure a uniquely feral experience for all attendees.
In odd way, no track on the headline set felt like a “deep cut”. Knocked Loose had to celebrate the success of their latest album, playing all of it except for “Slaughterhouse 2” (no doubts they’re waiting to cross paths with Chris Motionless to set that in motion). The oldest tracks (“Deadringer“, “Billy No Mates“, and “Counting Worms“) were a particular delight to the audience, but the response to every song was more than enthusiastic. The Upon Loss Singles and the atmospheric A Tear in the Fabric of Life material meshed perfectly alongside the tracks from You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To.
Their stage setup was a sight to behold. The centrepiece – the now famous neon cross – was ever looming, only switched off for “Sit And Mourn“‘s ending. Banners carried the motif of America’s deep, forgotten swamps. Strobes followed the twists and turns of their tracks very closely, yet other tricks were simple, such as light beams mimicking a car for “Where Light Divides the Holler“‘s intro. Audience interaction included typical mosh calls, but to include members who aren’t in that chaotic first third of the audience, there were plenty of calls to jump and bark lyrics back. Knocked Loose already write their music primarily for the live setting, and doubled down at key moments to extend the pig squeal in “Blinding Faith“, or build anticipation for nasty pick-scraped riffs.
But what is it like as an audience member – especially those at the front? The pit was an absolute slosh, propagating space and collapsing it seemingly at random. O2 Academy Brixton’s in-crowd barriers randomly divided the brawls and provided a launching platform that got the crowdsurf count to a staggering 675. The only constant in the throng was the band’s music, repeatedly calling for a response to every micro-breakdown or semi-two-step-able riff. If you hate push pits, it wasn’t your space, but if you hate hardcore pits, it wasn’t that either. Some might call it the worst of all worlds. I live for it. See you again at Outbreak, Knocked Loose.
Check out our features of the latest from Knocked Loose, Harms Way and Pest Control at Boolin Tunes, and rest assured we’re watching the Basement camp carefully for their next moves in the studio.