Live Review: Vanity, Rat King, Alex The Kid, Losing Grip, Cursed Earth

With the venue crammed to capacity just shy of 8pm, a severe weather warning in place and the blizzard of rain thundering down outside, punters were beckoned in for the debut show of HM2 lords Cursed Earth, who immediately lashed the night into high gear with a skull-crushing set.

Newcomers on the scene, this local outfit have been surrounded by much hype of late and as soon at they hit the spotlight it was easy to see why. Ballsy and enigmatic frontwoman Jazmine Luders held her own with her intensely raw and dominating stage presence, whipping the crowd up into a slam dancing frenzy.

Next up was four-piece hardcore band Losing Grip, who brought their unique brand of ‘90s era hardcore to the table, serving up a plethora of fierce new material that one should expect to see unleashed on the home front in the not too distant future. With its explicit Madball influence, Losing Grip delivered an exciting and ear-splitting set that invoked the ebb and flow of a raw and destructive energy, smothering the room in a terrifying rot and treating the swelling crowd with a triple dose recipe of galloping riffs, punchy drums and heavy, unrelenting, groove-laden breakdowns.

On account of the exceptionally miserable weather, the crowd had petered off and the vibe had flattened somewhat by the time flamboyant five-piece punk outfit Alex The Kid took the reins. Nonetheless, the minute these boys launched into their first song of the night, those diehard local punters still braving the hammering rain were tempted back into the bowels of the venue and were more than ready to get fired up. Alex The Kid tore through a punishingly fast set, including signature song We Made Too Many Jager Bombs! Alex The Kid were clearly out to enjoy themselves and they delivered with an energetic and high voltage set concocted from a brazen cocktail of speed, star struck guitars and a classic ‘90s hardcore/punk sound.

The punters were well and truly liquored up and the vibes were high by the time five-piece hardcore/punk filth machine Ratking took over the helm. They delivered one of the standout performances of the night, with their energetic, maniacal frontman actively engaging the crowd throughout the duration of their hectic set to work them into a rabid frenzy of hysteria. These lads are loud, vicious and in your face, and put on one hell of a live show. Not to be missed!

To see out the storm was local hardcore punk heavyweights Vanity. With the powerhouse vocals of Shaun Griffiths backed up by Ryan Finley on guitar, Riley Walpole on drums and Tyson Helliwell on the bass, Vanity delivered the final blow of the night with their brand of discordant, metallic hardcore punk rock, thrashing revelers with an aggressive and intense live performance.