Let me tell you why you should have been there tonight, and if you weren’t – why you need to experience this.
First of all, my brain, which is now 89% soup thanks to a lifetime of loud music and circle pits, got Knocked Loose and Knuckle Puck (who are playing at the end of the month) confused. So I was totally ready to be caught up in the warzone of Knocked Loose at the Classic Grand. In reality, it’s the Galvanizers at SWG where tonight’s battle takes place. History will teach us, however that bigger battlegrounds only mean more casualties and Knocked Loose definitely came here for a fight. As a side note, it’s still just as wild that Knuckle Puck are playing the tiny Classic Grand and you really have to join us when we’re there for that one (March 24th for those who are down to celebrate).
The first band – which I was totally unaware of – was Headbussa. Hailing from Paris, I’m pretty sure this is the first example of French metalcore that I’ve ever heard. It falls more on the sludgy side when it comes to riffs with very little in the way of lead guitar. The drums don’t quite blast, which I always appreciate as a means to keep my attention.
The vocals are pretty much exclusively growls and bleughs with the exception of one passage that had a spot of angry spoken word which reminded me of RATM. That lasted less than a minute though. One thing Headbussa managed to do was get the crowd moving. By the second song a massive pit had opened up and there was no sign of the crowd pacing themselves tonight.
Deafheaven are the main support for tonight – a band that’s passed through Scotland numerous times in the past year. One show that sticks out was that Core Fest in Maryhill of all places. That shows the work ethic of this band. From San Francisco to Maryhill. They come on with blast beats and anyone who isn’t already a fan might assume they’re going to be a barrage of extreme metal.
What they actually are, is the two extremes of this particular spectrum. You get the blasts, but there’s some amazing soaring harmonies and lead guitar parts that are not only melodic but edge on cinematic. The vocals are low in the mix and although I initially thought this was a technical fault, I’ve since listened to their recordings and I think it might be an artistic choice. The guitars are doing the talking here and they’re really fun to listen to. It’s not often you see a guitarist of a metal core band in a Smiths t shirt using as much delay and reverb as Mr Marr did. You’d be a fool to dismiss giving this band a chance just based on genres.
Knocked Loose’s arrival sparks all-out chaos. It’s probably a good thing that they’re not in the old, tight building that I thought they were, because it wouldn’t be standing. Their arrival is heralded by sirens that sound like they’re made up of the screams of the damned. The crowd give a considerate 40 seconds before the crowd surfing begins and gets so wild that the pit between barrier and stage is evacuated of photographers early to allow for extra security. Bodies are flying across the gaping hole that’s opened up in the middle of the room, the circle pit churns faster and faster, outside the Galvanizers the battered and bruised sit to catch their breath again. There are absolute scenes here tonight.
The guitars switch from big, chunky, dirty breakdowns to vicious, fast riffs that would put Slipknot on the back foot. That’s the remarkable thing – there’s five guys on this stage producing music that other bands can’t get close to without nearly twice as many members. It’s real artistry that can strip down a sound while keeping it so savage that it can cause PTSD. The low vocals are huge and the screams are high without getting screechy. Knocked Loose are a band with healthy ties to the pop punk fraternity and I would put that down to the freshness they’ve brought to metal core. As the new pop punk bands are bringing heavy breakdowns to the genre, Knocked Loose are bringing an updated perspective to theirs. It’s clearly working, as a room of fans have quite literally gone to war for this band tonight.
Even if you’re not into metal core, if you’re into high energy shows and partial to a bit of a mosh pit… Knocked Loose is a bucket list band to see live if just for the experience. If you are into metal core, then let me introduce you to your new favourite band.
Photos by Catching Light Photography
Catching Light Photography
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