LIVE REVIEW: Drain @ New Cross Inn, London

It doesn’t get much better than a hardcore show at the New Cross Inn. Santa Cruz superstars DRAIN sold this one out within hours of it being announced, and that was before they’d even released one of the best albums of the year in the form of their sophomore full-length Living Proof. Not only have the Californians brought the weather with them, they’ve also got three fantastic UKHC up and comers on the bill as all signs point to a rager for the ages at one of the best venues in London.

First up are the capital’s own DYNAMITE, a band who’ve kept pretty busy since the release of their debut demo back in April. The five-piece are on for less than a quarter of an hour – to be fair that’s more than twice the length of the demo – and they keep things tight and fast and old school with some cool bouncy parts in the mix for good measure. New drummer James keeps the momentum nice and high in his first show with the band, but much like their appearance at the Outbreak Fest pre-show it’s vocalist Alex who is most compelling of all – a high-energy frontman and a proper champion for UKHC with a great shouty delivery that suits the band’s classic punky style.

Rating: 8/10

There’s considerably more moshing for the next band FINAL FORM as the already sizeable crowd responds exactly as they should to the metallic hardcore outfit’s 20-minute onslaught of thrashy riffs and gigantic breakdowns. There’s a new track off an upcoming EP that’s sure to be an absolute crusher, but it’s Blood On The Line – a contribution to The Coming Strife‘s UK Hardcore Comp released earlier this year – that provokes the most incendiary response, the crowd becoming a mass of two-steppers and even a few cartwheelers, which honestly looks way better than it sounds. By the time they wrap up with a final chugging beatdown there’s scarcely a body in the room that doesn’t need some fresh air as the temperature has just been raised considerably.

Rating: 9/10

LAST WISHES aren’t about to let things cool off either. Taking to the stage to the squeal of their guitars, the Leeds-based bruisers deliver another high aggro set that is met with renewed levels of (consensual) violence from the crowd. Vocalist Corin is an absolute beast, his barks and bellows sounding even more guttural and death metally than they do on record and serving the band’s throat-grabbing style perfectly. The vaguely melodic Loyalty – from the band’s 2022 debut full-length Organized Hate – prompts more of a sing-along, as does UTH to some extent, but the primary focus here is one of complete obliteration, as indeed is clear as Corin declares – or demands – “everyone’s a victim” before the set concludes in a mass of flailing limbs and flying beer cups.

Rating: 9/10

It’s DRAIN‘s first time at the New Cross Inn and vocalist Sammy Ciaramitaro makes it clear that he wants this to be a special one before the band have even launched into Feel The Pressure. The ripping opening track to their 2020 debut full-length California Cursed incites immediate bedlam, with stage divers and mic-grabs galore as a beach ball bounces somewhat neglected around the pit. Watch You Burn goes down similarly, kicking off a run of cuts from the outstanding Living Proof that includes the super bouncy FTS (KYS) and the band’s phenomenal cover of the DESCENDENTS‘ Good Good Things for which it doesn’t seem to matter in the slightest that Ciaramitaro can’t seem to find a working mic.

By now the windows of the New Cross Inn have gone full Titanic car scene, steam visibly rising from the sweat-soaked crowd as the band keep the ragers coming and coming – “we’re gonna play a slow one” jokes Ciaramitaro right before they tear into the particularly furious Sick One. The frontman steals the show in general, doing all he can to involve absolutely everyone and regularly checking in on specific members of the crowd to make sure they’re doing ok. More than the riffs, more than the singalongs, more than the carnage that ensues as they close with California Cursed, that’s what makes DRAIN so special; every band says they want everyone to have a good time but few insist on it as emphatically as this. Another reason to love one of the best hardcore bands in the world right now.

Rating: 10/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Karolina Janikunaite here: 

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