LIVE REVIEW: Knocked Loose @ SWX, Bristol

This is it, this is the full review of what may be the most insane heavy show Bristol has ever put on. And that is saying something considering the fact that SUNN O))) made ears and noses bleed with their sheer volume and apocalyptic feedback when they played Motion a few years back. Bristol has done well to mark itself as arguably the best place for music outside the capitol, and tonight’s fusion of KNOCKED LOOSE and STRAY FROM THE PATH‘s UK tour packages at SWX was a shining reason for why. Read our full review of the carnage below, and try your best to imagine the intensity thanks to some amazing pictures courtesy of our photographer Andy Norman. 

Opening a bill like this isn’t easy. Doors being so early means a full house is out the question, and an empty room can be daunting for some bands. RENOUNCED come out and give it a good bit of welly though. Their metalcore sound is perfect for this bill, even if the clean vocals mean that the set feels packed with speed bumps. Considering they’re the first band on, the crowd are clearly eager for violence, and this set tees up the rest of the night beautifully.

Rating: 7/10

It should come as no surprise that a smaller venue works better for the blackened noise of JUSTICE FOR THE DAMNED, but this is still a confident set. The grooves, blast beats, and breakdowns get the still growing crowd moving, but there is an overwhelming sense that this feels more like an uphill struggle for them. There are technical issues that prevent their whole set from feeling like a triumph, but it goes without saying that when JUSTICE FOR THE DAMNED swing for the fence, they hit hard.

Rating: 6/10

Heavy as fuck. That is the resounding take away from this LOATHE set, as the grooves that make up the bulk of their sound cuts right through SWX. It’s the sort of heavy you feel before you hear, and it incites an almighty reaction from the crowd. Unfortunately, their clean vocal sections go over the crowd’s head mostly, and only the true fans sing their lyrics back at the band. But still, being one of the more unique bands on the line up LOATHE prove themselves worthy of the hype that has surrounded them.

Rating: 8/10

GIDEON are a band that have a lot to be angry about, and they show Bristol their rage. Bolstered by an excellent album dropped this year, and an explosive energy thanks to a new-found atheism, the band come out and confidently demolish the venue with some mid-tempo stompers. The set never takes off speed wise, but when GIDEON sound this crushing there is little reason to. The crowd swells and crushes itself with moshers and GIDEON show that they’re more than worth their salt, and that any previous apprehensions people had about this band are utterly worthless. GIDEON go hard.

Rating: 7/10

Despite being the oldest band on this line up, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA unfortunately serve as little more than a rest for a lot of the crowd tonight. The group throw more than enough energy out to the crowd, but their sound lacks the sheer punch that every band prior to them has had, also lacking the constant barrage of brutality. With a truly diverse back catalogue behind them, dropping a few more contemplative tracks means that the energy in the room begins to drop as a result, and it is tangible. That said, the DEVIL WEARS PRADA fans present do well to sing back the lyrics, but even with this, the band lack the connection to the crowd that GIDEON or LOATHE had. It’s unfortunate, but on a line up like this there was always going to be one band that would take this mantle.

Rating: 5/10

MALEVOLENCE know they are shit hot, and it is one of the reasons why they are so revered within the British music scene. They rarely play shows or tour, but whenever they do, there is a genuine sense of anticipation that brews before they begin playing. With their reputation as one of the most fearsomely violent live acts around, tonight’s anticipation and excitement could easily be confused with a bit of fear, as the room fills, and everyone knows exactly what’s about to happen. Slaves to Satisfaction kicks off their set, and the carnage subsequently ensues. Bodies start piling in from the side balconies, and the pit becomes a flurry of fists, limbs, and raw energy. MALEVOLENCE waste no time at all, delivering six songs without so much as a breather in between beatdowns, and the crowd never let the energy drop for one second. Keep Your Distance offers an insight into the new album due early next year, and the sheer level of intensity that comes from older tracks like Serpents Chokehold and Condemned To Misery prove the Sheffield lads to be a cut above the rest. It’s rare that a band this aggressive and this intense garner so much attention, but the fact MALEVOLENCE have a tendency to write and perform brilliantly probably helps. You could’ve ended the night here and it would’ve been perfect.

Rating: 9/10

Following on from that level of carnage is a nigh on impossible task, but it doesn’t stop STRAY FROM THE PATH offering what feels like a genuine attempt at a headline slot. Their light show immediately lights the band in orange and red from the bottom up, and it makes their already imposing and confrontational music even more so. Their Internal Atomics album gives the band even more pipe bomb songs to drop, and Fortune Teller and Kickback both land with the utmost accuracy. Their speech mid set, whilst expected and also serving as a well-deserved rest, hits home with the attentive crowd, and the sense of togetherness becomes even more rife than it already was. It only takes a confirmation of a music video being filmed for the crowd to get right back to it, and with an impassioned cover of Killing In The Name also getting air time, it’s safe to say that STRAY FROM THE PATH kept the momentum as high as it’s been all night.

Rating: 8/10

The reason everyone is here in the first place, KNOCKED LOOSE have done more than well this year. Climbing the ranks to overtake whatever hype CODE ORANGE once maintained last year, KNOCKED LOOSE have officially taken the mantle as one of the leading bands this musical generation has. A Different Shade of Blue showed them to be a more creative force than previously anticipated, and tracks like Bellville, Trapped In The Grasp Of A Memory, Serpent’s Touch and Mistake Like Fractures all bare the ferocious energy that has driven this band to the forefront of the scene. All My Friends still incites a near riot, and it’s Oblivions Peak that brings about the biggest reaction from a crowd that has no right to be as energetic as they are, considering the assault they’ve experienced over the past five hours.

The crowd is a constant moving mass of limbs and bodies, and as the set progresses, bodies diving in from the side balconies becomes common place as everyone here does their hardest to soak up as much of this epic atmosphere as possible. Make no assumptions, this is one of the best nights Bristol has hosted for heavy music. And it also serves as a mighty fine argument for why KNOCKED LOOSE are such a respected and hyped band. They have captured the imagination and fury of this generation better than anyone else, and with shows like this being their standard, the sky truly is the limit.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our stunning photo gallery of the night’s carnage in Bristol from Normandy Photography here: