LIVE REVIEW: SHVPES @ Mama Roux’s, Birmingham
In a particularly fortuitous turn of events, it’s been decided that SHVPES and PRESS TO MECO will in fact be joining musical forces for a co-headlining shebang here in Birmingham tonight. With Mama Roux’s already starting to swell despite the early doors, it’s a precursor to the sea of fist-pumping bodies and beaming faces that will eventually roll through this venue. And with PENGSHUI and CHAPTER AND VERSE joining the mix on support duties, the stage is primed and ready for sensory overload in the form of a genre-bending, rap-metal, grime-punk fuelled, alt-rocking sonic assault.
Hearing Josh Carter’s harmonious tones swell and fill this venue’s space is akin to being enveloped in a warm embrace or having your face delicately brushed by the lightest of winds. Its mellow yet morose as impassioned wails wrestle with searing cleans during slow-burner Ink – those repeated refrains of “But I’m waiting for the one in a million, million, million” are shouted back in unison at the four-piece. But make no mistake, CHAPTER AND VERSE also know how to work an audience, albeit a modest one, when called upon. The heady calm is balanced out by a flurry of jangling riffs and punchy drum licks showcasing the band’s raw spirit and penchant for an earworm chorus. The frontman’s emphatic reassurance that everyone here is welcome, and that they can leave “any and all hardships at the door” is greeted with cheers before a hook-drenched rendition of Shelf Life reverberates around the room. It’s an enthralling and emotionally charged opening display from this rising quintet.
Rating: 7/10
From ANTHRAX and PUBLIC ENEMY’s mid-90’s collaboration to the noughties nu-swagger of LIMP BIZKIT and current day bands like ISSUES, as genres metal and hip-hop have long found themselves intertwined. London’s PENGSHUI grew up as fans of both and having worked alongside some of the fiercest names in underground music, the trio are combining thumping basslines and belligerent aggression in order to produce the most visceral results – on record and in their live appearances. It doesn’t take long for this crowd to be convinced by the band’s fusion of punk energy and raw, grime-inflected vocals as talisman Illaman encourages the hordes to lose their collective shit during frenzied bangers Control and Leave It. Crowd interaction is frequent and wholly encouraged featuring plenty of casual fist-bumping and shouts of “alright bruv”; we even bear witness to a follically-challenged punter being treated to a head rub before a slamming THE PRODIGY cover is dedicated to the late, great Keith Flint. It’s a chest-rattling, 140 bpm, filth-laden racket – and a glorious one at that.
Rating: 8/10
PRESS TO MECO’s penchant for rollicking riffs, irrepressible hooks and searing vocal harmonies has made them an alt-rock fan’s proverbial wet dream since they emerged on the scene back in 2016. The joyous pop-punk bounce of Familiar Ground complete with harmonious details neatly dovetails into If All Your Parts Don’t Make A Whole which showcases Luke Caley’s ability to veer vocally between lively defiance and a sky-scraping falsetto. Unsurprisingly, the majority of tonight’s setlist leans mostly on sophomore release Here’s to the Fatigue; Itchy Fingers and A Quick Fix combine to shift the tempo and inject a semblance of stomping guitars and rousing shouts whilst the anthemic heft of the album’s title track places it firmly in the earworm section. What is less expected, is the Crawley collective’s request that the room splits in half and proceed to unleash on command. For a split second, we’re picturing scenes of wanton destruction with bodies smashing into one another – the reality is decidedly more wholesome with two people stepping forward and meeting in the middle for a hug. The energy may be less than primal, but PRESS TO MECO’s fun-filled exuberance could crack a smile on the sternest of faces.
Rating: 7/10
With the downstairs head count growing and record company/PR bod-types and family members safely ensconced up on the balcony’s ‘AAA’ section, tonight’s headlining set is also a hometown affair for SHVPES. But if the West Midlands based five-piece are feeling any iota of pressure, it certainly doesn’t show. All it takes is Griffin Dickinson’s rallying cry of “Birmingham make some fucking noise!” and Mama Roux’s is transformed into a supercharged mass of bouncing bodies. The colossal grooves of One Man Army and State Of Mine fuse nu-metal riffs with anthemic sensibilities; the raw energy emanating from each song is infectious and heads are banging from front to back. The band’s penchant for genre-bending manifests itself through the hip-hop inflected Two Wrongs No Rights with Dickinson stalking across the stage thrusting the mic towards the rabid throng before him – his combination of hoarse roars and quickfire rapping giving us fifty shades of Zack De La Rocha. Mosh pits are encouraged, bodies are hoisted on to shoulders during Renegades and there are more walloping choruses that you could shake a stick at; by the time Counterfeit drops the crowd are roaring every single word. It’s a triumphant hometown outing for SHVPES and a potent musical display from a band rapidly rising through the ranks of UK’s metal scene.
Rating: 8/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Birmingham from Serena Hill Photography here:
