Angry Welshmen
Next up on this tightly packed bill came Welsh hardcore band Brutality Will Prevail, and from that sentence you can probably guess what this live show was like. Heavy chugging riffs, violent thrashing drums and intense vocals were consistent throughout the performance. Right from the off the lead vocalist made the biggest impression. His energetic and aggressive prowess just made the whole performance. He got sections of the crowd suitably riled up and it felt like the band fulfilled the role of a support band pretty well. Speaking to a real fan at the venue he said there was real concern about the impact this new lead singer would have, but honestly from tonight's gig, they don't have too much to worry about.
That being said, it still all felt a bit cringe-worthy. The guitarist getting a roadie to move his hair into place before it all kicked off was particularly lame given the viciousness of the bands music. As mentioned in the Empress portion of this review, Brutality Will Prevail (as with many other bands in this genre) brought together the baseball cap warriors of London to do their fairy dance. They're a dedicated bunch so fair enough; it just ends up distracting from the band's actual performance for everyone else. Overall, the set just felt like it dragged on a little bit too long. The performance was tight and there was, on the whole, a real positive reaction but it got a bit boring by the end. It felt like a poor man's Hatebreed show. They announced they would be playing a show in a small bar down the road right after their set, and with that their ragtag of dancers followed suit.