Hadouken @ Guilfest Main Stage
To the pleasure of a significantly over-populated 14-year old testosterone-crazed crowd, Hadouken! filled the support slot on the main stage at Guilfest Friday night much to the joy of the Orbital faithful admiring from a mosh-less distance.
With the majority of tracks taken from new release 'For The Masses' the audience moshed along (in most cases) to an array of disco indie grime. Opening with ‘Rebirth’ it soon became clear Hadouken! had taken a new direction with their music and delved deeper into an atmospheric sound. Performing new single ‘House Is Falling’ the grindie quintet announced they had been in the EA Sports tent re-recording the release for The Sims computer game in Sim language I will add (don’t ask, I don’t know).
Radio 1 favourite ‘Mic Check’ sent the young fans wild and glow-sticks flying, quickly followed in succession by the dub-induced track ‘Ugly’. "She’s ugly like your sister" became a regular weekend phrase, God knows why.
After time, the appearance of mosh pits heightened the ecstasy-entangled pace of the set and following songs did not disappoint. ‘Liquid Lives’, dedicated to the myspace crew carried the momentum, followed by ‘MAD’ and ‘Turn The Lights Out’, both taken from the new album.
Sporting a blue checked shirt underneath a black hoodie, lead singer James Smith called for a wall of death before performing ‘Bombshock’ stating the rules: “if anyone falls, pick them up” conscious of the young crowd’s hasty behaviour. With the set coming to a close, both parties were applauded and Hadouken! left the stage happy with their performance. The question for the young fans now; stay for Orbital or leave for the Rock Sound Cave for more mosh pit fun?
By Lucy Keys