Your Demise at Hevy 2011
I'm not one to advocate destruction but it would have been one of the greatest festival moments of all time had Your Demise managed to demolish the Front & Etnies tent on Sunday night at Hevy. The last band of the festival to hit that stage, Ed McRae did his absolute best to encourage tearing the space to shreds, but despite best efforts it remained in tact. Just.
For all the hardcore kids at Hevy Fest 2011, this was the headliner and closing band for the weekend. But to be honest, even for those planning on going out to see Four Year Strong or The Bronx after this set, Your Demise gave a performance that would have made for the perfect end to a mad few days. Their live shows possess an atmosphere and impact of a Monster Truck being hijacked by a band of particularly roguish demons who are yet to take a driving lesson. There's heat, attitude and an impressive stamina that keeps the tempo of the set at the crest of a wave of the purest and most brutal hardcore melodies. Their crowd need little encouragement to throw it down or at least nod their heads. The organisers' attempts to discourage acrobatic crowd surfing from the eight foot high ledges on tent supports were suitably ignored as bodies flew to the left and right while Your Demise totally tore it up.
The sweating, thrashing heat of the moment wasn't lost once as the energy from the stage spilt out into the pit, culminating in the whole band diving in and crowd surfing their way to a completely insane climax to an amazing set. It may have been the heavyweight euphoria of 'Miles Away' and 'The Kids We Used To Be...' that became the highlights of this high-class gig but personally, any band who can casually drop 'Regulate' and get every hand up in the air is onto an absolute winner. Thanks for the memories lads.