Live Review: Knocked Loose w/Cruel Hand, Kublai Khan and Caged Existence @ O2 Academy Islington

Upon our shores for this weekend’s Slam Dunk Festival are a whole load of bands looking to add club shows around their appearances. A quartet of the finer bands are at the O2 Academy Islington tonight for what promises to be a sold out and highly moshable affair! Oldham County Californian crew Knocked Loose have a pair of fresh singles out and a new album “A Different Shade of Blue” which was recorded with the legendary Will Putney slated for release on 23rd August so not only are we expecting new material in their set, but fresh rage!

Caged Existence [7/10] are a female fronted Hardcore band from Melbourne and very much part of the Australian hotbed of talent. They come off sounding like Walls of Jericho’s younger and more bitter sister and with a new 3 track EP “The Burden of Existence” appearing next month, this is an important European tour for them. It’s a shame that there aren’t more people in the venue to witness their set because frankly they deserve the attention and they perhaps let the smaller crowd get to them in their performance.

Cruel Hand [6/10] are more of a straight up Hardcore Punk band with obvious comparisons to the likes of Sick of it All and Take Offense. Their set is a high energy riff fest with one song bleeding into the next and by the end it all sounds a bit same same but different.

Kublai Khan [9/10] have spent 10 Years on the scene playing shows and tearing it up and they’ve earned the attention that they are currently enjoying. It’s been a couple of years since we saw them on the Impericon Never Say Die Tour at Camden Electric Ballroom and while their set is just as heavy it’s got a little bit of extra edge. Perhaps they feel a bit of competition with tonight’s headliners. From the opening bars of “Antpile” through “The Fear”, “B.C.” and “The Hammer” with everything in between, their set is a non stop headbanging, fist pumping, scream-a-long affair. Everyone knows every word and ever riff and it makes for a fantastic sight. The next album is well past due. It’s going to be special.

Knocked Loose [10/10] have been surfing the crest of a wave for a long time now and the result is a longer set that features not only the pair of new songs from their upcoming new album “A Different Shade of Blue” in “Mistakes Like Fractures” and “…And Still I Wander South” but also a couple of older songs. Visiting “Pop Culture” for “All My Friends” and “The Gospel” as well as dipping into their split with Damaged Goods. Bryan Garris may suffer a couple of vocal pitching issues at the start of the set but that’s soon forgotten in the mix of sweaty bodies in a frantic Moshpit full of crowd surfing and non stop movement. Songs like “Dead Ringer” are full audience sing-a-long moments with Guitarist Issac Hale not only offering his throat as a second vocalist at times but also berating the crowd to move and keep moving throughout. This band are only getting bigger.