Live Review: 30 Years of Knuckledust at Camden Underworld in London!

Back in 1996 if you’d told Nic, Ray, Wema and Pelbu that Knuckledust would be celebrating their 30th anniversary at a sold out Camden Underworld, they would have just laughed but often the truth is stranger than fiction. It takes blood, sweat and tears to stand the test of time and with most bands not surviving to the three album point these days, what they have achieved – six albums, four EPs and four splits – deserves such an occasion, especially when you add the weight of their numerous other projects. Those include Ninebar, Deadline, The Business, Bun Dem Out, Bortsal, Beatdown Fury, Maldito, Argy Bargy, Deny Everything and Ironed Out all of which makes the quartet a highly influencial group on the London Hardcore scene. Life may have a habit of slowing things down as people get older so it’s probably no surprise that the band haven’t released anything new in the past decade but 2016’s “Songs of Sacrifice” album is an absolute ripper and while we’re on the subject the title track of 2012 album “Bluffs, Lies and Alibis” has got 1.2 million Spotify streams!?!

Calling the crowd to the pit with a wave of feedback, London’s own Mugged Off [8/10] start the celebrations off right with an old school Hardcore Punk sound inspired by the New York scene. Cuts like “Street Beer“, a tune about those who would rather neck a can in the street between bands than spend an extra few quid at the bar go down really well, the two steppers getting warmed up nicely. The five piece are a humble bunch, happy to get back together and play after almost a year away, taking a moment to thank Knuckledust for the opportunity between high octane incendiary tunes.

Today isn’t just a nostalgia trip about the past, present and future of Hardcore as Agency [8/10] a four piece formed just two years ago step to the stage and increase the intensity with screamed harsh vocals and abrasive riffs. Like a sharknado, they rip through a set that gets the spin kickers in the pit like it was a borstal break out, the high octane aggression the gift that keeps giving. Their drummer brings the jackhammer footwork which is enough to cause the floor to move beneath our feet to vibrate, the bands heavier riffs inciting mosh pit violence. They’re celebrating the 26th birthday of guitarist Lucas and get him to blow out some candles on a cake while the crowd sing happy birthday mid set, a moment that will live long in his memory bank.

Beatdown Hardcore with Death Metal style vocals is the order of the day when London heavy hitters Tempers Fray [8/10] take to the iconic Camden Underworld stage, the band blitzing their way through a set of monstrous riffs and bombastic bass lines with cuts like “Force Fed“. In their armoury the quartet have a seriously impressive drummer who adds to their rhythmic flair, his performance giving them that X factor with clever fills as he wrecks the kit with precision, often at breakneck speed. Crushing and groovy “Life Slap” remains a favourite.

Whether it’s supposed to be some kind of inside joke or something who knows but witnessing 50 Calibre [7/10] is a little surreal. Their vocalist spends most of the set sipping on a can of 1664, looking like he just walked in from walking the whippet in the local park with chino shorts, a white polo shirt and a flat cap on. He doesn’t spend any time between songs hyping up the other bands or encouraging crowd participation which is almost unheard of… although to be fair his vocals absolutely rip. As a band they’re in Metallic Hardcore territory with a southern twang to those throat shredding uncleans they’re hard to place geographically. Each song hits like a punch from a prize fighter armed with a knuckle duster, crossing styles so you get chunky breakdowns with tastefully executed licks. If you know you know.

For those who know the tale of how the bands met, having Dutch Hardcore legends Born From Pain [9/10] on tonight’s line up is essential. They may have been forced to play as a four piece having left one of their guitarists behind at the border in Brussels due to a lack of a passport, but they don’t miss a beat, treating us to a fistful of classics that set the pit off as they ask for stage dives and high fives. They’ll be celebrating 30 years themselves next year but are showing no signs of slowing down with cuts like “Siege Mentality” confirming that not only does fire in their hearts still burn but they still have the energy to wreck venues.

Southampton Crossover Thrash quintet Grove Street [8/10] have come a long way since we first witnessed them back in 2017. Now signed to UNFD and having played around Europe with the likes of Dog Eat Dog and have refined their sound and become a leaner, meaner fighting machine. Tonight impressively tight renditions of “Self Sabotage“, “Ultimate Penalty” and “The Path Of Righteousness” all decimate the weak, the band matching the crowds energy and cutting shapes on stage throughout their set, almost knocking each other over in the process. Vocalist Sully stalks the stage during an urgent “Lessons of the Past” and the love they receive from the crowd for it is a thing of beauty.

Having shared a split in 1999’s “The Darkside Versus the Eastside” it’s fitting that the resurrected Stampin’ Ground [9/10] are part of tonight and throughout their set vocalist Adam Frakes-Sime speaks of his love for tonight’s headliners. He admits to being somewhat embarrassed at tearing his calf muscle on stage in front of 3000 people, which probably explains why he’s leaning on a shortened microphone stand at various points during each song. He was never going to miss tonight however and is still very much a bundle of energy as he delivers the bands signature aggressive screams. Around him the band are as tight as ever, hitting us with wave after wave of classic old school riffage and pummelling percussion with cuts like “Mid-Death Crisis“, “Dead From the Neck Up” and of course the obligatory “Officer Down” turning the crowd into a bunch of feral maniacs. Live their energy is insane and by the end there isn’t a dry body in the house.

As humble as ever Knuckledust [10/10] take a moment to tell us that it’s not just them that have sold out Camden Underworld tonight but all the bands, thanking each one of them individually as well as telling a few war stories during an incendiary set front loaded with as much of their classic Hardcore as they can muster. Too Punk for Hardcore, Too Hardcore for Punk, the atmosphere isn’t just electric during their set, it’s supercharged as they deliver anthem after anthem during a career spanning set of tunes that are every bit as good now as they were 30 years ago. The four piece have been trailblazers with their DIY or DIE approach, booking tours for themselves across Europe when no one would touch them with a barge pole and their persistence has paved the way for others to follow in their footsteps. Cuts like “Warnings” and “Burning Fight” going down a storm tonight as everyone in the place knows every single word so every song becomes a sing-a-long to the point that Pelbu can just hold the microphone out and let the crowd join in whenever he so desires. As ever they were their influences on their collective sleeves with bands like Agnostic Front, Sick Of It All and Warzone all deserving of a shout out. A triumph from start to finish by the end there isn’t a single person who has a voice left in the place. So how about we do this again sometime?