On a lazy Sunday afternoon, we were invited down to witness the brotherhood of British metalcore slaying breakdown after breakdown to give the Sanctuary in Basingstoke one final magnificent send off before it closes its doors on the 17th February. It’s such a shame when small music venues are forced to close because of lack of funds or forced by the council due to residents complaining about noise in the area (even though when they bought the property they knew there was a music venue close by… but who am I to say). Venues like the Sanctuary are being attacked and it’s not fair on them, the UK bands, nor fans like us who want to support our local music scene without paying big ticket prices for renown bands in the industry (let’s be honest they all started off playing in small venues as such).
Each and every single band that played that night gave 110 percent. Involving the crowd in any way possible, from mic takeovers on When Hope Fails set to crowd surfing with guitar in hand by the guitarist from High Rise, to nearly each band creating countless circle pits all in a venue the size of your living room.
When Hope Fails were first to get the crowd moving. Six-piece from Southampton, they are pure metalcore, combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk and numerous breakdowns.
The When Hope Fails lads gave an energetic and entertaining set, with crowd mic takeovers and constant bouncing around, these boys are not to be missed. We had a quick interview with the lads check out below.
To follow When Hope Fails, was grungy yet poetic and captivating I, The Map Maker. They gave an entirely emotional performance starting off with talking before each song with a poetic type of statement linking to each song played.
The mood they portrayed as a band was a slightly depressing emo/gothic feel mixed together with energy and aggression which made it an exhilarating viewing experience. With catchy riffs and passion flowing from the front man, it really was spine tingling to watch, feeling quite a nightmare before Christmassy feel. Definitely the Tim Burton of Melodic Hardcore. Check them out!
Hitting the stage next, was a Southampton based band, Pioneers. On stage they dominated the mic and had such a powerful stage presence. These lads owned every last bit of their set as they ramped up the crowd, creating mosh pits galore. Pioneers have left their mark on the UK metalcore and post-hardcore scene when only being together for just a few years, which is a mighty achievement in itself.
The concoction of metalcore post-hardcore with a flurry of Electronica sprinkled on, makes this a new and upcoming sound that is taking hold of the scene today. We were lucky to grab 5 minutes with the lads to ask a few questions fans are dying to know.
Next on the line-up was High Rise a South West London band, bringing the city beats down south. Playing alongside bands such as Create to Inspire, Bad Omens and of course the lovely OHOH boys and a slot at Teddy Rocks Festival last year. High Rise have a major following, who came and represented, supporting the boys that evening with mass circle and mosh pits creating the expected buzz and energy during the set. Sounding similar to bands such as Underoath, The Ghost Inside and ADTR, High Rise definitely portray a very metalcore-like style with bountiful amounts of breakdowns and heavy chugging riffs which hit your ear drums perfectly.
At one point their guitarist got onto the bar behind us and crowd surfed whilst playing which is extremely hard to do and portrays a lot of trust in the fans to keep him raised up. These boys also have a nice lot of merch that satisfies every metal head so check it out. We caught the lads outside for a few minutes, see the video below.
Following on, we had InVisions, all the way from York these guys gave an excellent and hard-hitting performance keeping the buzz going from previous bands before them. Another prime example of a good Metalcore band who completely tore up the stage. People from the audience who have never seen this band play live, were bowled over by the intensity and pure aggressive passion the band oozed out on stage. Playing a selection of songs and few from their current Debut Album ‘Never Nothing’, which is out now so please go take a listen. If you like many heavy bands like Architects, Parkway Drive or Martyr Defiled, these will be music to your ears …. excuse the pun.
Then came THECITYISOURS all the way from London, these boys are so heavy you have to wear a hard hat. The mosh pits getting bigger and bigger with each heavier band to come on to the stage that night, made certain that you left with a few war wounds if you got involved in the pits. Seeing this band in Birmingham last year it’s amazing how far they have come in such a short space of time and well deserved may I add.
Their unique alternative, melodic Metalcore makes for an exciting viewing, especially when they had such amazing stage presence alongside. One point in the night the frontman got onto the bar to scream his lungs out with the crunchy low and ever so powerful screams made him look like he owned the world. Check out the video below.
We then had post-hardcore band Acres take the stage representing the South West scene.
All I can say is WOW! So much energy and enthusiasm power aggression and passion this band made you feel like you were going through everything they were singing about and definitely a good support pick from the OHOH boys. The moody riffs just accentuate the grungy emo still lyrics and punchy powerful screams. If you have not heard of these lads nows the time to do it.
The headline act of the evening were Our Hollow, Our Home who laid the stage bare and rained down breakdowns upon the willing crowd. In their set the crowd sang back to the band, songs such as ‘Worms Wood’, ‘Throne To The Wolves ‘ and the ever so popular cover ‘Shape Of You’. The epitome of Melodic Metalcore and an inspiration to some, Our Hollow, Our Home are definitely dexterous when it comes to crafting catchy chords and hard hitting riffs, with memorable and cleverly written lyrics, (also not forgetting, putting on such amazingly organised events).
Based in Southampton and together for over 4 years these band of brothers have formed a unity and alliance amongst the metalcore music scene. With such an outstanding stage presence and so much passion conveyed in just a single scream by Connor Hallisey mixed with the gentle and melodic vocals of Tobias Young makes OHOH something I will forever have on repeat.
Please check these lads out on tour in March 2018 at various venues around the UK get down and support your local scene and local venues (which makes sure they are here to stay in the future). We caught a few minutes with a few of the OHOH boys check out the video below.