Billed as their only headline show for Birmingham the fans packed the room, so much so that I had to leave midset to get some air. Under a blood red Brum sky, the city was in pole position tonight, hosting GANS and Punk Rock Factory, but my date was quite exceptional.
BLDSUGR! are one of a kind, they are fluent in modern theatrics, they are highly spirited and they finish this most incredible night on a high. This was Dead Wax in pressure cooker mode.
We get straight down to business with ‘Cut Me Open’ as singer Lolly Hayes musically flounces across the stage in a glorious red dress, her wails bursting our eardrums as she seamlessly picks up the eldritch screeching from where Emily left it.
Her co-conspirators are Leigh Evans on guitar/bass and Joe Jackson on drums and together they are a cacophonous, heavy metal version of cheese rolling. The contusions inflicted by the music, are wounds you will probably never heal from. Lolly is an amazing narrator; she shares her life experience openly and there were a few moments where emotions were quite fraught. Her own struggles with neurodivergence mean that she is fully aware of the issues that people have, the mental and emotional strain that they carry. We as a society need to care a bit more, I feel.
The ‘Mania’ is clear, we manifest our fears and anxieties with the band, whether you’re ‘Hung Up’ or ‘On Your Knees’ we delve deeper into the ‘Evil’ that has infected us.
Tonight, we felt the passion, the pain and we were privileged that these bands bring the underlying theme of caring to the forefront. Amidst the raw, and gritty sensations, you felt the panacea of live music heal you, even if you thought you didn’t need it.
BLDSUGR! speak for all independent artists, they need the public behind them, that is their lifeblood and key to surviving this harsh and inhospitable industry. Tune your antennae to the grassroots and support your local scenes, activate your sniffer dog mode, there is so much to explore, discover and enjoy.
The fierce, pot boiling over intensity here meant that this is the type of show you don’t just go to, you are summoned. I did miss a couple of tracks from a visual aspect, but what I heard could wake the dead.
Throwing us over the finish line with ‘The Ants Burn Under The Magnifying Glass’ it is a tale that possesses our very core, it symbolises every suffering and encompasses the anger that accompanies it.
As Springsteen said ‘nobody wins unless everybody wins’ and that is the lesson we take away with us, along with a constant ‘Scratch, Ache and Bleed’ which we will wear as our war wounds. Let’s be honest, it is a battleground out there, but in this room, there is warmth and love that is fearless and unmatched, don’t just take a leaf out of their book, take the whole fucking book!
Azra Pathan
BLDSUGR! – 21st February 2026, Dead Wax Digbeth, Birmingham.