LIVE FROM THE PIT: Bodyweb, Demeanour, Without Blood, Pain.Program and Victims Of Life

For the last twenty-five years, Birmingham’s most beloved heavy music pub Scruffy Murphy’s has sat nestled on the edge of the city centre, serving the alternative scene from the nu-metal days to now. But underneath the bar is where the real magic happens. With a dinky 130 person capacity, the pub’s live music venue is the perfect size for intimate, explosive shows – and that’s exactly what BODYWEB are primed to deliver.

Fresh off of their tour supporting hardcore heroes SPEED around the UK, the Leeds natives return to Birmingham to headline a night showcasing the up-and-coming talent emerging from the UK hardcore scene, and to leave a trail of sweat in their wake.

First up is West-Midlands-based hardcore outfit VICTIMS OF LIFE, who explode onto the stage with blistering riffs and a ferocity that’s more than enough to stir up the room into a flurry – no easy feat, for the first of five bands on the bill. Towards the end of their set comes a plug for their brand new split EP with 2nd Location, and a statement about their new direction with their sound. “If you like the new sound, good. If you don’t, we don’t give a shit.” They leave the room a lot sweatier than they found it, but what’s a hardcore show without a little bit of heat?

The second band of the night is Merseyside four piece PAIN.PROGRAM, who sound much more mature than their one single year of playing together may lead you to believe. Switching between low screams and beautifully clear clean vocals, the vocalist is complimented by drumming that makes you feel as though you could lift a car. With just a fraction more confidence and connection to the audience, this band could be unstoppable.

Confidence is not something that WITHOUT BLOOD lack. Serving straight-up hardcore from Birmingham, they demand attention and get it in spades, stomping across the stage like they own it. The crowd is hectic, with fists flying in every direction and fans clamouring to scream into the mic. There’s a cheer when they discuss their current efforts to save up enough to create their first demo, and it may have been a surprise to see so many fans in attendance before the band even releases music, if they weren’t so ferocious.

It would be hard to top them, if it were any other band following them up – but DEMEANOUR didn’t come to play around. Well, actually, they kind of did. As goofy as they are face-melting, the second band of the night from Liverpool balances energetic hardcore with anecdotes about throwing up after consuming too many blue sweets. The lead vocalist is the second of the night to shout-out the queer hardcore scene in Birmingham; a growing community championing queer music in the midlands, at a time where it’s increasingly difficult to be publicly LGBTQ+. During a chugging breakdown, a growled “where are all my fucking twinks” had the biggest crowd response of the night, seeing the pit fill with two steppers and moshers alike. When it was time for them to leave, it was hard not to feel disappointed.

But that disappointment was short-lived. The walls were dripping with sweat by the time that BODYWEB made it to the stage, but the energy of the crowd only seemed to be replenished by their presence. Despite a snag or two due to issues with equipment (causing lead vocalist and guitarist Louis Hardy to insist that they’re cursed), their set was explosive from start to finish. Shadowboxing was a high point in the set, their particular brand of nu-hardcore and breakbeats designed to push the chaos of the crowd to their limit. At one point, a fan leaves the room to treat an injury from their time in the pit – only to return half a song later, hand still clasped to their nose, unwilling to miss a second more than they need to. It’s the kind of frenzied crowd that shouldn’t be possible after four other bands have already played, but BODYWEB demands it of every person in the room.

When their final song begins, the heat in the room is suffocating. The crowd writhes, screams and moshes for one last time. When the lights come on, it feels like an exorcism has just been completed. The UK hardcore scene is only getting more talented, and the dazed look and sweaty foreheads of everyone in the crowd is a true testament to that. As hardcore as a genre continues to grow in popularity, it’s important not to forget where the real magic often happens; in the local scene, in a little sweatbox with a hundred strangers.

Words: Ellen Lovell

Photos: Robert Halls