LIVE FROM THE PIT: Couch Slut and Death Goals

On a warm June evening, a small band from Brooklyn, NY, played their first ever show on UK soil. Couch Slut are an angry, sludgy, noisy band whose sound can go all the way from depressive near black metal to a swarm of bees who are collectively furious at the state of the world. They’re a defiantly queer band, who have been releasing music for over ten years now, and so for the opportunity to have finally arisen for us to see them it was nothing short of a privilege to attend. On top of all that, the only support slot was filled by a band near and dear to us - our first ever cover stars, the ever wonderful Death Goals! With two aggressive, abrasive queer bands on one lineup, the night was set to be stellar.

At 7:45, the delightful duo that is Death Goals took to the stage. In a room that was already far too warm and sweaty without a band even playing yet, they gave their utmost in order to add to that. With bangers old and new alike, they played with a fire and an energy that’ll have you dripping just watching them. From the aggression of the classic ‘Shrike’ to the screamo stylings of the Coventry dedicated ‘Covo’, and the melancholic heaviness of the phenomenally named ‘If I’m the Enemy Then Who’s the Protagonist?’. With raucous guitar screeches, powerful paired vocals, and artillery strike breakdowns, the twosome have rarely sounded so devastating. It was all the better with their crowd involvement though, as they had multiple ‘guests’ joining them on vocals, a song half-sung from the crowd, a healthy crowdsurf from vocalist/guitarist Harry - leaving poor vocalist/drummer George all on his lonesome on stage - as well as a couple of stage divers and moshers willing to brave the humidity to have some fun. Even on a sweltering June evening, there’s no fun like Death Goals fun.

After the abrasive, high energy queer aggression of Death Goals, we had a fairly welcome break before the more lumbering, unsettling sound of Couch SLut. Nearing 9:00, their starting time, things were starting to cool down a tad, but as the room filled more and more the Dome just kept on getting hotter and hotter, so it was a small mercy that their set was not built for the moshers. As described earlier, the band are an amalgamation of numerous genres - from sludge to black metal to hardcore to noise rock to punk and even more. Once they walked out onstage, all the tension that had been building up in anticipation of their set was released in a chorus of whoops and cheers, affirming the palpable excitement of the band at playing their first ever UK show.

Whilst they did come on to a wash of green and purple light, vocalist Megan Osztrosits then made the request of red light to replace the previous, which then bathed them for the duration. The unsettling look only served to heighten the unsettling atmosphere, with songs like ‘Couch Slut Lewis’ and ‘Ode To Jimbo’ working to uncork all of the nerves inside every onlooker. Working through their set, the band showed their appreciation for being able to escape their home country of the US for a brief time, as a yell of “Fuck ICE!” came from the crowd in response. With the world in the state it is right now, being able to watch bands play is a real luxury, and watching bands as vital as Couch Slut feels quite poignant within the context of 2025. As they wrapped up on quite the depressing note with ‘The Stupid Man’, they looked grateful to have received such a warm crowd - and relieved to be leaving such a warm room!

Once the heat subsided, the night felt like a dream. In the midst of so much conflict, a small room came together in celebration of queerness, and in defiance of hate, fascism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and so much more. These bands and these events are more important than ever, so we can’t thank Couch Slut and Death Goals enough for their engagement and their power, despite the weight of the world on all our shoulders.

Words: Jake Longhurst

Photos: Artemi Falzon