LIVE FROM THE PIT: Gideon, Grove Street, Xile and Still In Love

Rescue Rooms played host to a relentless night of hardcore, as GIDEON played Nottingham with support acts GROVE STREET, XILE, and STILL IN LOVE.

Opening the night were the STILL IN LOVE and they came out swinging, fusing raw emotion with a no-nonsense modern hardcore punch. Sober and Pillar Of Strength landed like gut shots, all vulnerability wrapped in heavyweight riffs, and it did not take long for the room to wake up. STILL IN LOVE demanded attention, locking the room in early and even kicking off a pit while most people were still finding their spot. A statement set, and a warning of what was to come.

XILE hit the stage, and the room shifted gear immediately. Same lights, different energy — darker, heavier, more volatile. One riff in and the floor transformed into chaos. Originally from Grafton, New Zealand, but now firmly rooted in the UK hardcore circuit, they blend European beatdown and death metal into their own brutal brand of “Kiwi Hardstyle”. Stone Cold and Diamond Eyes hit like blunt force trauma live — all precision, no mercy. XILE knew exactly how much damage they were doing, and they leaned into it hard. The pit reacted instantly: windmills flying, karate kicks swinging, two-step chaos breaking out. From that moment on, the room stayed locked in and refused to calm down.

The main supports GROVE STREET were on next, and the atmosphere shifted once more — away from sheer, pulverising heaviness and into something far more dangerous: pure, infectious fun. Their thrashy hardcore roar erupted instantly, packed with groove, grit and that unmistakable bounce that had even those standing at the back nodding along before being dragged into the pit. Tracks like Grove Street Family and Lessons Of The Past sparked some of the biggest reactions of the night, their crossover bite blurred the lines between hardcore urgency and thrash metal speed. Fast, volatile and unapologetic, this was the evening’s true turning point — where restraint finally collapsed and the room fully surrendered to chaos and fun. Seeing these guys if you are a fan of thrashy hardcore is a must.

When GIDEON emerged, the crowd was warmed up and ready to face the chaos of the pit that was yet to come. Launching into crowd-pleasers like Wrong One and ‘Till The Wheels Fall Off, they asserted control of the room from the outset. Their set leaned heavily into material that thrives in live environments, with tracks such as Bite Down and Cursed triggering full-room chants and relentless pit activity.

The band’s connection with the crowd was the beating heart of the set. GIDEON have always thrived on balancing crushing heaviness with razor-sharp melodic hardcore hooks, but here it felt supercharged. MORE POWER. MORE PAIN. in particular became a full-blown communal moment, less a performance and more a shared release, with voices drowning out the PA. In the claustrophobic confines of Rescue Rooms, this particular breakdown hit harder, every chorus roared louder, and the barrier between band and audience all but disappeared. The energy never dipped for a second — just a relentless feedback loop of sweat, shouting and total, all-in commitment.

Sweaty, feral and chaotic, this was hardcore in its purest form. Each band escalated the chaos, from raw emotion to bone-crushing brutality and riotous fun, before GIDEON brought it home with a headline set that blurred the line between band and crowd. Rescue Rooms barely survived!

Words: Sita Gee

Photos: Libby Percival