LIVE FROM THE PIT: Gorilla Biscuits, Terror and Dynamite

On a cold November night in Camden, a hardcore lineup as good as any seen in the city for many a year rolled through to give the good folks of London a damn kicking, and warm them up for the cold winter months ahead. GORILLA BISCUITS are, of course, progenitors of the genre, and with their dancey, energetic hardcore being supported by that of TERROR’s no-nonsense, pulverising riffage and up-and-comers DYNAMITE’s pumped up modern sound, the night was poised to be a riot - and a riot it was.

Young upstarts from London DYNAMITE acted as a how-to of what’s good about modern hardcore, with a tour-de-force performance that warmed up the venue in all of about twenty five minutes. Bringing together sounds that range from that of GALLOWS and HAYWIRE to TRAPPED UNDER ICE and even AGNOSTIC FRONT, the hardcore crew ripped through their set at breakneck speed and doubtlessly earned themselves a plethora of new fans. One particular highlight was their track Hardcore Pride, but truly, each riff and breakdown were more than worth the time we spent watching them and gleefully headbanging along.

Subheadliners TERROR need no introduction. As one of NYHC’s preeminent bands, and to this day one of the most cited influences for other hardcore bands, they’re amongst an incredibly small group of acts who have not only influenced a huge number of bands, but also have lasted longer than ten years - a real rarity in hardcore it feels. Classic tracks like Always The Hard Way were brought out early in the set, much to the excitement of the many crowdsurfers and moshers in the room, and naturally Overcome was as popular as ever. It’s nigh unnecessary to say how good Keepers Of The Faith and Return To Strength were, but as is entirely expected both were brutally powerful, and had half the crowd yelling along with veins popping from necks and foreheads right to the back of the room.

Whilst GORILLA BISCUITS may have not quite had as much of an influence on real modern hardcore culture as they deserve, the influence they hold musically is unprecedented. Bands like DYNAMITE can trace their sound right back to the New Yorkers’ two excellent albums, and to this day most of hardcore would not have the same energetic spin and dancey feel that it does without the likes of GORILLA BISCUITS. A straight edge band with just two releases before then breaking up feels like a stereotype within hardcore, but these guys did that long before most bands you might see as falling into that were even conceived of, and also wrote some of hardcore’s catchiest tunes whilst doing so.

New Direction got the room back to sweating and jumping after a half hour rest, whilst Forgotten summoned oldheads and their vocal chords like moths to a flame. High Hopes (no, not the annoying song by that annoying band) was one of the quickest at greasing up knees and elbows alike, and the plethora of covers performed - Minor Threat by the same band, alongside a CIV track or two and even some BUZZCOCKS were all received with cheers and whoops, and Start Today was a triumphant way to cap off an excellent return. Whilst the band weren’t even close to the heaviest on their own lineup, nor anywhere near the youngest, their experience and undisputed status as hardcore icons shone through to cement the show into the hearts and minds of all in attendance.

Words: Jasmine Longhurst

Photos: Claire Cabanac