The start of a new month meant Pengshui’s awaited tour hit Exeter. The lineup was nothing short of spectacular, with the powerhouse Native James as well as grime-metal four-piece DeadWax in support. First up was the latter of the two, and here’s how that went down.
He and his band were met with an already packed Exeter Cavern. The job of a support band is always to warm up the crowd and it’s safe to say that was the case. His fusions of rap and metal created what felt like an instant record of mosh pits for the venue. Even though his set was only 30 minutes long, it really packed a punch, playing his hits such as ‘Power’ and ‘Hammer’ which made the crowd go absolutely crazy - there wasn’t a single person standing still in the venue! His insane stage presence was obvious - practically hanging off the stage fixtures and hyping up the crowd.
DeadWax was up next. The Leeds based grime-metal band had one of those extremely imposing stage presences. Their bass - driven riffs made songs you can dance as well as mosh to, it felt a weird feeling seeing audience members two-step then punch each other! Even their guitarist was joining in (on stage, unfortunately)! Although a shorter set than opener Native James, there was a feel that this band were going to go far in their careers, even having only been around since 2019. Songs such as ‘Northern Behaviour’, ‘Believe Me’ and ‘Disconnect’ were hits in the small venue, basically making the entire floor a mosh pit!
Then came Penghsui. Unfortunately their set was only about an hour long, but they definitely used that time extremely well. Their high-energy performance was truly captivating, fusing dubstep and metal in one and playing the synth parts through a bass was something that seemed like it shouldn’t work, but did! The band made it one of the few times the Cavern has seen crowd-surfing, and the few that went up must have hit their heads on the low ceiling, but it was definitely a sight to see!
Native James and the lead singer of DeadWax made another appearance during Pengshui’s set, both being brought back on for songs which fit their respective backgrounds, with the latter helping with a dubstep infused song, and the former supporting with a grime-based song. The DeadWax lead singer decided he would crowdsurf during his song, creating chaos in the pit, but it was definitely worth it.
One thing that must be said about Penghsui is their crowd engagement is top-tier. At every given opportunity, the crowd were involved in some way, shape and form, whether that’s them singing parts or whether it’s the lead singer messing with them! During their song “Shoes Off”, he got crowd members to, actually, take off their shoes, and there must have been about half of the crowd who did it! One of the phrases the lead singer said near the end of the set was that they “shout at people and have a nice time” which was evident in their engagement with the crowd!
The band's influences are obvious in their music. Bands like The Prodigy and Enter Shikari must be influential in some way, moreso the latter as they’ve remixed two of their songs! Speaking of which, Pengshui have a remix of “Omen” which the band actually asked them to make, which must be one hell of a highlight of their career. They played this live and it went down a treat with the crowd, with 100 people all well and truly dancing along to their version of the legendary song. It ended with the lead singer being on facetime to his grandad, where he got everyone to say a “hello” to him! It was definitely one of the most wholesome moments the Cavern has ever seen!
Pengshui are suddenly a must-see band for everyone. They’re chaotic, but in the best of ways, and if you like that, go see them. You won’t be disappointed.
Words and Photos: Ollie Hayman
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