LIVE FROM THE PIT: Smash Into Pieces, Enemy Inside and Dark Divine
- Ben Young
- May 3
- 3 min read
Nottingham’s Rock City was already spilling onto the streets on Saturday night. A sea of black stretched down the queue, wrapping around the block. A quiet signal that this was more than just another tour stop. By the time Florida’s DARK DIVINE took to the stage for their first ever Nottingham appearance, the room was still filling - yet the energy inside was already at full capacity.
DARK DIVINE wasted no time establishing their presence. Opening with intensity, they leaned fully into the crowd with a confidence that felt far bigger than an opening slot. Better Start Digging landed with force, setting the tone early. Despite being miles from home, frontman Anthony Martinez paused to take it in, describing the crowd as feeling like family, a sentiment that did not feel rehearsed, but genuinely earned.
The audience responded in kind. During Cold, the room shifted, phone flashlights rising before falling into unison clapping. The line “So tell me, do you hate me?” irony softened by the visible warmth in the room. Nottingham proved, once again, that it doesn’t wait for headliners to show up, it shows up from the start. By the end of their set, with fans already passing items forward for signatures, DARK DIVINE had done more than introduce themselves; they had embedded into the night’s sense of community.
If DARK DIVINE laid the foundation, ENEMY INSIDE expanded the scale. A sharp, almost mechanical light show carved out the opening moments before vocalist Nastassja Giulia took command, balancing precision with raw emotion.
Tracks like Don’t Call Me an Angel, written during a darker period, carried a weight that extended beyond the studio, while recent release RIP surged through the room with a distorted, bass-heavy drive. The energy only escalated from there, chants started building, hands rising, the room tightening around the performance. Fuck That Party delivered exactly what its title promised: chaotic, urgent, and unrelenting, punctuated by rapid riffs and a tightly controlled solo.
Even a brief exit after Release Me couldn’t hold them off stage for long. Sustained applause pulled them back for What We Used to Be, before closing with Phoenix - a fitting finale that had the entire room moving. For a first UK appearance, ENEMY INSIDE performed with the assurance of a band already well established, leaving a lasting impression.
By the time SMASH INTO PIECES took over, the night shifted from performance to spectacle. As the lights dimmed, Apoc - their masked and enigmatic drummer - emerged elevated above the stage, framed by visuals resembling a game start screen, the lure flickering into view. Instantly, the band positioned their set within something larger. This was no longer just a gig, it was an immersive world.
Known for their high-energy performances, the Swedish outfit delivered with precision. Heroes Are Calling and Arcadia ignited huge singalongs, the band’s blend of melodic hooks and electronic textures translating effortlessly live. The crowd didn’t just watch - they became part of it, moving in sync through claps, sways, and full-voice choruses.
Moments of scale were balanced with moments of intimacy. Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye stepped forward alone at times, stripping everything back before rebuilding it again, a dynamic shift that made the heavier returns, particularly with tracks like Hurricane, hit even harder.
Throughout, Apoc acted as both performer and narrator. Calling on the crowd to “join the resistance,” he blurred the line between audience and participant and Nottingham responded without hesitation, fully immersed, fully committed.
Boomerang became one of the night’s defining moments, with ENEMY INSIDE’s Nastassja Giulia returning to the stage. Their voices intertwined seamlessly, lifting the track into something more expansive. Elsewhere, dual guitar work cut through with clarity, each solo pushing the set forward with purpose despite a recent wrist injury, lead guitarist Benjamin Jennebo performed without visible limitation - a quiet but notable detail that spoke to the band’s professionalism.
As the set moved into Hollow, bathed in stark blue-and-white visuals, the band’s themes of digital disconnection came into even sharper focus. Closing the night, however, wasn’t about production or visuals, it was about connection. Marking nearly two decades as a band, Sörbye addressed the crowd with a statement that cut clean through the noise that this isn’t about metrics, social media but people, presence, and shared experience.
It was a fitting end to a night built on exactly that sentiment. From DARK DIVINE’s first introduction to the UK, through ENEMY INSIDE’s commanding debut, to a headline set rooted in both spectacle and substance with SMASH INTO PIECES, the evening never lost sight of what live music is ultimately about.
Words and photos: Ben Young
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