LIVE FROM THE PIT: The Hirs Collective, Death Goals and Victim Unit

The Hirs Collective UK tour was an impressive explosion of noise, passion and communal activism.

At the Manchester show, the Merseyside two piece, Victim Unit, opened, dedicating their performance to survivors of sexual assault, of which the singer bravely identifies themselves as one. The set is emotional and the vocalist, Lotta, creates a powerfully charged performance, setting the tone for the night. Hard and fast electronic drums, overlaid with the guitarist’s, Danny, heavy industrial chugs, keep the background rolling whilst the singer lets rip. From the stage to the floor, Lotta roams, making the most of a never ending mic lead. Though Victim Unit’s whole vibe is emotive intensity, half way through their set they crank it up a notch when Lotta performs a heart wrenching scene, with the passion of a cante Flamenco singer, falling to the floor amongst our feet and writhing with a pain that we, the audience, can’t politely ignore. Feeling torn between discomfort and empathy, it was a startling, and very moving, beginning to the night.

The London based, Death Goals, follows next. Another impressive two piece who knock us sideways with their performance, but not without an emphasis on ‘moshing with kindness’, inclusivity and love, alongside, fighting the long arm of fascism: ‘We are two queer people making music for queer people, in a world, in a scene that often doesn’t want us to be within it….We look out for each other, fascism is at our fucking door, so unity, compassion and basic fucking respect for all of us. Agreed?’, agreed!

But the desire to lose your shit is completely understandable and when Death Goals kick off, they shoot us into orbit, pummeling us with the queercore banger, ‘Even A Worm Can Turn’. Slamming through the guitar lines whilst simultaneously flipping between screams and death growls, Harry makes this multitasking seem as effortless as each hair flick. The drummer, George, blasts his kit with so much ferocity and speed, it's only missing a protein shake to maximise the gains. The songs bleed into one another and in those intermediary spaces, the percussion rises into a shimmer of sound, creating a sort of deathcore sound bath. Expressing something of the overwhelming, and universally vehement feelings of grief, they introduce ‘COVO’, a song full of grinding overdrive and symbol crashing.

Watching Death Goals perform, is as exhilarating as standing on a platform whilst a high speed train passes right in front of you, and when they hit a breakdown, a groove, or some words of empowerment celebrating us as outsiders, we can just soak it up, before hurtling back into that bullet train of sound.

The final performance from Hirs Collective is a fever dream; visceral, physical, dynamic and spontaneous, whilst simultaneously delivering a performance of practiced finesse. DIY means doing things the hard and the long way, easily separating the posers from the pioneers. The Collective’s dogmatic anti-capitalist approach pours out through their live music, loyally touring local venues, self-managed and self-produced. This Collective is about truly living it. 

Before we swan dive straight in, we are told ‘Lets have fun! The human body is the fucking worst thing to be in, but we are all in one, and so lets enjoy!’, and for this brief 40 min set, we do. It inhabits our bodies as a spectrum of energy, being shaped and shifted by the Hirs presence, with their selection of the rawest and fastest blast beats and hyper distortion. It is at times almost unlistenable, in the most addictively listenable way. The only option is to throw yourself in and release some more. Separating the idea of art from palatability and pretension, Hirs Collective, are giving us the kind of un-boundaried expression that most of the creative industries only pretend to understand. The use of campy, femme, anthemic pop and disco samples between their dissonant blasting, feels joyful and frivolous, but for sure, potent and direct. Remember when Donnie Darko used that Tears for Fears cover? Like that, but way better, and here, they are drawing on a deeper purpose, whilst also injecting some fun, booty-shaking moments to enjoy. 

Though de-individualism is a key component in the Collective ethos, when watching them on stage, it's hard not to be enraptured by vocalist Jenna’s rabid growls and shrieks pulling you into her unrestrained aura. In the Hirs back catalogue, Jenna’s vocals are completely woven through with many many collaborators and members of the Collective, including, Shirly Manson, Melt Banana and Moor Mother. But live, you can’t not be impressed by how she carries the music with supernova energy and hardcore punk spirit. 

The audience are given a brief warning of one more song which we barely take in, until the end, with an abrupt finish and a polite ‘Thank You’, taking a few minutes to accept. We leave feeling the importance of inhabiting space that feeds your soul, rather than devouring it.

Words: Alana Madden

Photos: Klaudia Skalska