Just as people were arriving, New England grindcore/hardcore punk band Escuela Grind took to the stage and immediately gave the audience a flavour of what the evening was to be like. It was loud and fast with clean and tight blast beats as well as a nice guitar tone with lots of bite. They had relentless energy and from the first song, a decent sized pit was forming with singer Katerina jumping and bouncing around the stage like a hyperactive kid who had drank a ton of energy drinks. She had a strong presence and the good rapport with the crowd was boosted by Jesse on drums cracking call and response jokes to keep the positive vibes going.

By the time Siberian Meat Grinder came on, everyone was wide awake and ready for more. Hailing all the way from Moscow, the crossover thrash group put on a very solid performance and kept the fast-paced spirit going which is always good when an evening is all about speed. However, it took them a bit longer to get the crowd fully engaged with hype levels dipping possibly due to the style difference and running order. The drummer’s fills sounded precise and the addition of some melodic guitar solos was a good bonus to a brutal set, not to mention the appearance of a giant teddy bear mascot and the singer’s pig mask which was left up to the audience to interpret it’s meaning.

Dropdead immediately brought the energy levels back up. The raw, over the top distorted bass and excessive gain on guitars followed by nonstop changes in tempo is very much a trademark in grindcore. The Rhode Island band had only one thing on their mind which was to cause carnage. Bob was like a man possessed on stage giving the crowd death stares and swinging the mic against the ceiling while unleashing his demonic Derrick Green style screams. 

It was a passionate performance by a band who wanted to make their protests heard loud and clear about animal rights, human rights and fighting back against the politicians who ruin society. They had power and authority and won the hearts of a packed academy with a good sized pit. This was the perfect type of climax for a final support act to leave behind before a headliner comes on.

Broken ankle, no problem. Barney couldn’t care less about what state he’s in. As long as he can wreak havoc, that’s all that matters and that’s exactly what Napalm Death did. It was already a late start at 10.00 p.m. but the Manchester crowd was still rocking. When Napalm death started playing, the whole roof came off with a huge pit and endless crowd surfing. They took the hype from Dropdead to the extreme. 

Napalm Death pioneered the grindcore genre and have been bossing the scene for over 30 years with their politically charged short songs. If Schoenberg was metal, then Napalm Death would be his band. Everything is atonal, no structure, sudden tempo changes and all kinds of unpredictability might not please everyone but in my view, it’s super fun to listen to. It’s where all the rules of traditional songwriting are ripped up with the emphasis on releasing energy.

Songs such as ‘Scum’, ‘Nazi Punks Fuck Off’ and ‘You Shall Suffer’ rolled back the years and you could clearly hear how grindcore was born with the influences of noise rock and hardcore punk. The screams and shrieks of Barney and Mitch, headbanging riffs and messy sounding blast beats by Danny are pretty much the musical way of raising your middle finger to the injustices of the world. 

Napalm Death lived up to their reputation as the rebellious brummies who know how to make a place explode into life so it was a 5 star performance for me.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!

Napalm Death, Dropdead, Siberian Meat Grinder, Escuela Grind