Live at The Leadmill, Sheffield
On a cold Tuesday evening in September, the Leadmill’s red neon lights shine through as sombre damp haze that lingers over Sheffield. NDR are delighted to be covering the Angel Du$t, Powerplant and T.S Warspite frenzy that is about to commence inside…
T.S Warspite walk onto the stage as singer Marco Abbatiello demands the audience to close the horse shoe gap in front of the stage and asks that the crowd move closer to the stage. After no response from the crowd, the band kickstart an electrifying double guitar rapid power pace of Bad Religion inspired riffs and chugging breakdowns as 2-steppers slam into one another and occupy their reserved area at the front of the stage.
The small stage in the Leadmill’s second room seems to only just fit the band and their exhilarating ferocious non-stop energy that captivates and possesses the audience. Singer Marco Abbatiello expresses his utter gratitude for being on tour with ‘two of the greatest bands on the planet’, and says ‘There isn’t no free ride, hardcore is about putting in the hard work’ in-between a song before diving straight into a two/three track early DC and UKHC hardcore medley of madness as hooded youths in baseball caps fly side to side across the room .
After their anticipated 4-track demo released in 2020, the Manchester-based band TS Warspite released their debut album ‘Stop The Rot’ on London’s finest Quality Control (QCHQ – 079) on 21st October 2022. A 13 track raging bull that expertly weaves through scenes of pulp reality where everything is fleeting and only some things stick. What’s left is a farcical montage of things that have rushed past you with no real sense of direction.
“Personally and politically, it’s all the same wretched soup of societal collapse and the rise of the technocracies. Do yourself a favour and play this through your Tesla microchip and light your Molotov.”
‘What if Bad Religion grew up in Manchester in 2000’s?’ This is T.S Warspite.
https://qualitycontrolhq.bandcamp.com/album/stop-the-rot
Powerplant
As the horse shoe gap at the front of the stage is closed by the indie punks weaving towards the front of the stage, the hardcore kids take their place towards the back as Powerplant grace the stage. London’s very own cassette dubbed outfit submit to their wonky egg-punk souls and fire through tracks from their latest EP ‘Grass’ and older classics from their 2019 debut album ‘People In The Sun’. The snappy energetic synth punk melodies aligning with the menacing baselines and gothic synths showcase the sheer authenticity of Powerplant hailing them as arguably one of the most interesting underground bands of the last five years. Featuring members of Mastermind, Tramadol, and indie rock slackers Island of Love, Powerplant apply their playful songwriting and dungeon synth punk to amalgamate together a hybrid crossover of Bahuas, Country Teasers and Aussie punks Gee Tee in their latest EP ‘Grass’. Several instrumental interludes happen throughout the set where the band drop the speed and replace it for myserteous dark medieval sounds that wouldn’t sound out of place in an Elder Scrolls game.
In-between tracks, singer Theo Zhykharyev addresses the crowd in a fast spoken southern American accent where someone in the crowd shouted ‘what the fucking hell are you saying’. He explained that this was their first time in Sheffield, when he was quickly corrected by the synth player that it was their second time. A highlight of the set was the instrumental dungeon country hit ‘Pixie GF’ from the 2022 synth led ‘Stump Soup’ album until diving straight back into the energetic fast punk. The audience stood mesmerised throughout the set, head bopping and studying the rigid four piece powerhouse and the vital part that each member played within that.
https://ppowerplant.bandcamp.com/album/grass-ep
Angel Du$t
As the headliners for this evening prepare to walk on stage, the diehard Angel Du$t fans congregate the front of the stage as the lights dimmer and a waltz is played for their walk out song – peace before the storm… The band bounce onto the stage stage full of energy, pick up their instruments and plummet straight into accelerated speed as the crowd erupts, hoodies & baseball caps fly across the room 2-stepping and arm swinging as the pit turns into a fun-filled war zone. Singer Justice Tripp beems with happiness at the reaction and points the microphone into the crowd as fans dive on one another, reaching for the mic fists in the air to shout the lyrics back to him. Angel Du$t provide the perfect mixture between Bridge 9 inspired rapid fast-paced hardcore, brutal New York hardcore style dual guitar breakdowns, and cheery pop punk melodic anthems which they weave between throughout the set creating a perfect dynamic for their live performances.
‘Brand New Soul’ the latest album from Angel Du$t displays a transition away from their jam-packed classic hardcore sounds of the first two albums ‘AD’ & ‘Rock The Fuck On Forever’ and edge towards more playful experimentations with the cleaner and more melodic sing-a-long pop sounds of their later releases that have captivated fans from outside of their hardcore punk territories. Although, traces of energetic fast paced hardcore can still be heard in batches throughout ‘Brand New Soul’, the majority of the album shows the creative and playfulness of the band and it’s evident that the band had a lot of fun creating, recording and most certainley playing the album live.
Showcasing newer tracks from ‘Brand New Soul’ Justice Tripp gets the audience in a synchronised bounce, the gang vocals are replaced by harmonising vocals from the guitarist, and the distortion is replaced by cleaner energetic chord sequences, hearing influences of contemporary shoegaze and emo bands in the sequencing. It’s not long before Angel Du$t are back into their roots and propelling the audience into a controlled chaos as the bunting on the ceiling of the Leadmill sways while fans dive from the stage as the crowd continue slamming into one another showing their utmost appreciation of Angel Du$t. Angel Du$t remind their fans they’re still here, they’re still doing what they want to do and bolder and more original than they have ever been.
