So I kind of lived under a rock from about twenty years. As I came out from under, eyes squinting, palm extended outwards trying to block out the sun, there was one thought I had to voice with my parched lips – “what are this year’s essential grindcore albums?” Along with Coronet Juniper by Gridlink, the answer I got consistently was Swatta by Chepang.
An expansive and sonically inventive album, it was a melting pot of influences and musical collaborations that sounded free to take whatever direction it chose. From blast beats to expanses of emotive feedback there was a graceful chaos to it that made sense as some kind of expression of Nepalese immigrants living in New York.
Having signed for Relapse records, last year’s Jhyappa is a far more focused affair. A deliberate choice by guitarist Kshitiz “Nails” Moktan for the band to circle back to the approach for their Lathi Charge debut, it inevitably capitalises on the band’s musical growth since. There is undeniable groove and urgency to their latest effort, but there is still invention from the opener Shakti (Force) with its swirling cymbals entwining the vocals of its spectral grind. The album was mastered by James Plotkin (O.L.D., Phantomsmasher, Khanate) which is maybe how this potential in the album’s sound has survived.
So for an evening of grind at the Grafton Arms off Oxford Road , which occupies a space between venue and traditional pub, though the regulars don’t seem to mind blastbeats putting them off their pool shots. I think this crossover explains why there was a dog in the bar for the wonderfully unhinged openers 7 Year Waiting List, which took an interest in proceedings for a good while before the gabba segue proved too much and it made its escape to the beer garden.
LILIxELBE increased the volume considerably. Hailing from the Czechia, their unpredictable bursts of speed and sharp turns of tempo changes had stomp, skank and blast beats. Very deserving of the power violence designation.
Gendo Ikari have been inactive for a few years with the Glasgow date of this tour having been their first since 2024. Performing as a 3 piece now, this was pure and relentless grind with thundering drums and chugging guitar. One nice thing about gigs like this is that you can chat to people and then realise they’re one of the acts when you see them on stage later. No egos. But it took a minute to process that the nice bloke I’d been talking about Insect Warfare with at the bar was the same John Steven that now menacingly prowled the front of the stage, effortlessly switching between gutteral grunts and rasping screams.
The headliners took the stage in unassuming fashion. Chepang vocalist Bhotey Gore politely introduced the band, thanking the venue, the promoters and the audience for coming, before launching into a blistering set. The mild mannered front man of moments before disappearing under a mass of flailing hair and kinetic commitment to his vocal delivery. A more straightforward delivery of their grind, they were nonetheless faithful and crunching renditions of the tracks from Jhyappa, the highlight for me being the frankly violent Spastata Ko Khoji Ma. The authentic and electric but all-to-brief set visibly lifted the crowd. The kind of joyful and collective catharsis that extreme sounds in small venues can uniquely bring.
lilixelbepowerviolence.bandcamp.com
https://gendoikari.bandcamp.com/album/rokubungi
https://chepang.bandcamp.com/album/jhyappa
