Vexed, Pulse, InDevth & Loveletter, Fuel Rock Club, 12.10.23
In what will probably be the last time seeing the headliner in a venue of this size, it was yet another Thursday night gig in Cardiff. Heading into Cardiff early for doors, Fuel was packed out with a lot of student contingent, along with some cyber goths and elves for good measure. But when the folks in long sleeves, with neck tattoos and plug piercings started arriving I knew I was in the right place.
Four bands who all straddle the tech/metalcore/hardcore/deathcore boundaries, all with breakdown driven, electronic/sample infused musical templates. However we would have to wait to see them take the stage due to some drum shenanigans and line check issues, leading venue management to delay the opening of the doors for 30 minutes. Finally we were let in and local act Loveletter (7) got things going with emotionally and musically heavy music. The South Wales band have a scintillating single out at the moment called Slow Death, which of course they played, slotted into a brutal set which set the scene for the whole evening.
Changeover and quickly the abrasive hardcore of InDevth (7) came next, still playing tracks from their debut album and having not long lost their founding bassist, they stormed the Fuel stage in a whirlwind of aggression, the frontman demanding pits from the off, making sure that Thursday became as violent as it could be. A slightly smaller crowd to work with than the local boys before them but they managed at least some movement on a damp school night. Unfortunately some gremlins in the PC forced a stoppage in the set, leaving their singer to have to vamp a little to fill time. Back on track, they dove back into the heavy with a little momentum lost, but they found their groove and had Fuel bouncing again.
From here it was the main support of the tour, Pulse (7) who are playing all the dates with the headliner, sending off their drummer as they do. These are his last few shows in the band so they want to make them as good as possible. Garnering a big crowd they unleashed their ultra-modern techy metal, bringing more breakdowns they have honed over plenty of touring and set at Tech Fest, massive bass drops and choppy riffs all made for an ideal complement to the headliners as they brought the same level of intensity and technical expertise.
So the headliners; on many ‘ones to watch’ or ‘next big thing’ lists, Vexed (8) definitely have a stage show that hints at bigger things. Flashing L.E.D bars that punctuate the dark staging, with thumping industrial elements on top of deathcore riffs and savage vocals from Megan Targett, who switches easily between deep resonant growls and soaring highs, the songs from their latest effort Negative Energy given a proper airing. They use all manner of tricks to weave a web of heavy technical music from EDM beats, pitch shifting, countless moments of stop-start grooving, inciting the Fuel crowd to get involved, the visuals just as important as the music. The aspirations are clear from Vexed, they are looking for the bigger venues, more fans so seeing them local and up close will become a rarity.
Four bands who all straddle the tech/metalcore/hardcore/deathcore boundaries, all with breakdown driven, electronic/sample infused musical templates. However we would have to wait to see them take the stage due to some drum shenanigans and line check issues, leading venue management to delay the opening of the doors for 30 minutes. Finally we were let in and local act Loveletter (7) got things going with emotionally and musically heavy music. The South Wales band have a scintillating single out at the moment called Slow Death, which of course they played, slotted into a brutal set which set the scene for the whole evening.
Changeover and quickly the abrasive hardcore of InDevth (7) came next, still playing tracks from their debut album and having not long lost their founding bassist, they stormed the Fuel stage in a whirlwind of aggression, the frontman demanding pits from the off, making sure that Thursday became as violent as it could be. A slightly smaller crowd to work with than the local boys before them but they managed at least some movement on a damp school night. Unfortunately some gremlins in the PC forced a stoppage in the set, leaving their singer to have to vamp a little to fill time. Back on track, they dove back into the heavy with a little momentum lost, but they found their groove and had Fuel bouncing again.
From here it was the main support of the tour, Pulse (7) who are playing all the dates with the headliner, sending off their drummer as they do. These are his last few shows in the band so they want to make them as good as possible. Garnering a big crowd they unleashed their ultra-modern techy metal, bringing more breakdowns they have honed over plenty of touring and set at Tech Fest, massive bass drops and choppy riffs all made for an ideal complement to the headliners as they brought the same level of intensity and technical expertise.
So the headliners; on many ‘ones to watch’ or ‘next big thing’ lists, Vexed (8) definitely have a stage show that hints at bigger things. Flashing L.E.D bars that punctuate the dark staging, with thumping industrial elements on top of deathcore riffs and savage vocals from Megan Targett, who switches easily between deep resonant growls and soaring highs, the songs from their latest effort Negative Energy given a proper airing. They use all manner of tricks to weave a web of heavy technical music from EDM beats, pitch shifting, countless moments of stop-start grooving, inciting the Fuel crowd to get involved, the visuals just as important as the music. The aspirations are clear from Vexed, they are looking for the bigger venues, more fans so seeing them local and up close will become a rarity.