Backtrack w/ Broken Teeth, The River Card, Speak Up at Star And Garter in Manchester

On the 24th of April The Star And Garter was treated to an evening of furious moshing and stage diving courtesy of NYHC crew Backtrack and local acts Broken Teeth, The River Card and Speak Up.

The tiny room devoid of any kind of barrier or security was the perfect venue for this kind of show, the stage was small enough to get up on and jump off with ease and every band encouraged this kind of behavior strongly.
Unfortunately Survival were forced to pull out of the show so as a last minute replacement Speak Up stepped up and put on a no frills set of out and out hardcore, a good way to open the show.
The next two bands to take the stage highlighted the calibre of the current UK Hardcore scene and especially the scene in Manchester at the moment. Apart from the NYHC element of Backtrack this show had a strong feel of being a showcase for the best of MHC bands on their home turf.

Although strictly not a MHC band, The River Card from Stoke-On-Trent openly associate themselves with the scene and as frontman Chris Smith told the crowd they always feel at home playing in venues in Manchester. The River Card were perhaps the band that sounded different to the others due to taking a step away from the NYHC sound and playing with more mid-paced crunch that definitely connected with the crowd. Playing a collection of their older songs along with tracks off their new album the set was a non-stop power trip from the Stoke 5 piece. New tracks such as Salvation sounded massive and promptly got people moshing with enough old school elements to create a spate of side-to-side crowd killing. The River Card showed that they deserve a lot more attention than they perhaps get at the moment and this tour could well be a big stepping stone for them. One of the highlights of the evening without a doubt.

Broken Teeth are the main players in Manchester Hardcore at the moment and it was obvious that a lot of the crowd were with the band from the very start. Playing on home turf never looked so easy and the whole band set about inciting some of the most intense moshing of the entire evening. Playing material off their brilliant new E.P ‘Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked’ their heavy metallic hardcore kicked the crowd into life and older songs such as Soul Destroyer and Reflection On Me set the room into overdrive. Broken Teeth in Manchester is truly something not to be reckoned with, a commanding set.

Finally Backtrack hit the stage to the most packed room of the evening. The set consisted of a high amount of new songs off the most recent L.P Darker Half and it was noticeable how good these songs were compared to the normal songs you hear played in the NYHC. Backtrack from the very start of their set commanded absolutely everyones attention, the intricate riffs of the songs sitting perfectly alongside the ruckus causing two-step parts. Every single song was delivered with a venom from frontman Vitalo that outlined the brilliant ‘brattish’ attitude of the music, the whole Backtrack set felt like a massive ‘fuck you’ to anyone who has been moaning about hardcore recently. One of the highlights of the set was when he stopped the band to shout out the UK Hardcore scene, and the bands on the bill that night. Something that is done often, but it really felt relevant and true at this show.

Every band on the bill deserves huge plaudits for making this a true hardcore show. A show devoid of fashionable poseurs there for the social status and instead full of people there to have a good time and appreciate the quality music that was on offer.

Print this page