KERRANG! 77Photo:CHRIS CASEYLA DISPUTE
- MILK TEETH, PETROL GIRLS
ST LUKE’S, GLASGOW 01/07/2019
KKKKK
Michigan post-hardcore heroes
punch a hole in Glasgow’s heart
■ As emo light-shows go, La Dispute’s
onstage collection of Himalayan salt lamps
surely takes some beating. Fortunately, the
Grand Rapids quintet’s music burns with the
same fragile, healing light. The curtains are
open and bright sunshine pours through St
Luke’s illuminated glass as openers Petrol
Girls take to the stage. Burning with loud,
aggressive positivity, they’re a kaleidoscope
of brilliant punk chaos. So, too, are Milk
Teeth. “Fuck landlords. Fuck cops. Fuck the
Tories. Fuck everyone,” grins guitarist Em
Foster, directing punters to the in-house
stall for Glasgow accommodation charity
Living Rent. Between rants, the band career
from the scouring punk of Fight Skirt to riot
grrrl-infused material from their upcoming,
as-yet-untitled new album. “Technically,
we’re in Glasgow to promote our new LP,
Panorama,” grins La Dispute frontman
Jordan Dreyer. “Really, it’s just so much fun
to be here!” And, oddly for a band of their
ilk, tonight does indeed have an atmosphere
of fun to it. Walking a line between
miserabilism and catharsis right from the
opening salvo of Fulton Street I & II, tonight
could be emotionally overwhelming. But,
buoyed by a deafening audience and
Jordan’s dry wit, the rapid-fire angst of
tracks like Rhodonite And Grief elevate the
space. By roller-coaster closer You And I In
Unison, it’s clear: there are only winners and
no losers in La Dispute. SAM LAW
MINISTRY
- 3teeth
SWG3, GLASGOW 03/07/2019
KKKKK
Uncle Al gets freaky with an
industrial masterclass of two halves
■ On October 9, 2018, Ministry frontman
Al Jourgensen turned 60 years of age. If
any doubts still lingered over the industrial
icon’s longevity, however, the chaos
unfolding amongst SWG3’s steel and
concrete confines tonight feels like sweaty
reassurance that he’s stubbornly refusing
to act his age. Los Angeles upstarts
3Teeth get the party started in slickly
uncompromising style. More drilled than
the headliners, there are elements of Nine
Inch Nails and Rammstein at play, but also
enough energy to get this evening’s crusty
maniacs busting out their filthiest moves.
The epitome of growing old disgracefully,
there’s not much (grand)fatherly about Al.
As Ministry emerge with seven newer tracks
in a row from 2018’s AmeriKKKant – Victims
Of A Clown, Wargasm and a righteous
Antifa standing out – it feels ever so slightly
like he’s insisting we eat our vegetables.
Thankfully, he’s packing a hit-heavy dessert,
with Deity, Stigmata, Just One Fix and
N.W.O. exploding with genuinely dangerous
menace. If one moment encapsulates the
bonkers brilliance of it all, it’s during Jesus
Built My Hotrod, where a Messiah-attired
punter crowd-surfs to the stage wielding an
oversized spanner. A dizzying trip into the
mouth of madness.SAM LAW
Don’t do that, George- you’ll stretch it
PhotoS:NAT WOODCONVERGE
+ TERROR, SECT, CANDY
O2 RITZ, MANCHESTER 02/07/2019KKKK
Salem hardcore icons reaffirm
their might in Manchester
■ Hardcore is in fine shape in 2019, with
bands like Knocked Loose and Turnstile
introducing the genre to younger audiences
and taking it to new sonic territory. Despite
the quality of the newcomers, though,
there remains no band who possess a
visceral energy and cult following quite like
Converge. As Jacob Bannon and co bound
onstage tonight with the artwork of iconic
album Jane Doe draped behind them, there’s
nobody with quite the same boiling energy.
Openers Candy give it a good go, though.
As abrasive as vinegar toothpaste, songs
from their Good To Feel album are absolutely
furious tonight. It’s a description that applies
to the raging SECT – who feature members
of Earth Crisis and Fall Out Boy’s Andy Hurley- as well, who practically catch fire with anger.
For Terror, things get off to a patchy start,
with vocalist Scott Vogel having to work hard
to get the room moving. But by the time the
rabid Keep Your Mouth Shut arrives, they’ve
turned it into a black-eyed win.
Converge, meanwhile, are a cut above, with
Jacob in particular on fine form. The vocalist
hares around the stage non-stop for the next
hour, but his giddiness doesn’t detract from a
rousing performance. Opener A Single Tear is
a rapid-fire rager powered by his commanding
presence and harrowing vocals, while the
ferocity of Under Duress is characterised by
a triumphant sing-along which proves that,
for all their anger, Converge can still deliver
a killer feel-good vibe.
After the apocalyptic highlight Reap What
You Sow, Jacob makes a point of pausing the
carnage to applaud those in attendance for
their response. He looks genuinely touched.
The newbies may be after their crown, but
Converge are showing no sign of giving up
the throne any time soon. JAKE RICHARDSONTry as he might,
Nate Newton
couldn’t get that itchJacob Bannon:
shouting his head
off, for a change