Give Up The Ghost

Classic hardcore shows - and I mean raging, emotionally draining, sweat-dripping-off-the-walls classic - are becoming increasingly rare to find in my experience. Even those bands you can rely on for a storming performance every night can sometimes start feeling the brunt of a six-week non-stop tour - especially those vegan sXe types whose only nourishment may have been crisps and carrot sticks for those 6 weeks. But, somehow, for Give Up The Ghost's final show of their extensive European trek the overall mood circulating round the uniformed hardcore throng packing out the Underworld tonight is one of utmost reassurance.

Y'see, Give Up The Ghost are no strangers to these shores and, under their previous guise of American Nightmare, have torn through some of the most spirited, impassioned hardcore performances the UK, and its many HC devotees, have ever witnessed! So, to round off their latest jaunt the HC kids (though you can hardly call the many huge, tattooed types here kids) have come out in force to support one of modern hardcore's favourite new bands.

First though, are two of the UK's most promising hopes: Sworn In *and *xCanaanx, whom I catch the last ten minutes of. But while xCanaanx had developed a reputation over the last few years for their fearsomely heavy metallised approach to hardcore, the departure of their bassist and drummer (for straying from the band's militant straightedge beliefs) has led to them adopting a faster, more ferocious approach that bears little resemblance to the xCanaanx that put out 2001's classic 'Gehenna Made Flesh' EP. It's no bad thing mind, the band escaping the limitations bound within the disc and bounding towards a more fevered thrash attack that relies less on machine-gun posturing and more on tearing up the stage.

*Sworn In *are another band who've changed considerably since my last experience of them, looking more like catwalk models than a full-on hardcore band as they take the stage, what with their stylishly bleached barnets and slinky, skin-tight attire; not to mention the many red roses attached to the guitars! I guess it may bother some of the old skoolers at the back, no doubt mumbling something along the lines of, 'since when was hardcore allowed to be stylish'. But as Sworn In burst into a furious set of scabrous guitar acrobatics and heated posse shouts, the reply that seems to be hammering it's way into their mindset is, 'since now mate'.

Next band Amulet *are a band which fans of underground European hardcore seem to have been anticipating almost as much as the return of Give Up The Ghost; and from the strength of their set tonight that's no surprise at all. Fronted by the enigmatic, and ever so slightly eccentric, Torgny Oslo's Amulet ply a strain of hardcore that's as in touch with its Scandinavian rock 'n' roll heritage as it is with its members' love of straight up hardcore punk. The result is a band revelling in poppy *Division of Laura Lee-style rock while still being hard-edged enough to knock the cover off one of the ceiling air vents during a particularly rabble-rousing mosh pit. Awesome.

It's a perfect precursor to tonight's headliners and has warmed up the beatdown boys at the front enough for them to go absolutely ballistic as soon as the first sucker-punching riff is belted out. Having progressed from the metallic old-school approach, evident on their 'Year One' debut, the rejuvenated *Give Up The Ghost *grab the screamo bull by the horns and rampage their way through a set that kicks up a sweaty dust-storm of air-punching riot-shouts and pummelling HC riffage. Audience participation has always been an inevitable and integral part of GUTG's shows but tonight the crowd just can't stop grabbing the mic off frontman Wes as they scramble over each other in a violent but unifying skirmish of hardcore energy.

As the slow instrumental guitar chords finally mark an end to their set, GUTG's role as kings of modern day hardcore is imprinted firmly into the minds of those present, with many others' faith in the future of hardcore happily rekindled.