Stampin' Ground / Knuckledust

Nottingham Old Angel

July 12 2000


Bloody hell, two gigs in two days. I'll be breaking out of apathy soon. Still, I was somewhat surprised at the turnout, I really thought Stampin' Ground and Knuckledust would've attracted a few more people. Still, it doesn't appear to deter Knuckledust, even if it does drive Pierre up the wall - ok ok, so he chooses to run and jump at the walls on numerous occassions. Each time I've seen them before, he's never been on stage, so that's not really a surprise. However, when Wema and Nic also decide to play in the crowd for the set as well, it just leaves the drummer whose name I don't know playing up there. Ah for the day that drums truly become mobile. It's a strange sight. There's a few people from London dancing and windmilling, the rest of us are way too cool for that. Forget the names of the songs, but there's a lot from the CD that is apparently out on Friday. As one song is dedicated, it seems like it covers pretty much everyone in the room and a few more besides. Knuckledust deal in the old school style, though they do finish with a snippet of Slayer's Raining Blood, which the cynical amongst us (ie me) might think was a good natured joust with the Stampin' Ground.

Who still feel very much like Slayer to me. Not that that is a bad thing, I'm just really, really curious to see how the new stuff goes down. Glasper's bass cuts through the mix a great deal more than it does on the studio recordings, at times really sounding almost like the bass drum, it helps to give that extra kick in the rhythm section, not that they really need it. As Officer Down is unveiled, Mobs, Ade and Glasper move so much in time with the music that cynical old me can't help but think back to the good old days of the synchronicity of bands like Judas Priest and yep, Slayer. It's kind of an updated thing for hardcore, and although that may sound like I'm being cheesy, it's not. It's simply the groove that the music hits, and there's not many other ways you can move ot it when you're lumbered with a guitar around your body. There's some fairly frentic dancing from the few in the pit, and tonight it really dawns on me just how muscular hardore really is. I mean it. There's muscle shirts worn, Adam, Glasper, Ade all look pumped up, so do a few in the pit. Some of us know better, and realise the reason baggy t-shirts were invented (hey, don't complain about the one size fits all, some of us need the extra cloth they present). Sorry, back to the music. Yeah, Death That You Deserve I would say gets the biggest response of the evening, but new tracks such as By Whatever Means Necessary and The Symmetry of Hatred also bear up well. And if it all fails, at least Adam can try and fall back on a job as a salesman, as he makes repeated attempts to sell the new album and merchandise. Good gig, as ever, could do with more people. Could always do with more. Apart from when there's too many and you could do with less.