Live Review: Party Cannon with Pintglass and Street Soldier at The Garage, Highbury & Islington, London (23/09/24)

The nights are drawing in, there’s an Autumnal wind blowing across London, and The Garage is playing host to the kings of ‘party slam’ tonight. Oh yes, Party Cannon have travelled all the way from Scotland (with a few stops on the way) to bring the nonsense, to bring the heavy, and of course, bring the fun with the Vomitour 2024. A tour that includes some serious hardcore noise with Pintglass and Street Soldier getting the crowds warmed up.

It is a shame that Foetal Juice had to drop off the tour due to a personal emergency, but the bill is still stacked with these three bands. Hence why dates of the Vomitour have been selling out all over. London doesn’t quite manage a packed house, but it’s still very busy from the start and it doesn’t take long for some serious crowd-killing to get going.

Street Soldier and Pintglass are cut from the same hardcore cloth, but they offer up distinctive styles that make both their sets utterly brilliant. This is not our first experience of Street Soldier’s ‘Murda’ style of hardcore and it continues to be so much fun, even if the pits are near feral at times. Not only do tracks like Walk with Tha Talk, Scumbag, and Nonce Killa (Total Elimination) sound brutal in this venue, but they look so at ease on stages like this and in front of crowds this size. Honestly, you’ve not lived until you’ve experienced Street Soldier live and they leave having put big smiles on everyone’s faces.

Speaking of putting smiles on faces though, Pintglass manage to get a room full of metalheads chanting ‘geeza’ over and over again. Yes, it’s time for some ‘Geezacore’ courtesy of a band who many seem to be here to see specifically. Something evident by the number of ‘hi-vis’ displaying the Pintglass name. One hell of a clever merch item!

It is all part of the Pintgless aesthetic though and they are a sight to behold on stage, taking the tongue in cheek approach to hardcore, but delivering a set that is eye-watering, eardrum-busting, and arsehole tightening in equal measures. It’s a miracle anyone in the pit is still able to stand come the end. It was also very fun to see them conducting an impromptu auction at the merch table afterwards having broken one of their drum symbols. £200 was it in the end?

Following two mightily aggressive bands it might come as a surprise to some that the vibe inside the venue is one oozing positivity. That’s the thing though, not only do Street Soldier and Pintglass foster a positive environment, having a good time is the mantra of Party Cannon. Sure, it’s filthy and ugly sounding brutal/slam death metal, but as they proudly acknowledge, it’s dumb fun too.

This attitude, and a wonderful cacophony of releases, has turned them into one of the most beloved bands in the UK and they continue to enjoy success with their latest album, ‘Injuries are Inevitable’. This is why they can confidently tour the UK and pack out venues in cities across the country and it’s why their arrival on stage in London is greeted with roars of excitement and approval. A crowd that should be mostly spent from having gone nuts for two exemplary hardcore bands before have been holding back energy for this and things are about to get a bit silly.

Picture, if you can, a group on stage making the kind of noise that would have a grandma calling the local priest for an exorcism. Imagine, if you can, a group on stage making sounds that might come from a demon who ate some really bad chilli the night before and is currently sitting on a fiery toilet in the bowels of hell. Conjure up the belief, if you can, that a group on stage playing at this speed will inevitably end in the kind of car crashing carnage that results in limbs being strewn about the place.

Then throw in bad jokes, inflatables, a skull-faced compère encouraging non-stop crowd interaction, circle pits, walls of death, and even push-ups. If all of this is clear in your mind, you’re a Party Cannon fan. What the f**k is wrong with you?

The new songs sound strong live and even though we only get a few (Not Immediately Life Threatening is a beast), they fit with the classics well. Although when we do go back to the early days of Party Cannon with the likes of Duct Taped to a Flag Pole, it’s clear they have progressed musically. Putting it simply, they’re just a better band and this coming from us who have seen them live a ton over the years.

There isn’t a single person not grinning from ear to ear and London made sure Party Cannon enjoyed themselves too, based off their smiles. We all might be feeling a bit dumber following the show, but we’re all that little bit happier.