Justine Jones, now employed to surf
Going Off: no, we definitely don’t want fries with that
Pupil Slicer follow the way of the Wario
KATJA OGRIN
IT’S NOT EVERY day you watch a band dressed as Super Mario characters unleash chaotic mathcore while a zombie Elvis does karate in the pit, but when you’re at a metal gig on Halloween, all bets are off.
After a hale helping of hardcore from openers GOING OFF –singer Jake Huxley dressed as a clown and stomping with enough fury to give Pennywise nightmares –PUPIL SLICER commit to the bit as they take to the stage to the Mario theme, singer Kate Davies offering her own take on 00s Nintendocore as she yelps ‘Yoshi!’ right before No Temple’s breakdown. It’s daft, but doesn’t detract from the sheer bedlam and brilliance of the band onstage, No Temple’s more melodic tendencies buried beneath glitchy, pummelling beats. Blossom feels like an outlier, a post-punk-style beat and clean vocal hooks betraying the sonic transformation the band have undertaken since they first started touring in 2022. Another helping of Mario stage music –Dire, Dire Docks from Mario 64 –and Pupil Slicer depart on The Song At Creation’s End, serene melodies giving way to post-black metal blastbeats that have us itching for more.