REFUSED
QUICKSAND / THE CHISEL
O2 ACADEMY BRIXTON, LONDON
Post-hardcore heroes opt for petrol bombs over polite eulogies
Refused: still alive, still kicking
NIAMH CLELAND
LONDON PUNX THE Chisel tip up like they own the place. Frontman Cal stalks the stage and dares the cavernous venue to even try to swallow ’em as they thump through their yobby, gobby, oi-boshed hardcore. Technical issues and a swampy sound do them zero favours, but the band have at it, pummelling away as though they’re sweating it out alongside Discharge and GBH circa 1982.
Similarly unassuming are QUICKSAND, who amble onstage while half the crowd has its back turned. Necks are duly twisted the moment they launch into Fazer, however, and from there on it’s a post-hardcore masterclass that splits its time between megaton grooves and showers of retina-scorching sparks. Barring a couple of cuts from 2021’s excellent Distant Populations, tonight is all about the band’s two landmark 90s albums, Slip and Manic Compression.