Fuck The Facts, Gets Worse, Pine Barrens and Death Tripper at the Kraak Manchester

Like a fistful of broken glass this line up promised to be savage, with premium disciples of grind travelling from near and far to the Kraak Gallery in Manchester. I decided to prepare by arriving early and pretending to help with load in, but then I sat in the baking sun by the small alley entrance to the Kraak, which smelt faintly of bins and piss, drinking two litres of Taurus before Death Tripper started.

The band from Nottingham, are an assault of thick tight groove over a barrages of percussion. There is the usual chaotic element of grind but their distinction is simplistic thrashed out punk riffs and downbeat that slows down into realms of sludgery. These are the moments which stand out with visceral crawling broken down aggression and torn vocals. It’s a shame there weren’t greater numbers present at this point but you wouldn’t have know that to watch the band, who gave it everything anyway.

Next on stage are Pine Barrens, with a special brand of un-easy noise. The frantic riffing amidst lead weighted breakdowns would be a satisfying combination, but it’s the bastardised yet unmistakable black metal frosty element, permeating the crusted exterior that gives the band an especially dismal air with discordant shredding and minor layers. Vocals are executed by a front man who’s amongst the crowd relentless in desperate tones. The vocals encompass the band’s sound as a whole; destructively bleak and tormented.

There’s nothing subtle about Gets Worse who take up the stage next, painting a musical tapestry of a tank rolling over a skull. The sound that erupts from the speakers is huge; crushing guitars and bass that sound like a fuzz bored of stoned grooves, opting instead for something more representative of a meth binge. Despite the overall wrecking ball effect, there is no lack of clarity which keeps the momentum and high energy level throughout tracks, culminating in violent punk grooves and breakdowns that make losing your shit pretty fucking easy. The vocals are a battering duty taken by all three members. Abrasive screams surround “large angry man grunts”.  It’s the kind of noise employed by grind and crust bands: a sound which is hardly humourless but works completely. There’s an overall vibe that would have your average Daily Mail reader too rigid for even the use of well rehearsed cliché remarks. Gets Worse are a great deal of fun.

The Canadian monsters of Grind Fuck the Facts are the last act of the night and bring a level of intensity worthy of that position. A deviation from what you would conceive as standard Grindcore, there’s a Kalashnikov volley of different elements with the urgency and negativity of a guerrilla war. There are satisfying moments of groove and straight out hellish punk but that is only a fraction of the arsenal. Odd moments of melody, harmony and other more experimental sounds bring welcome diversity to what would otherwise be a very abrasive concoction of technicality in rhythm speed and playing, with extremely harsh tones from the band’s front woman, whose vox might surprise you first-hand. Unfortunately the band were hindered by technical difficulties which ate away a sizable chunk of their set, what we did see and hear though was an almost Avant Garde approach with their ewer material, to a genre which is hardly recognised as innovative.

With an all grind line up I often find bands over similar, yet each band brought their own distinct elements that stood out and made for an awesome night that’s only fault was poor attendance, make sure your there next time you slovenly creatures…