Converge @ The Garage, 14 Jul

Luckily for everyone this gig takes place in the backspace of the Garage, a smaller and better sounding venue for such a loud and energetic lineup. Kylesa give us a potent shot of their Southern metal homebrew – a few new ones and the heaviest cuts off their latest full length Static Tensions, plus some oldies thrown in for good measure. These guys (and gal) are a non-stop touring machine, and their workhorse ethic will no doubt take them to the next level of exposure. However, the house seems slightly unrocked – guess we’re all saving up our energy for the headliners.

The crowd is sufficiently wound and ready to explode when Converge hit the stage, and we all know things are gonna get a bit aggro. As expected, they’re tight as fuck, but some tracks seem even faster than the recorded versions, which is pretty hard to believe. Screamer Jacob Bannon keeps things moving between songs with longwinded album shout-outs and jumping jack routines, killing time before the rest of band continue to hammer down some seriously relentless grindage. Audience members take their turn on the mic throughout the set, and bassist Nate Newton thankfully provides reliable backing vocals (i.e. growls) to keep everything on lockdown. This band has managed to transcend their East Coast hardcore ancestry, a scene held in disdain by many for its straight edge dogma and meat-headed affectations. Whether they like it or not, it’s all about the music, anyway. Innit? [Eric Ledford]