Rhapsody Records All Dayer Review
A Properly Chaotic Day in the Pit: Hardcore Takes Over Play, Middlesbrough
There are worse ways to spend a Saturday in Middlesbrough than being systematically flattened by a dozen‑plus hardcore bands in a brewery. Play, a fantastic ‘jewel-in-Middlesbrough’s-
From the moment doors open, the room fills like a tinderbox. The crowd isn’t just here. The crowd is ready — caffeinated, cartilage‑loose, and spiritually aligned with the sacred art of swinging fists at strangers who will apologise after.
DISARMED:
Disarmed open up proceedings to an already sizeable crowd. They’re still technically “early career,” but Middlesbrough has already adopted them with the kind of feral loyalty usually reserved for the football club and parmos.
“Price to Pay” spits pure venom, a punch‑drunk takedown of the world’s current nonsense, and before anyone has time to blink, the Terror cover (“Keepers of the Faith”) detonates the first proper pit of the afternoon. A few punters wrench the mic from vocalist Jack’s hands and fill the air with a guttural reverb and sparks limbs to strike out at all around — and it’s perfect.
SECONDS OUT:
Seconds Out fight through early‑afternoon energy like they’re trying to wake the undead. It works — the queue for loaded fries evaporates as people stumble back inside for something heavier than carbs. More sludgy than speedy, more scowl than sprint, the Newcastle upstarts warm into their set and eventually coax the first crowd‑wide “FUCK ICE” chant, which feels exactly right for 2pm in a former brewery.
NOTHING PURE REMAINS:
Rebrand? What rebrand? NPR (formerly RICO) launch their “new era” by exploding all over the stage like they’ve been starved of oxygen. Frontman Jo swings between crowd‑embracing messiah and human wrecking ball, baptising the faithful in sweat and chaos. If this is their rebirth, the aftershocks are just beginning.
FLIPSIDE:
Flipside step up like they own the joint. Fast, fun, feral — the Middlesbrough stalwarts sprint through their set with the kind of chaotic sincerity you can’t fake. James snarls, the band thrashes, and the whole room gets a reminder of hardcore’s only real rule: no gatekeeping, no bullshit — just turn up and mean it.
EMANCIPATION:
Emancipation have travelled farther than anyone else so far, and the crowd is quick to show their appreciation to the boys from the East Midlands. Their blend of doom‑tinged breakdowns, metalcore muscle, and atmospheric dips gives Play its first taste of full‑body heaviness. When the floor opens up, it feels less like moshing and more like being swallowed whole.
AGGRIEVED:
Then it’s time for heartbreak.
Aggrieved — bona fide TSHC legends — take the stage for one last dance. It’s emotional, it’s chaotic, and mid‑set, someone brings out pizza like it’s communion. People rip the mic out of Jack’s hands and scream the lyrics back like their lives depend on it. Thi set probably shaved five years off everyone’s lifespan. If you’re gonna go out, go out swinging.
PROZPEKT:
Most bands would crumble following a farewell set. Prozpekt are not “most bands.” They’re the gravitational centre of Teesside hardcore, and when Cal Leach stalks the stage, the room collectively straightens up like schoolkids caught messing around.
Tracks like “Brain Constraint” and “Tees Valley” hit like precision‑guided spin‑kicks to the chest as the floor turns into a full‑scale battleground. Leach conducts the room like he’s been ordained by the Pit Gods. If hardcore ever needed a mayor, he’d win by landslide.
MAELSTROM:
South Wales’ Maelstrom bring a set polished sharp from constant touring — tight, furious, and engineered to make strangers punch each other lovingly. Beatdowns drop like concrete blocks. Bodies fly. The walls shake. Play is one step away from declaring structural damage.
HUMAN DECEIT:
Human Deceit arrive with the intense energy that has followed them around in recent times and marked them out as torch bearers for UKHC. Frontman Matt stalks the room, screaming like he’s settling personal scores with each individual audience member. Teesside eats it up. The pit responds in kind. Middlesbrough may have a new favourite band.
TEST OF PATIENCE:
It’s their first time in TS1, but Glasgow’s Test of Patience act like they’ve been coming here for years. Frontwoman Gem snarls her way through a set that radiates purpose and absolute fury. There’s something cathartic in the air — a sense of communal exorcism. The applause when they finish is thunderous. This better not be their last visit.
LOST TO LIFE:
Lost to Life proudly announce they’re the first Irish hardcore band ever to step foot in Middlesbrough. True or not, the crowd happily two‑steps themselves into oblivion to celebrate. Fast, punk‑tinged, and dangerously catchy, they nearly shake the paint off the walls.
OVERPOWER:
As the day teeters into its ninth hour, Overpower hit like defibrillator paddles. Sharp, technical, ferocious — their fusion of thrash and hardcore is the adrenaline shot the room needs. Matt Howson storms around in his chainmail headpiece like he’s preparing for war, while the dual‑guitar assault from Lewis and Casey feels illegally good.
LIFESICK:
Lifesick close the night out with a set that’s heavier than the emotional baggage everyone’s carrying from the Aggrieved goodbye. The Danish bruisers tear through material from Loved By None, Hated By All, flattening what’s left of the crowd with ruthless breakdowns and pit‑summoning riffs. Nicolai leads with total command, preaching unity, community, and catharsis — the same values that held this entire day together.
By the time the lights come up, Play smells like sweat, spilled lager, and collective liberation. Teesside Hardcore didn’t just show up today — it showed off: its heart, its chaos, its community.
No egos. No gatekeeping. Just family.
FTHxBTH
Show review by : James Prosho @jdprosho
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