SIDEWINDER, KING ABYSS, LAST WITNESS @ CAFE ETCH DEC '25 , SHOW REVIEW BY JD PROSHO

Mad Friday Mayhem: Teesside Hardcore Turns Café Etch Into a Warzone

Café Etch is slowly morphing into Teesside’s unofficial hardcore embassy. Tonight, it’s hosting the year-end blowout for Rhapsody Records, and the timing couldn’t be more chaotic: the last Friday before Christmas Eve—known in the UK as Mad Friday or, if you’re feeling spicy, Black Eye Friday. Originally NHS and Police jargon for “the night everyone gets obliterated,” it’s now a cultural institution: the final knees-up before festive purgatory. Translation? Middlesbrough’s hardcore kids have one last chance to throw themselves around a 60-cap room like it owes them money.

Hartlepudlian debutants Final Witness pick tonight for their swansong, and honestly, they couldn’t have scripted it better. Early nerves? Sure. But once they lock in, Café Etch gets its first wall of noise—and it’s glorious. Think Municipal Waste thrash colliding head-on with Obituary-style death grooves, snarling vocals riding shotgun. For a band barely old enough to rent a van for the short journey south on the A19, their setlist feels seasoned: heads bang, limbs flail, and Middlesbrough suddenly has four new best friends. Bookmark this name—they’re going places.

Derbyshire’s deathcore veterans King Abyss hit the stage like they’re settling scores. Tracks like Fear the Dead don’t just shake the room—they threaten structural integrity. The pit? A demolition derby. Vocalist Dom stalks the floor like a man possessed, while guitarists Sam and Harry flex technical wizardry on Weapons of Mass Delusion, a track that swings between chugging brutality and fretboard acrobatics. By the time Eyes Always Watching closes, the crowd looks like they’ve been through a small war—and loved every second.

Headliners Sidewinder don’t waste time with pleasantries. Their opening mantra— “Respect the venue, don’t respect each other”—lands like gospel, and the crowd obeys with WWE-level aerial assaults. Leeds’ hardcore export delivers a set so fast and feral you barely have time to breathe. Between sci-fi nods (Starship Troopers, Gears of War) and communal whiskey swigs passed around like sacrament, this feels less like a gig and more like a church service. Damo, their preacher-in-chief, screams sermons of rage and release into the faces of his gathered flock, while Incarcerated—an anthem for anyone shackled to a soul-sucking job—hits extra hard on Mad Friday. Responsibilities? That’s January’s problem.

As the last chord rings and the whiskey bottle empties, Teesside spills into the night—some with bruises, some with literal missing teeth, all with stories. Café Etch didn’t just host a gig tonight; it hosted a riot disguised as a Christmas party. Happy Fucking Holidays.

Full Sidewinder set available below : 

Show review by : James Prosho @jdprosho

Paleface Swiss - The wilted EP (2026) REVIEW BY @JDPROSHO

Paleface Swiss - The wilted EP (2026)

When Paleface Swiss emerged back in 2017, their sound was pure, unfiltered beatdown chaos: raw aggression, blunt-force riffs, and breakdowns that felt like a crowbar to the temple. But The Wilted, a brand-new EP from the Swiss noise merchants, is a different animal.

Not softer but smarter, sharper, and riding the same modern metalcore wave that’s been dominating playlists without losing the street-level menace that made them infamous.

This EP feels like the band finally decided to hone their craft. There’s melody here, the production is polished without sanding down the serrated edges, and the song writing flexes a confidence that says: “We know exactly who we are, and we’re not afraid to evolve.”

Tracks hit like a hybrid of beatdown brutality and metalcore sophistication—think surgical breakdowns stitched together with atmospheric tension. It’s the sound of a band refusing to drown in an oversaturated scene, carving out their own space with riffs that still swing like a wrecking ball but now come with a more sophisticated blueprint of the direction they want to head in.

Paleface Swiss aren’t abandoning their roots; they’re fertilizing them with something darker, more calculated. In a genre where everyone’s screaming (literally) for attention, these guys are making sure you hear them above the noise. Ones to watch? Absolutely.

Catch Paleface on tour across Europe with Stick to your guns and Statis Dress. In early Jan through to February : 

Written by @jdprosho

Nuclear Venom – Poisoning the Minds (2026) REVIEW BY @JDPROSHO

Nuclear Venom – Poisoning the Minds (2026) 

There’s a particular joy to crossover thrash when it stops pretending to be high art and just goes—the kind of joy that smells like stale beer, hot amps, and a circle pit that forms before the first snare hit. 

On Poisoning the Minds, Polish thrash/crossover upstarts Nuclear Venom channel that joy with almost weaponized efficiency. It’s a really fun record—emphasis on fun—that blends the speed and whiplash riffing of classic thrash with the tar‑thick churn of sludgy hardcore. The drums sprint, the guitars screech, and the vocals sound like they’ve been left out in the radioactive rain.

If your playlists run from Municipal Waste’s beer‑splash blitz to the serrated crossover punch of Manic Aggression, this EP sits right in that sweet spot: fast, filthy, and ferocious. Nuclear Venom never forget that extremity is entertainment, and they lean into it with the kind of energy that’ll have you price‑checking elbow pads before the second chorus.

The production is perhaps a bit raw at times, with guitars that scrape and squeal before dropping into sludge-laced chugs that feel like you’re wading through concrete and vocals that may be difficult for purists to hurdle over, but this isn’t a record for them - plenty of bands can varnish and fine tune their sound but not all of them are able to convey the fun they’re having making music. Nuclear Venom bake humor into menace without undercutting the heft. 

Poisoning the Minds is the sound of a band who understand that extremity and enjoyment are not opposites—they’re accomplices. It’s fast, filthy, and fun, a blast of crossover thrash that drags through sludge just long enough to make the next sprint feel like lift‑off. Short playtime, zero filler, maximum repayment. 

Ones to add to your radar immediately. And maybe to your health insurance.

Written by @jdprosho

SECONDS OUT INTERVIEW

Words on dream guest vocal, hard working starts and messages for the younger generation with the young team in Seconds Out. 

Seconds Out have played a bunch of rhapsody shows already , we’ve loved having you every time, you guys got any feedback on how TSHC has welcomed you/highlights ?

All of our shows in Teesside have been class and we’ve played lots of good crowds and supported some dope bands , one highlight would definitely be playing for negative frame and Ollie being kicked in the face the same night.

There’s no doubt you guys have worked hard this year , it shows and we gotta respect it. What has pushed / inspired you to do seconds out as a project?

Hardcore music has always been a passion with all of us , really big on our local scene and the scene across the Uk , our main drive is trying to get ourselves out there and play on bigger shows and meet more pals while we do it for sure

Do you have anywhere you’d like to play in 2026 and why ?

For 2026 we’re definitely looking to play out of the north east down by Bristol and London but a show out of the country is always gonna be a big thing we wanna do. 

It’s dope to see younger homies doing bands , what message do you have for the generation below you in regards to hc?

Remember the roots of the genre and what is stands for and have fun with it.

If you could get a guest vocal from anyone dead or alive on a Seconds out track who would it be ?

Gonna have to with bill greenburg from swear to god.

Catch Seconds Out. at the Rhapsody Records all dayer 31.01.26 Play Middlesbrough. 

R.I.C.O. INTERVIEW

Words on tour with despondent, local representation and plans for 2026 with R.I.C.O.

What you got planned for Rico in 2026

We’re Writing new stuff for 2026, we’re moving away from the pure beatdown scene and focus on writing heavy mosh anthems. No heavy for heavy’s sake anymore. Maybe a five/six track EP. Potentially a split with a band very close to us!

How was tour with the despondent boys , any highlights? 

Tour was really fun - big shoutout to despondent for being some of the best boys we’ve met in hardcore. Glasgow was a highlight, Muz choking out one of screwdriver lobotomy

How important do you think local representation is in building a scene?

Incredibly, you can’t build a local scene without the involvement of the locals, you gotta support each other, attend shows, put on shows, uplift each other. Everywhere we go we shout about Teesside hardcore, here on Teesside we’re building something so special - some many bands that have established themselves and some unreal up and comers. We’ll always champion our hometown an our home scene.

Our last all dayer saw your first set, our next your latest , how do you think Rico has evolved in this time?

We had only been a band for a couple of months for that show with a lot of changes happening. Kyle Lightfoot [shoutout] stood in on drums for us. We played a mashup of 3 tracks and a cover. This next all dayer we’re gonna bring the heavy mosh tunes you’re used to from RICO and we might have a few new things in the pipeline for it. One thing we can guarantee is we will not be playing nothing but a beatdown anymore.

Catch R.I.C.O. at the Rhapsody Records all dayer 31.01.26 Play Middlesbrough.  Stream 'Call it what it is' by the TSHC outfit below:

INTERVIEW WITH MITCH OF DISARMED

Words on the end of Aggrieved, first show and musical influences from Mitch of new NEHC outfit DISARMED. 

Youve already dropped a single what have you got in store for the EP?

We've got another single dropping in early Jan and the full EP dropping before the rhapsody all dayer, got some new shit that we're working on too so hopefully that won't be too long until it's out either

Disarmed even though based further north feels like a TSHC band to me, where do you sit on that?

I feel like by the end of Aggrieved it was less of a TSHC band since only Jack lives in Middlesbrough, but I feel like even with the vibe of Disarmed that TSHC is still a massive part of it

Disarmed feels like the next evolution of Aggrieved , what style changes/influences have you drawn on for the new project?

Everyone's brought loads of different ideas to the songs with Disarmed which is sick. Petes big inspired by Whispers and shit on this EP, Leeroy has brought loads of Killswitch Engage style shit, I've ripped off that riff from Thank You For The Venom as much as I can. I think it's still fairly obvious that we're all massively into thrash and death metal but it's a really nice change from what we're all used to.

What are your experiences of the first show with Jawless / Clobber at etch?

That show fucking banged. I remember the first Aggrieved set being weird and a bit awkward but this one went really well. Etch is also one of the sickest venues I've seen. The whole lineup absolutely banged for that show too.

3 bands UKHC heads should check out in 2026?

Actin Up, Despondent, Human Deceit. Honourable mentions to Break Them and Dispute 

Stream the latest single from Disarmed below : 

JAWLESS, CLOBBER, NYLON, DISARMED , SHOW REVIEW BY JD PROSHO

Hardcore in TS1: A Night of Frostbite, Two-Steps, and Chaos

The last time I hit Café Etch, I was helping my kid demolish carrot sticks and hummus while hiding from a biblical downpour. Tonight, I’m back—still sheltering, but this time from a North East winter that feels like it’s trying to kill me. There’s less Vitamin A and way more aggression in the air.

First up, on a night so cold it could freeze your soul, Newcastle’s Disarmed take the stage for their swansong. Made up of faces familiar to the North East hardcore scene, these debutants waste zero time warming up the already packed room—literally and figuratively. For a first show, they play like seasoned pros. Frontman Jack Anderton owns the space like he was born for it. Their set swings between covers and fresh cuts, with tracks like Price to Pay spitting venom at the state of the world and firing up the crowd before closer Truth Decay detonates the room. Disarmed might be new blood, but they’re already dangerous.

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From rookies to royalty: Sheffield’s NYLON roll in like Steel City stormtroopers on their third visit to Boro. They bring a set stacked with old favourites and new bangers, reminding everyone why they’re perched at the top of UK hardcore’s food chain. Wind Your Neck In and Cuttlefish & Asparagus—both off last year’s killer LP Chariot of the Gods—shake the brickwork and spark the first circle pits of the night. It’s anarchy, and it’s glorious.

Then it’s time for the South to show its teeth. London’s Clobber hit the stage in what’s probably the smallest room they’ll play for a while, so everyone here should feel smug about witnessing this up close. Fresh off a European rampage and a slot at Revolution Calling fest, they waste no time necking Red Stripes, roasting the crowd, and unleashing a cocktail of Cockney swagger and two-stepping melodic hardcore. Frontman Charlie Longman stalks the floor like a man possessed, personally injecting life into every body in the pit. Their set is fast, furious, and fun—but also sharp and political, reminding us that hardcore, like the country, works best when we smash division. They want their country back too—just not for the flag-waving brigade. The climax? A feral cover of Cro-Mags’ Hard Times featuring a cameo from Jawless frontwoman Theresa Vendetta. Bonus weirdness: a mid-set kick drum failure sparks an impromptu 2016 internet phenomenon ‘Mannequin Challenge’ throwback, freezing the pit in mid-battle stance before all hell resumes.

Finally, the headliners: Jawless. Technical gremlins try to derail them early, but they bulldoze through, proving why they’re revered in UK hardcore and why legends like Agnostic Front and Cro-Mags have invited them on tour. With members hailing from Spain, Mexico, and Poland but calling London home, Jawless rip through a set dripping in thrash and skate-punk energy. Theresa Vendetta is a whirlwind—spitting stories about dumping a partner for not skating and flipping off London’s finest in blue. Jawless are unapologetically fast, loud, and essential.

Normally, I’d avoid the gender angle—it’s lazy and hacky—but Theresa deserves props for calling all the women in the room to the front, carving out a safe space in the pit. It’s something I’ve seen more and more at hardcore shows, and it rules. This scene is for everyone. Long may that continue.

Photo credit : Callum Leach

Show review by : James Prosho @jdprosho