If you’re a fan of heavy riffs with some of the liveliest showmanship around, let me introduce you to Dead!, a London four-piece who bring not only one hell of a sound, but one seriously sweaty show that will leave you in a delightful state of angst, chaos and ringing ears!

One of the supports tonight, Pussy Licker, easily take the cake for being the biggest surprise of the evening. A five-piece all-female band, this group is pure anarchy incarnate. The screaming vocals, strong message of saying and doing whatever you want, is brilliant and executed with such a passion that the girls are simply magnetic to watch. Amongst the high energetics, you can see some brilliant solo guitar work, however the drumming in particular really adds a huge kick to the sound, this group are definitely one to be keeping an eye on and certainly a name I can see popping up around Brighton more often. The evening flows on and another stunning set from Hot Dreams ups the talent showcase tonight. Whilst their sound is far less anarchic than that of Pussy Licker’s, it is easily made up for through some sublime vocal work and a full, hard hitting sound which fills the entire room with a great vibe. Somewhat similar to the likes of Brighton legends Tall Ships, but with a far more crunchy feel to the larger choruses. The band have a lot of crowd response and their combination of loud sonics and bouncing basslines within tracks such as ‘Plungepool’ make them one that you can definitely dance along to.

With the crowd more than hyped up already, Dead! finally enter the stage. If I thought that the previous bands were lively, then Dead! are about to step things up to an all new level. Immediately the band throw themselves around like rag dolls in a vacuum with a sound that is purely gargantuan. ‘Phantom’ sees the room bouncing in unison and chanting along with the infectious chorus and the band’s eagerness and passion to perform can be seen a mile away through their grinning smiles and almost animated facial expressions. Vocalist Alex Montford’s voice holds such a great level of raspy harshness and sung power that he is impossible to look away from and holds such a diverse range. Alex’s tones supply such a unique feel to Dead!’s music and is certainly what sets them apart from the common riffraff of rising rock groups.

As the set is put into full motion, the ‘safety’ barrier at the front of the stage becomes more of a limp noodle, as the crowd’s energetics grow alongside the band’s, and it is thrown around like a child’s toy, soon becoming more of a hazard than any form of safety! There is no letting up though, as the entire set only seems to lead into another track which is twice as big as the last. The newly released ‘Up For Ran$om’ and old bloomer ‘Skin’, in particular see the room become a mosh pit of flying fists, sweat and warlike chants as bodies are seen being lifted in the tightly compacted room. Dead! are clearly a band who know their audience immensely well and are unafraid to throw in a few covers to keep the show rolling tonight: a rendition of Blur’s ‘Song 2’ makes a fantastic appearance, despite the track typically holding quite a teenage cover band feel to it. Dead! truly made the anthem their own, supplying a nice level of unique solo work and distortion pedals to give the song a completley new lease of life.

With the sweat continuously flowing, the evening finds itself in its final few numbers: the band end with their largest hit single ‘You’re So Cheap’ which sees yet another mammoth sound of chanting from the crowd and instrumental work. However, the band’s biggest surprise comes in the form of an encore demand, something which leads Alex to announce “We’re not used to this,” and spontaneously bursts into yet another converted cover of The Who’s ‘My Generation’. A final opportunity for the band and crowd to thrash themselves around and, as the track comes to a closure, a deafening roar of cheers is released.

Dead! may still be an upcoming band, but they have more than solidified their status of rising rock titans already. Their sound is fresh, energetic and certainly something that will help release any built up worldly angst, what more could a rock lover ask for?! I would definitely recommend getting down to a Dead! show near you, as it’ll surely be a night you won’t forget (and will be feeling) for a long time after.

Ben Walker

Website: theinternetisdead.co.uk
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