360 Degree Carnage
Published
It was never going to be a reserved affair.
Fluffer records, Whitechapel’s prime purveyors of garage punk, played host to their fourth Pit Party in Manor House’s New River Studios. Bands playing in the middle of an audience is a hark back to the US hardcore scene of the 80s, with the no-stage-no-segregation approach enabling the audience to interact amongst the groups mid-performance.
It’s as chaotic as it sounds, yet is a thoroughly enthralling way to watch music. You’re not doing so through the screen of somebody’s iPhone, and there’s no single place where everyone is shoving to be. The Pit Party scene’s been evolving in Manchester for the last few years, and has been making waves in London since the backend of 2015.
Fluffer’s fourth edition saw their very own Sewer Rats celebrate the recent release of debut EP Moneymaker with a trashed, bass heavy set. Pockets of five-person mosh pits opened up continuously throughout the compact venue, and as the intro to ‘Skint’ kicked in the band were lost amongst a wave of fans throwing themselves between the sparsely placed speakers.
The night’s headliners were Sheffield’s Best Friends, FatCat records’ hotly tipped four-piece. The performance was disjointed and the sound quality wasn’t too sharp, but the set was spellbinding. In an environment as rough-and-ready as New River Studios, it was exactly the kind of music you wanted; raw, loud and energetic, with ‘Fake Spit’ and ‘Wasting Time’ the standout tracks.
Reminiscent of Metallica’s ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ video, Pit Parties provide the house partyesque environment you’ve craved since your eighteenth birthday got slightly out of hand. And when you consider previous performers include Hooton Tennis Club and Slaves, there’s every chance you’ll see the stars of tomorrow perform at a sweaty distance of two foot away.
COMMENTS
-
I want the opening statement tattooed somewhere!
