Issues' Hooligan Army Conquer Cardiff
The British squadron of the hooligan army had been waiting patiently for the five-piece to return to their shores and sure enough, the Rebound Tour arrived and started off in the heart of Wales.
Astroid Boys set up as Traxx & Benji knelt alongside one other, swapping silent comments before DJ Comfort threw out some samples, launching the Cardiff boys into full throttle.
Big H gave himself a lot of attention with his hi hat raps and technical fills that really padded out the tracks, consistently followed by the blended techniques of the two rappers.
While Benji focused on moulding together his stage presence and gritty multisyllabic rhythms, Traxx brought his A game to the speed race, firing off passionate lines like he was on the clock.
The "Oggy oggy oggy" chant was repeatedly used to invigorate their fans for the building beats, eventually plummeting down into the dirty tone underground that gave their set the ‘Live-o’ status.
Hacktivist were up next, blasting straight into their filthy riffs with a loud and proud atmosphere that instigated arms to fly forward and back.
“False Idols” echoed in with Timfy James’s vocals serenading the venue before crushing down with hard hits and high kicks from the five piece.
The well-known Kanye/Jay Z cover of “Niggas in Paris” also revved up, receiving its' usual reception of chaotic slaughter in the pits and the traditional wall of death which turned the floor into a rippling swarm of fists and the stage into a floor-striking frenzy.
As the show reached the main attraction, the few opening tracks of Issues set certainly outgrew all who had disbelief or doubt in what was to come. Opening on the hooligan army’s latest favourite, “Coma”, the young spectators exploded in reaction to Skyler Acord’s humongous hair and stage charisma, accompanied in confidence by Michael Bohn who lept around like a roaring rabbit on speed.
Mr Acord also shined with skill as “The Realest” twanged into bass bliss, sending tremors through the student union’s walls with Josh Manuel also revealing his talents, chopping away at skins and cymbals with devastating accuracy.
Guitarist AJ and Skyler made their way to place themselves at the centre of the platform for a more intimate acoustic mash up, including versions of “The Worst Of Them” from their ‘Black Diamonds’ EP and “Princeton Ave” from their self-titled 2014 release, giving Mr Carter a real opportunity to flaunt his exemplary singing skills.
“Where my Hooligans at?!” was the spark that lit the encore powder keg, ushering in the contagious melody of “Mad At Myself” and the highly anticipated “Hooligans” that rejuvenated the avid followers and lured them into giving their all for the closing track.
Contently winding their way back through the streets of Cardiff, it was evident that each attendee carred the experience of an act who are steadily reaching the pinnacle of their stature, musically and especially when live performances are involved.
