Summer is here, the season when HC bands jump into a shitty van and take to the road for a couple of weeks to observe that fine tradition of the summer tour. Lawless living, no sleep, no money, petty theft, BBQ’s, maybe see some tits, moshing, water fights ahhhhhhh the best of times. Next week see’s Final Rage and Ego Trip, two bands from my Southern homelands heading up the M1 to bring the proverbial ruckus to the North and with both bands having imminent releases due on the prolific (and Corehammer afiliated) CTW records, I figured we’d do a bit of a 2 part special and hit’em both up. Yep one of the hottest days of the year and I’m cloistered away in my attic like a self harmer, afraid of the sun and shit, sweating it out in my custom dust sauna and writing stupid reviews of my friends band. Brilliant.

Regional hardcore scenes, by their very nature, are inbred as fuck and none more so than that of South East England. Pretty much every band to have been shat out of the cultural Bermuda Triangle that festers between Kent and Sussex have been connected by their shared memberships and revolving line ups (see Breaking Point) and in recent years two guys in particular have done more inter-family sexing than most….Final Rage’s flamboyant frontman Jamie Frye and diminutive Ego Trip vocalist Pate’k Hassan.

Dan Peters sneezed behind the drum kit and Pat was literally blown off stage

We’ll focus on Ego Trip first of all. Playing explosive hardcore that could perhaps be described as a combination of Stop & Think’s vintage NY tinged ferocity and the groove of early Righteous Jams (without all the goofy contrived bullshit that hung off the arse of that scene like a particularly stubborn dingleberry). Ego Trip appeared without warning and fully formed earlier this year, refreshingly free of the usual hype that surrounds a new band featuring notable ‘ex members of’ . They dropped a demo and just NAILED that classic NYHC vibe and energy perfectly. Lyrically there’s no macho chest beating, ethical agendas, Mind/Body/Spirit section mysticism or flowery poetic verse, just four songs boiling over with one tiny mans rage and spat out with a furious conviction that is awesome to behold. And lets be right, who doesnt get a kick out of songs about ‘the crew’?

Unusual as it is to witness Pat on the mic and not shredding behind a guitar, he’s wandered the southern wastelands and brought a few of the SRH’s lost lambs back to the fold and assembled a veritable rogues gallery who are more than capable of taking care of business. Former Coldsnap/Out Of Hand shredder Dan Simpson and the indomitable Jamie Frye  both on guitar, Ex- Breaking Point/Iron Curtain bassist Pedro and holding it down in the rear with the gear Coldsnap’s Dan Peters.

‘Small man, big mouth’

CTW will be releasing the new (as yet untitled) Ego Trip 7” in September. Recorded in Margate at Above All 2, I’ve had a sneaky listen to the rough mixes and it’s a step above the demo in all departments. I genuinely think the youth who sweat Survival & Wardogs (as well as Coremen of a quality vintage, like myself) are gonna be all over this. Ego Trip deliver legitimate hardcore for coptic times. Listen HERE

While I’m on my knees doling out the confidence blow jobs and ego rubs, let me just mention the show above in Leeds next weekend. look at that lineup…ideal.  Callum and Sav are the lads behind HDHC and have (along with others) been putting on shows in Leeds for the last few years, ensuring that hardcore punk still has a home in the city. Adult responsibilities mean I can’t make it to every show these days but I always look forward to the HDHC events I can attend. Reasonably priced shows with no bouncers/barriers bullshit, always a stacked line-up with solid bands and a friendly welcoming vibe that encourages an atmosphere of community and good natured chaos. I’ve booked shows myself in the past and it can be a thankless, financially draining and tiresome task at times, but when they are not working the door it’s not uncommon to see both Sav and Callum in the mix up front, so props to these guys for doing it consistently and doing it right. Lets see less horseshoes and more stage dives, mic grabs & dogpiles. HC4HC

BOTW Part 2 Final Rage ‘- We need to talk about Jamie’ will be up later in the week.

Gimli Son Of Gloin clearly having none of Jamie’s nonsense.