So in true punk rock style, our “regular feature” BOTW didn’t last more than two weeks before I fumbled the ball. Had a couple of essays due for University and a lot on my plate at work soz!

Anyway, back to business. We’ve recieved a couple of emails from people who follow the blog overseas, asking us if we could recomend a few UK bands to check out. Let it never be said that the Corehammer Crew does not listen to it’s loyal readers. So with that in mind we return to the fray with a band who, for my money, best represent the true spirit of hardcore in the UK right now. The Flex……

Originally formed as a fuck-about joke band by a group of lads sharing a house in the Leeds student ghetto. Counting members of defunct northern Power Violence monsters Closure, Anguish and current scene favorites Broken Teeth amongst their number the plan was for the members to drop the instruments they usually shred on in their regular bands and play instruments they were not familiar with. The intention was that it would help to create the loose frantic punk vibe that charged the early hardcore records they were inspired by. This (negative) approach yielded ugly fruit in the shape of a raw as fuck debut demo. Recorded in some grotty LS6 basement it was a raging, off time, brace of hardcore songs that reminded me a lot of the early Boston hardcore bands like SSD and DYS and The F.U’s. Now demos are all well and good but it wasn’t until I caught them a live a few weeks later that it really clicked for me.

The Flex giving London a good hiding. Pic by Nat Wood.

Every time I’ve seen them play the vibe has been perfect, no matter the size of the venue. When the band plays it’s not a grip of jock pretty boys or skinny haircuts on a stage encouraging dorks in Supreme caps or puny Desolators to try and hurt people. It is absolute chaos (with a small c). Grebs and weirdos crawling from corners and crevices, folk crashing across the stage and onto the floor, stage dives, guitars getting knocked outta tune, mic grabs, wild eyed fury everywhere. Exactly how I imagined hardcore would be when I was a 16 year old kid first stumbling into all of this. The best way I can describe The Flex is that their shows are just like the pictures on the back of the classic records you used to stare at in envy. The crowds losing it, the guys onstage looks like a real gang of mixed nuts, the mongo singer is smashing around the stage like a lummox on a leash. Hardcore son.

Milk Run Records just put out their debut 7” called Scum On The Run, and with a bit of a lineup change (one man gang Tom Pimlott now sitting behind the kit) and a European tour under their belts I’m sure there’ll be plenty more good shit coming from the Flex camp in the not too distant future..

Be sure to catch’em if they play live round your manor and if you ain’t moshing you better fucking duck. FFO: SSD/THINK I CARE/HARDCORE
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PxSx: If you like this kinda stuff check out: Violent Reaction, Obstruct, Control and Your Move. All brilliant.