The night is kicked off with Hertfordshire four-piece, Your Demise whom (particularly with their behemoth vocalist) is some what intimidating in there approach. Perfect for hardcore then, as it is a genre that strives to be in your face, loud and proud. Unfortunately though, Your Demise fail to make a massive impression on the Norwich crowd, as they seem more interested in getting people hardcore dancing than playing decent music. As a band, they play a decent enough set, which is fairly tight, but the songs themselves are lacking in general. There’s notable energy and passion in what they do, but without the songsmanship to back it up, Your Demise end up sounding average at best.

Next up were Londoners Awoken, who, musically and instrumentally and fantastic. An incredibly tight performance mixed with some fantastic riffs that would get even the harshest critic moving. Sadly though, this is soon obscured by the time their vocalist opens his mouth, with his bizarre death metal influenced growls, that really, just do not work for the music they are playing. Weirder still is when he returns to his normal voice, as he as the thickest London accent you could possibly imagine, and suddenly he sounds like your every day chav. So, to give him some credit, the vocal range, if you wish to call it that, is impressive as much as it is scary, but his vocals on their songs are just too much for the music Awoken play.

And so, we then come onto one of the three headliners of this tour, the stunning Philadelphia based hardcore band, Blacklisted. Recently signed to Jacob Bannon (Converge)’s label Deathwish, they genuinely sound like one of the most exciting young talents in Hardcore today. And this performance backs that up fully, as they passionately rip through their set with stunning vigour and audacity. The incredible lead track off their new album ‘…The Beat goes on’, ‘how quickly we forget (Again)’ sounds just as moving and powerful as it does on record, and they quickly whip the crowd up into frenzy. If we’re going into the school of thought argument, Blacklisted manage to sit somewhere in the middle, which is perhaps why they are so exciting as they somehow manage to perfectly mix American Nightmare, The Hope Conspiracy and Terror altogether, and, in a sense have created something here which could be described as “Intelligent tough-guy hardcore”. But perhaps, I’m just over thinking this. What I do know though, is that Blacklisted already show incredible potential for the future, so young into their career, and this performance most certainly shows it.

Next up are Donnybrook, hailing from LA and in sound sit comfortably in the Madball Esq. sound. However, their performance smacks with so much vitality, they are impossible to ignore with a cacophony of clever riffs and lyrics, accompanied by a tight as nails performance. Right from the word go they blast those who weren’t ready for it to the back wall and keeps the sonic assault going right until the end. And luckily enough for everyone there, they are so good at it that it is a very enjoyable aural beating.

And so finally, is Terror, the US hardcore band who, despite being clumped in with bands like Hatebreed in nearly every other review, have kept a certain amount integrity and honesty in what they do. And it’s easily shown from tonight’s performance with their no-nonsense sound and attitude. And the performance itself is very good and enjoyable, after all, this is why so many fans have been itching to see Terror, let alone in a city like Norwich. But all in all, it’s not the most amazing of experiences. They play some great songs, effortlessly tearing through their set with amazing stage presence, but it doesn’t really go much further than that. They’re good enough, but not as amazing as perceived, and this show neither really makes a case for being impressed or not with their music. When you consider the recent shows that have been through Norwich; Champion, Comeback Kid and The Hope Conspiracy, for instance, this just feels a little underwhelming compared. However, the big difference here is that all of those bands played at that infamous and incredibly important pub only a few doors along from the Waterfront; the Ferryboat. And the reason the Ferryboat is such an important venue is because it’s the most intimate venue Norwich has, and this is perhaps why those bands sounded and played better at that venue. So, what I’m trying to say is, despite the massive demand for Terror, it feels like the night as a whole would have worked much better at the Ferryboat. But I am aware that, had the same capacity come to the Ferryboat that night, due to new rules, the promoter would have been fined. Sad days. But lets not take it away from Terror that they do put on a great performance, but, like I say, it doesn’t go any further than great.

Adam Turner-Heffer