The Fleeting Arms, York, 22nd December 2015
Christopher Nosnibor
So, my final live show of 2015: the obligatory ‘Christmas Foulage’ which finds 上下顛倒罪人的地獄 make one of their infrequent but regular trips into the public was pitched as an event whereby ‘4 disgusting “bands” take to a “venue” to have a party of the foulest kind.’
The tiny indie venue was surprisingly full for a Tuesday night, in York, three days before Christmas, offering music of what can reasonably be described as somewhat fringe, and it was pleasing to see. And who knew that musical forms so heavily weighted with associations of anger, malevolence and sonic brutality could make for a party, even a foul one?
Relative newcomers Seep Away, who recently announced their arrival into the world with an eponymous EP, get things going with a set that brings together punk and grind with a raw energy that’s unmistakeable and a passion that’s unfakeable, even when the guy who’s screaming his lungs out is wearing a Santa hat.
The Puddin’s – stepping in as last-minute replacements for industrial / grind / metal / cabaret act Petrol Hoers, who I’d been looking forward to – aren’t grind – but nor are they as daft as their name or outfits (bearded guitarist in a dress, shirtless bassist sporting a troll mask) suggest. Fierce, grimy crust punk is the thing they do. And they do it pretty well, too, and at appropriate volume. Which means it’s an ugly, shouty racket, played loud.
Puddin’s: Brutal noise with an awkward apostrophe
As I’m composing my thoughts and some notes, a guy is setting up a table with a blender and some plates and with a hessian bag of ingredients down by the side in preparation for Grindcore Cake Makers’ set. The clue is in the name. And they sure as hell pack a lot into their set. Samples lifted from sources like Brasseye and American Psycho, referencing cake and gratuitous brutality, run between the songs, which are considerably shorter than the spaces in between them. The songs themselves are sub-two-minute explosive, violent assaults, propelled by a drum machine cranked up to 200pm. Meanwhile, men with stockings on their heads scream profanities and thrash blistering noise, while the ban’s third member whips up buttercream icing and distributes cake to the audience. The fact he’s working with a plugged-in blender while wearing an apron and a stocking on his head in the middle of such mayhem is truly terrifying. 13 minutes later, they’re gone, leaving nothing but feedback and one hell of a mess on the floor.
Grindcore Cake Makers: deliver exactly what the name suggests
And then there’s上下顛倒罪人的地獄. Drummer (and event organiser) Dan Gott set up his kit facing toward the stage, in the middle of the room. Meanwhile, it may have been a supposedly Christmas-themed event, but Hallowe’en style blood-spattered shirts and bandaged faces, drag remains (they share a guitarist with Puddin’s) and anything goes as chaos reigns during their intense and truly insane performance. It’s anarchy from beginning to end. Amidst the smashed guitars and splurged cake, there are some songs of sorts, aggressive blasts of ear-bleeding, blastbeat driven noise.
上下顛倒罪人的地獄: Carnage
The truth is, it’s hard to really know what the fuck’s going on, and I haven’t witnessed such carnage since Baby Godzilla devastated The Fulford Arms in York a little over a year ago (and before that, when the same band and various supports wrought havoc in November 2012). Somewhere between performance art and a riot disguised as a gig, this is the kind of performance that only takes place every once in a while, and serves as a reminder of why grass-roots, small-venue gigs are so important. The expensive ticket, large capacity venues may host bands people are familiar with, but there’s no substitute for the buzz of a wildly unpredictable, completely in-yer-face show like this.
上下顛倒罪人的地獄: Mayhem and devastation
Aural Aggravation 