THERE ARE LIVE SHOWS - AND THERE ARE NIGHTS THAT FEEL LIKE CHAOS BREAKING DOWN TO CATHARSIS; BETTER LOVERS’ LAST TOUR STOP BROUGHT BOTH OF THEM.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)

BETTER LOVERS AT WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, PORTSMOUTH
PHOTOCREDIT: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI

Opening the night, Louisville’s Greyhaven brought their post-hardcore and math-metal A-game to Portsmouth. Their sound is like a cathedral collapsing in slow motion – grand, emotional and precise, even in a medium sized venue. The room was already full as the vocals swayed between melodies and screams, spiralling guitars and emotional lyrics. Even if Greyhaven were first on the bill, they played with the energy of headliners. Their set was tight, technical and very suitable to warm up the crowd ahead of what was to come later.

If the gig had a genre, it would be chaos and if you are not familiar with ’68 like me, you are really in for a ride. Consisting only of two members, Josh Scogin and Nikko Yamada, the duo walked on stage wearing three-piece suits and armed with nothing but a guitar and a drum kit. What followed was a punk-blues type inferno – riffs, scream vocals, improvised drum solos and enigma that had the audience guessing what the band’s next move was. The band’s charisma was very evident as they had people chanting “6-8” by the end of the set, whilst the guitar was both an instrument and a dance partner. The crowd could obviously not have enough, as both band and the front row grinned to each other like they had just committed an act that only they knew. Closing off their set by dissecting the drum kit, the duo exited the stage leaving the audience in a frenzy and primed up for the headliners.

Better Lovers are a band that can turn a venue into a battlefield. Bursting with energy, jumping up and down the stage, screaming into the microphone like it’s the end of the world and having everyone in the room wired within seconds of the first song ringing in the speakers, they bring metalcore to the next level. Opening the set with A White Horse Covered in Blood, they had the room in the palm of their hands. It was clear that this was not just a performance, it was a launch. They commanded the crowd, they move tirelessly and they bring enough emotion to drill the lyrics into the hearts of their audience.

The setlist was the gift that kept on giving – Superman Died Paralyzed, Don’t Forget To Say Please, Sacrificial Participant and God Made Me an Animal had head banging, whilst there were also slightly softer moments of clean vocals and flashlights in the room. With 30 Under 13 and Lie Between the Lines, there was a sense of sincerity cutting through the carnage making it obvious that Better Lovers are not just filling the void left by their previous band, they are building something new and equally exciting.

The whole show was a reminder of how music should feel like – dangerous, unpredictable and alive. It was a reminder that grassroots venues are the place where the night becomes ablaze and the spaces for heavy music to show its teeth.