Knocked Loose
Special Guests: Deafheaven + Headbussa
Venue: SWG3, Glasgow
Date: 5th March 2024
Review & Photos: Dave Buchanan
So here I am, back at the SWG3 for the 2nd time in 2 weeks, and I must say, this place is fast becoming one of my favourite venues in Glasgow. Boasting three venues inside, each one looks the part, and most importantly, the sound is (mostly) fantastic. Tonight the house speakers are being put to the test by a trio of absolutely monster bands. First up, Headbussa!
Headbussa
Parisian hardcore unit, Headbussa, are pretty much brand new to me, but if there’s one thing I dig, it’s French hardcore, and Headbussa, whilst being habitual to the genre, do not disappoint. The crowd is surprisingly game for these guys tonight, and being the “warm up” act to two massive bands doesn’t seem to phase them one iota. The crowd instantly produce a massive whole in the pit, and a tornado of flying limbs commence. While the cartwheels and swinging arms are more of a side-eye annoyance for myself (and my camera equipment) I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a violent reaction to a band quite so early-on in a night. Perhaps a taste of things to come tonight?
Armed with only a couple of EP’s worth of material, Headbussa proceed to savagely pummel Glasgow, with very little respite in between tracks. Kicking off with Necessary Violence opener No Alibi, it sets the tone for the rest of the set, slinging a ton of breakdowns and churning groove riffs into the mix, with the Headbussa vocalist delivering each and every word with vicious animality. By the time they reach Shattered Realm cover No Mercy, the pit-lovers are well and truly warmed up, and with that, they close tonight’s performance with Renegade, a perfect finishing move that leaves us excited as to what the future holds for Headbussa 
(4 / 5)
Deafheaven
I was genuinely quite surprised to see Deafheaven being added as main support tonight. With the other two bands being predominantly of the hardcore variety, Deafheaven’s concoction of post-black metal fury could have gone down one of two ways. But after seeing them in the back-part of 2022 at The Classic Grand in Glasgow, and knowing just how good they were that night, it didn’t take long for this crowd to be completely mesmerized by the San Fran quintet.
For tonight’s set, the band have completely stripped out anything that might be classed as clean or toned-down, and opted for a much more intense set of songs, and as they launch into Brought to the Water from 2015s New Bermuda, you’re hit with what can only be described as the feeling of a scythe being driven through your carotid artery. It’s bleak, raw, uplifting and utterly ferocious all at the same time.
Just when you think it would be impossible to better that opening track, they hurl into Sunbather, and the room is instantly filled with a swell of blastbeats, burning screams and ethereal blackened goodness. It’s a joy to watch, with half of the crowd in awe, and the rest crowd-surfing by like animals entering Noah’s Ark. Gifts for the Earth gives a brief moment of calm (ish) before the band finish on a double-barrelled blast of Black Brick and Dream House.
My only small gripe tonight, is the fact George Clarke’s vocal could have been a touch louder in the mix, however, the charismatic frontman delivers more personality than 99% of the vocalists I’ve seen in my many years (of which there have been many), thus making the vocal volume deficiency seem like such a non-issue.
I think I could watch this band every night of the week and still be blown away by them every single time. Even with the magic of their Infinite Granite material removed from tonight’s set, Deafheaven show that they are a band that can adapt to any environment and will still win over the crowd 
(5 / 5)
Knocked Loose
Kentucky riff-slingers Knocked Loose aren’t a band that fuck around. Don’t expect any lube or foreplay to ease you into what Knocked Loose have prepared for you. Tonight is no exception, and armed with 15 of the most jaw-loosening tracks from their repertoire, they forge-ahead, levelling anything and everything in their path.
The room is on tenterhooks as the eerie sounds of Deep in the Willow seep through the speakers, and it takes all of 1-bar of music before the crowd absolutely erupts and a sea of bodies start piling over the barrier. Vocalist Bryan Garris stalks the stage, barking like a man possessed, with the fans screaming back every word. Although he asks that the crowd give it every ounce of energy they have tonight, there’s really no request needed.
The band make sure no moment of time is wasted during their set, as they pull all the fan favourites from Laugh Tracks, A Different Shade of Blue and even from their 2021 EP, A Tear in the Fabric of Life. To be honest, though, tonight it feels like every track is a heavy hitter, with each song in the set becoming more intense than the last. It’s the last third of the set, though, where things really ramp up.
…And Still I Wander South and Mistakes Like Fractures, from A Different Shade of Blue, are the perfect coupling of thunderous and moody, while Laugh Tracks’ Billy No Mates acts as the perfect conduit for the fans to then lose their shit to Counting Worms. I don’t think I was fully prepared as to how loud the bellowing chant of “Arf! Arf!” was going to be.
The band bring tonight’s show to a close with one of their newest tracks, Everything is Quiet Now. Which it clearly is not.
Garris’ shouts of “This is your last chance” only pokes the bear, and the last 3 minutes go off like a cluster of hand grenades. Circle pits, windmills, crowd-surfers coming from the back of the room…it’s all going on. And just like that, the rage simmers and the track’s clean guitar echoes out to a close.
It’s actually insane how much energy this band brings to the stage, and to see it first hand is quite the spectacle. Knocked Loose were a band that people continually recommended to me to see live, and I can see why. Their precision, spirit and profound heaviness is nothing short of astounding (5 / 5)
