(((O))) Live: Chepang – The Hug and Pint, Glasgow

Not everything runs smoothly. Sometimes life gets in the way, you lose track of time, and suddenly you’re on a distillery tour. At least, that’s the reason that Chepang’s Scottish show is running slightly behind schedule; but if there’s one thing that grindcore is good for, it’s making up for lost time. They’ve arrived in good spirits (pun absolutely intended) and are evidently enjoying the vibes as much as the crowd, happily taking in the sweaty, frenetic atmosphere as Distill take to the stage.

The Edinburgh duo are an interesting prospect; a stripped-back d-beat unit that relies entirely on bass guitar and drums to bring the violence. Without any mid-range, the effect is initially jarring, but it doesn’t take long before the rawness of their approach starts to make a perverse kind of sense. The bass has a malevolent edge to it – a snarl that gives the relentlessness of their punk-grind assault that wee bit more of a bite – and between the two of them they kick up enough of a racket (and even an equally energetic two-person pit) that you’d expect there to be more of them. Short, fast, fun and irreverent, they even manage to squeeze in a few classics in the form of Napalm Death’s ‘Deceiver’ and ‘Άι Σιχτίρ’, originally by Βανδαλούπ, to add some spice to an already delicious set.

Distill. Photo: Demelza Kingston (Oculus Sinistra)

Given how quickly the room has filled up (and how rapidly the whole place turns feral), you’d think that Gendo Ikari were the headliners; that said, it’s been two years since their last hometown show and considering the reputation that they’ve built up since they started out, for tonight they might as well be. As if to celebrate their long-overdue return, it’s a largely old-school set with the bulk of it coming from their 2016 debut EP. Cuts like ‘Categorised’ still hit as hard as ever, a surprisingly accessible groove squeezed in against razor swipes of guitar and savage percussion; but the band’s growth over the past decade gives it a new, keener kind of violence. Gerald Chau balances technical precision and sonic violence like the seasoned veteran that he is, while George Henry remains a fascinating figure to watch, working his kit with the manic dexterity of a caffeinated octopus. Frontman John Steven, meanwhile, makes grindcore seem fun again; sure, his strange howls and growls are more beast than man, and he paces the stage with the focused intensity of an apex predator, but he seems as happy to be back on stage as the crowd are to have him back – judging by the ferocity of the pits, that’s a lot.

Gendo Ikari. Photo: Demelza Kingston (Oculus Sinistra)

If there’s one thing you can always rely on a powerviolence band to do, it’s to waste no time in getting down to business. LilixElbe strip the genre back to its barest bones, delivering countless bursts of short, sharp sonic violence in just 15 minutes. Though the pace is relentless there’s enough variation in their approach that it can even be jarring, never quite letting the room settle into a groove before slamming on the brakes or abruptly changing gears. It quickly gets to the point that no-one is quite sure where one song ends and another begins, the breakneck pace only exacerbated by Petr Kaninsky’s unpredictable guitarwork and sharp vocal barks, and by Miroslav Korelus’ staccato bursts of fury and precision as he beats his kit into submission. The only issue is that some of the folk who popped off to grab a beverage only make it back in time to see the band wind down.

LilixElbe. Photo: Demelza Kingston (Oculus Sinistra)

Some visa issues have meant that not all of Chepang have made it over for the UK leg of their tour, but in Gerald Chau, they have a more than capable replacement guitarist. Bhotey Gore immediately positions himself on the floor in front of the stage; and when the band let rip, it’s a location on which he’s infinitely comfortable, right in the midst of the chaos, frenzy and violence. He’s a one-of-a-kind frontman, the kind of guy who’ll keep barking even when he’s been knocked onto his back and one arm has a punter in a headlock, and he’s almost impossible not to watch, even though it’s the associates behind him that are making the bulk of the noise.

Chepang. Photo: Demelza Kingston (Oculus Sinistra)

And what a glorious noise it is! Their take on grind is anything but straightforward, switching up head-down ferocity with slam and thick, murky grooves. ‘Shakti’ is a monster, alternating a sinister beat with moments of controlled chaos that the crowd react to in a way that doesn’t even slightly resemble control; ‘Gatichad’ takes that principle and stretches it further, the riffs sharper and more insistent, drawn out to a mammoth three minutes of grind madness. Even with Chau on stand-in duty, they’re remarkably tight, the drumming energetic but with enough control to keep the band ploughing through the set with the unstoppable force of a startled rhino; if that wasn’t enough the tension within the room at large keeps heads nodding, bodies flying and sweat pouring. On record, there’s always been something about Chepang that set them apart from their contemporaries; witnessing this sense of community, heart and catharsis in person, that distinction is glaringly obvious.

Chepang. Photo: Demelza Kingston (Oculus Sinistra)