Madball, Mama Roux's, Birmingham - review

There's a lot of anticipation among the crowd before they hit the stage, and Guilt Trip delivers with their hard-as-nails breakdowns [see the midpoint of Disdain for evidence] and razor sharp vocals.

Tellingly, despite the relatively early start for Guilt Trip, there's a more than decent crowd in the venue to see them. Many of them will be expecting big things from the band in future.

Higher Power have built up a strong reputation in hardcore circles in recent times, cemented by the release of their excellent debut album Soul Structure earlier this year.

Singer J Town says he’s knackered tonight after spending the day moving house, but there are no signs of fatigue in the band’s frenetic short-but-sweet set.

Higher Power’s sound is fairly unique in the UK scene, mixing New York style hardcore from the Leeway school with vocals that remind me of Richie Birkenhead of Into Another/Underdog fame.

That’s no bad thing.

There’s a head-bobbing groove that runs through their songs, exemplified best tonight in Can’t Relate, which sends the Mama Roux’s crowd into a melee of fly-kicking abandonment.

It’s fair to say that by the time the final crunching riffs of brooding set closer World Gone Mad fill the air, Brum is suitably impressed.

The truly wonderful thing about New York hardcore kingpins Madball - aside from the great songs, the near 30-years of hardcore tradition and tireless work ethic – is that they appear to grow better with age.

Freddy Cricien is the cocksure frontman you would expect him to be, having first appeared on stage with big brother Roger Miret's Agnostic Front when he was a nipper.

Backed by the rumbling bass of Hoya and guitarist Brian Daniels' scything riffs, they are still one of the most formidable outfits in the worldwide hardcore scene.

Back in Europe for the umpteenth time, tonight was the last UK date of the current tour, which sees them head to the continent for a pair of shows before returning to the States for a short break in their exhaustive schedule.

Mama Roux's is packed to the rafters by the time long-haired Cricien bounds onto the stage with a broad grin and immediately prompts the crowd into a wild pit with Hardcore Lives.

Four songs in and the title track from 1994's debut album Set It Off rings out, somehow managing to sound harder and more vicious than ever.

At times during the career-spanning set Madball delve even deeper into the archives, breaking out late 80s classics Get Out and It's My Life - recorded when Freddy was in his early teens.

Crowd favourites' The Beast, Infiltrate The System and Pride induce stage diving and gang-style sing-a-longs. There's even a speaker stack somersault at one point - a rare sight these days in the UK's 'health and safety first' venues.

Cricien also shows a remarkable grasp of the Queen's English, jokingly calling those in the crowd who had not bought his band's last album that most English of words: 'wa*kers'.

Set closer Doc Marten Stomp - Madball's by now traditional finale - is made for screaming along to. And the by now sweat drenched crowd do not disappoint.

Madball are far more than a throwback to hardcore's glory days, they are carrying the movement kicking and screaming into the future.

Fortunately they will be back on these shores next year for the Resistance tour with Hatebreed,Terror and Power Trip among others.

And with a new album currently being written, it's clear there's plenty of life in the olds dogs yet.