Birmingham band Splintered talk how they're putting hardcore on the map

And now, Splintered – formerly Brass Tongue – are rising fast following a number of local performances and the release of their debut EP Social Unrest.

“Splintered formed in January 2017 with Dan O’Reilly on vocals, Tobi Reeves on bass, Jack Beale-Burchell on guitar and Liam Moore on drums,” says second guitarist Jacques Groce.

“After hearing the EP myself, I approached the band about joining on second guitar after really liking what I’d heard. We all live around Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Solihull, and remain local.

“We play a unique blend of heavy hardcore, thrash and groove that we’re really proud of.”

Social Unrest was released on January 27, 2017, followed by a string of shows at The Flapper in Birmingham, and Pit Fest in Cheltenham. They performed alongside Drawn In, Shattered Youth, Goblins, Bar Fight and more.

“When the EP was released Splintered had two shows planned – The Marrs Bar in Worcester, and FlyFest which the band’s first ever show as Splintered,” Jacques continues. “That was in our friend Dal’s kitchen for his 30th birthday bash with Curbstomp, Revolve, Stranded, Pinky, Darkmouth SCBD and Abandonment.”

“Following those shows I joined permanently in March and Splintered 2.0 was born.

From kitchen shows to UK-wide tours – Splintered have a lot planned for 2017 and they have taken the hardcore scene by storm.

They’ve gone on to playing venues across the UK with the likes of Guilt Trip, Astroid Boys Bar Fight, Revolve, Bent Life, Regulate and more.

“Our shows generally consist of loads of energy moshing and the occasional set of horns being thrown up,” Jacques says.

“We aim for our live shows to be a good mixture of all things metal and hardcore. This means lots of riffs for the music lovers and a few heavy parts in songs where kids can mosh and batter each other if that’s their thing.”

Splintered are set to play DonFest Summer Bash at The Wharf Chambers in Leeds on July 15, with TRC headlining.

Following this, Splintered will take part in the Bay Ten showcase hosted by Walsall’s Bay Ten Studios on July 21, in support of fellow Midlands bands Curbstomp, Full Contact, Stranded, Dark Mouth and Abandonment.

Hardcore music has always had a strong sense of community and family values, and this is something that Splintered hold dear as they tirelessly represent their local music scene and strive to take it to new heights.

“I have been involved in Second City Hardcore since about 2010, and in that time I’ve learnt that the scene in Birmingham is very up and down,” Jacques tells us.

“In 2011 to around 2014 hardcore in Birmingham was thriving with local promoter Kieran Murphy booking lots of cool packages with bands such as Desolated, Providence, Rotting Out, Survival, Expire and Splitcase which allowed local bands to showcase what they do alongside big names.

“Birmingham was, and still is, known for having our own arsenal of bands such as Bide Your Time, Times together, Sentenced, Outta Sight, Drawn in, Outlived, Curbstomp, Restraint and many more – that constantly supported each other with releases and shows.

“Most of those bands now have had to call it a day which has had an impact on the scene, but in the past few years we’ve seen a fresh batch of bands forming and kids coming out to shows which has been really cool, and has given the scene new life.

“Bands such as Stranded, Abandonment, Force of Neglect and Darkmouth SCBD to name a few have been putting Birmingham hardcore back on the map.

“Personally I’d say hardcore in Birmingham is at one of its high points with local shows easily reaching more than 100 people, and with so many good new bands cropping up it’s only set to keep growing.”

Splintered will play DonFest Summer Bash at The Wharf Chambers in Leeds on July 15, and Bay Ten showcase hosted by Walsall’s Bay Ten Studios on July 21.

Download Social Unrest at www.splinteredschc.bandcamp.com. For more details go to www.facebook.com/SPLINTEREDSCHC/

Becci Stanley