Music / Reviews
Review: Knives, Thekla – ‘Barely draws breath’
You only get one debut album.
Luckily, Bristol’s KNIVES have smashed it. Thus making their album launch for GLITTER a punk party.
They treat a sold out Thekla crowd to the album in full on a night that feels like a culmination of years of hard work and celebration of a killer new album.
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The set flies open instantly, smashing the ship’s decks with THE DAGGER, gaining an instant wave of momentum.
This song barely draws breath, giving us the hairdryer treatment in the front row with front man Jay finding his flow and running with it. If you want two-minute hardcore punk songs, KNIVES have the whole set.
A barrage of punk-rock: Knives also feature saxophone and violin
I swear everyone who has ever been to a KNIVES gig can be found, crammed into a sweaty ball of childlike glee in the pit or on top of the pit: there must have been some sort of record broken for number of crowd surfers, a constant stream of fans running through the stage and jumping into the grateful arms and heads of their fellow fans.
KNIVES unleash a barrage of punk-rock with EAT THY NEIGHBOUR smashing into PHD; the album seems to translate into the perfect live set.
The pace is relentless as PUBLIC JUICE offers screaming, sax-infused breakdowns and abusive basslines as it stops and starts, picks you up and spits you into CHROMA, only to do it all over again.
Screaming sax adds to the relentless chaos and power on stage
Ben on bass flies around the stage, offering more high kicks than a can-can convention as Jay raps his rage, the whole thing a gloriously demonic mass of KNIVES noise.
The momentum continues as they hit us with some oldies, notably HEADCASE, Jay with a massive grin on his face, arms folded, taking in the scenes of devotion reflected back from a packed Thekla sweat pit.
The set finishes with the band gathering to capture the moment on film in front of a sea of exasperated fans.
This feels like a huge night for the band and everyone involved. The KNIVES noise is gaining more and more well-deserved momentum.
All images: Matt Barnes
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