On a cold, rainy Saturday night in Leeds, we make yet another pilgrimage to our favourite northern venue, the legendary Brudenell Social Club. For years and years, the “Brude,” as locals refer to it, has been the home of countless standout evenings for anyone in the Leeds area who enjoys alternative music of all kinds, and tonight is no different. We have a spectacular package on display this evening, from the pride of Irish hardcore Worn Out to the feral mathcore rage of Pupil Slicer and the dystopian heavyweight stomp of LLNN. This long-awaited show promises a much-needed kick to the temple for anyone avoiding premature Christmas consumerism.
First band out of the gates tonight are Cork bruisers, Worn Out, who bring us muscular hardcore with surprise Shania Twain samples on their first belter, Miles Away and launch a metric tonne of groove in the process. This is not utilised enough in modern hardcore, we feel, good old dirty grooves to trigger the screwfaces. Standout tracks tonight: Deeper and Twisting Knives benefit significantly from a guitar change and a markedly upgraded tone. Duracell bunny drummer Evan has a snare drum that sounds like a shotgun, and he’s firing at will alongside Brian’s truly locked-in thundering basslines. Frontman Xander possesses an infectious, energetic stage presence and fully commits to the chaos, even randomly bleeding for his performance tonight for reasons we didn’t catch; maybe it was his mid-set crowd surf? To top this awesome opening display of brutality, Victor from LLNN joins the band onstage for their penultimate track Lose Sleep. Worn Out conclude their set with the excellent Collapse from their essential latest EP Low, and the feeling we’re left with is that the Cork scene has some of the best and most original talent operating in leftfield hardcore music today, and you definitely shouldn’t sleep on it.
To say Pupil Slicer are on a blaze right now is to state the bleeding obvious, fresh from the release of their incredible Fleshwork album only three weeks before this gig, Pupil Slicer tonight is a band completely revitalised and playing the best set we have ever seen them play, and we’ve seen this band play a lot over the past four years. Opening with the punishing Sacrosanct, it’s utterly clear that Kate in particular has a newfound vigour and stage presence, fully engaging with the audience and thriving in the whole tilt atmosphere onstage. One thing that doesn’t get discussed enough is how great a musician Kate is. Just watch her riffing hand as she sings; her muscle memory is astonishing.
Obviously, the biggest change in the Pupil Slicer lineup and sound is the new bass player, Luke. His solid foundational approach benefits the overall sound of the band, giving the mathy chaos of the riffs a sturdy groove to glide around. This overall step up in sound is best exemplified in the mid-set knockout run that starts with new-album highlights Fleshwork and Heather and reaches its zenith on the Blossom LP standout track No Temple, with its skittering breakbeats and savvy electronica. As the dying notes of the caustic Wounds Upon My Skin ring out at the end of Pupil Slicer’s frankly scorching set, you’d be forgiven for thinking the night was over because to all intents and purposes, that felt like the last set of the night and was a total victory run for one of the best albums of 2025.
After that, lesser bands would crumble, but we are not talking about mere bands; we are talking about an absolute force, we are talking about LLNN, probably the heaviest thing in any field to come out of Denmark ever. Huge atmospheric samples fill the room and set the stage for the onslaught that is to come as LLNN take the stage and set about causing structural damage with the aptly titled Imperial, and from here on in, it’s total destruction. LLNN sound like a hardcore adjacent version of Godflesh with a powerhouse drummer tom my ears except their special weapon lies in the deft sound manipulation of Ketil, inspired by the sounds of his family blacksmiths workshop he set about sampling the whirring, the grinding and the hammer blows and converted them into the gnarly sounds you hear on tracks like Forger he’s a phenomenally talented producer. He has proved his ability to soundtrack the end of days many times with LLNN and his other electronic project, John Cxnner. Tonight, tracks like The Horror bring an almost fanatical awe from the assembled throng as frontman and guitarist Rasmus writhes and headbangs like a hybrid clone upgrade of Ian Mackaye and Henry Rollins combined.
The sound reverberating around the venue’s walls is simply apocalyptic, and it becomes very clear that this is one of the reasons this gig has been such an anticipated event. Reports of similar mind and body alterations are coming in from across the country in the aftermath of LLNN’s visit to our shores, and it’s no exaggeration to say they have left scorched earth behind them across the UK. Xander from Worn Out reciprocates on the night’s earlier guest spot, and it’s wonderful to see all three bands on this bill absolutely gelling and seemingly having the time of their lives as Resurrection rains sonic fire and brimstone on the throng.
As LLNN’s set ends, it feels like they’ve only been onstage for a short time, but that is just testament to how much Leeds has enjoyed a thorough kicking as we go into the dark, rainy night with huge smiles on our faces. This was an amazing evening with three bands playing at the top of their game, showcasing the exciting possibilities in modern heavy music.
Review By George Miller – https://www.facebook.com/oneflamemedia
Photos By: Thomas Hazlehurst – https://www.instagram.com/tommytogtog/
Subscribe to DeVlog – The Video Home Of Devolution Magazine https://www.youtube.com/@devolutionmagazine
Worn Out
Pupil Slicer
LLNN
