It’s our first gig of 2026, and what a corker this promises to be. Cwfen have been on a rocket ride to space in the last twelve months, picking up many Album Of The Year listings, and we are so excited to see them again in the perfectly punk rock settings of Wharf Chambers. But first…
Acceptance kicks off proceedings with their blackened shoegazey hardcore blast. We have known this band for a few years now, since they were formerly called Fatalist. Boy, have they blossomed (if indeed that’s the correct word to use in a black metal context). Guitarist Callum has massively grown in sound and confidence, and the rhythm section is airtight, giving the vocals a huge bed of sound to howl and scream over. Indeed, their vocalist definitely gets right up close and personal with the early crowd. I’m sure a few merch sales will be done tonight!
Helve specialise in breeze-block-heavy doom and lead post-metal. Their sound will please fans of Neurosis at their heaviest or even Primitive Man. They have a lot of pleasing light with their shade. Feel-good chorus lovers won’t find mercy from this Leeds-based wrecking crew. Sometimes, Helve is only for the hardcore, with crushing heaviness and Northern gloom. As a fan, I can definitely recommend Helve for the slow-motion headbangers out there.
Tonight isn’t so much a gig as a victory lap for Cwfen. It was Stewart and Kerry Ramsey of Bad Owl who first introduced us to this band almost a year ago at their incredible Strange Forms, and tonight Cwfen returns to Leeds and Bad Owl presents, as conquering heroes. Agnes and the crew, despite delivering the moodiest of post-punk-tinged anthems, cannot disguise their elation and seem genuinely humbled and surprised at the reception they’re given as they unleash the instant classics from last year’s Sorrow album from the Type O Negative meets Sisters Of Mercy opener Bodies onwards, it’s simply a case of 100% dark rock perfection. Wolfsbane owns the greatest riff The Cult never wrote and it’s presented in the live setting with pinpoint accuracy on all levels.
Guitarist and backing singer Guy De Nuit is the very embodiment of effortless guitar style, while his melodies actually tell a different, far more complex story. A new track is aired tonight, we didn’t catch its title, but Guy definitely said it was a new one on the mic. Call-and-response twin guitars from both Agnes and Guy weave in and out with the thunderous rhythm section of Mary Thomas Baker and Rös Ranquinn, delivering a solid backbone full of subtle nuance and movement. Reliks has the most vocal elements in the crowd singing along to every word and belongs on an arena stage. Penance unleashes the full rage of Agnes’ harsh vocals, which at times feel akin to Witch Club Satan’s pained, blasphemous howls. This carries on into Embers and Rite, delivering us home after a thoroughly emotional set. This is what they call a paradox, an exhilarating celebration of a highly powered rise to everyone’s new favourite band, whilst also possessing a sound that is dark as obsidian in all the best ways.
Join the cult of Cwfen, we have, and we are true believers.
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
Acceptance
Helve
Cwfen
