LIVE FROM THE PIT: Sick Joy, The Dirty Nil and Microwave

Brighton based ‘Sick Joy’ were up first, an hour after doors, and if you weren’t watching them, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you they consisted of only two members, drummer Drew and singer/guitarist Mykl. Mixing pop, grunge and melodic heaviness, they were a perfect choice to get the crowd pumped up for the bands to come. Not much was said by them to engage the crowd apart from a quick hello and introduction, but once the room started to fill up, it was evident that their music spoke for itself. Saying goodbye to the crowd with two remaining songs, ‘I’ve Got More Than I Need (And I Don’t Have Much)’ and the explosive tune, ‘Painkiller’, before a short and sweet “cheers, bye”, then extending their thanks by meeting their fans at their merch table at the end of the show.

Next up was Canadian three-piece rock band, The Dirty Nil. You could instantly tell that a good chunk of the audience had turned up specifically for them; with it being a co-headline tour, and they didn’t disappoint their fans with their 50-minute set that was full of energy from start to finish. Jumping in sync, getting in with the crowd, and even dedicating a song to a fan that shouted loudest in response to the bassist’s question “who here has a stupid job?”, before the song, ‘Stupid Jobs’. They delivered a mix of rock, punk and rock ‘n’ roll, and the fans showed their appreciation with mosh pits left right and centre. The band stated that this was their biggest London headline show. The Dirty Nil delivered their blend of genres perfectly in their own unique and unapologetic way. Even if they weren’t something you’d typically enjoy, you couldn’t deny their infectious vibe.

With a same length set as the previous act, last but not least, we had Atlanta based ‘Microwave’ take to the stage. Playing a range of older songs mixed with those from their newly released ‘Let’s Start Degeneracy’, opening with ‘Ferrari’. The show started out calm before ripping into ‘Mirrors’, and the mosh pits were back in full force as the heavier vocals and riffs began.

Although their stage presence was less energetic than The Dirty Nil, the crowd more than made up for it, with every song getting an even bigger reaction and more enthusiasm than the last. Around half-way through the 15-song set, the recent album was promoted by frontman Nathan Hardy, followed by two singles that came from it; ‘Circling The Drain’ and ‘Bored of Being Sad’, the crowd were nothing but consistent with their reactions of their old and new tunes. Shortly after these songs is when the crowd surfers started to multiply, like a sea ebbing and flowing along with the music.

The band continue their set dabbling in and out of different genres, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind, screaming and shouting along to all of their songs from ‘Huperzine Dreams’ to ‘Stovall’. The band thanked everyone for coming out to party with them on a Wednesday night, and it was one to remember. They disappeared for all of a minute before being cheered back on for an encore to close the set with ‘Lighterless’ and ‘But Not Often’, and once again the mix of genres that we were presented with from the start of the first act to the end of the last just proved that music is our universal language that can unite anyone and everyone.

Words: Lorna Hayes

Cover Photo: Ellie Jones