Knocked Loose review: ‘Hardcore brutality off the charts’

It’s truly an exciting time for the metal scene. Spiritbox’s ‘Tsunami Sea’ received universal acclaim, and their trajectory has them set on course to headline arenas in the not-too-distant future. Sleep Token are destined for their biggest year yet with a headlining slot at Download Festival in the summer, a slate of arena shows across the United States, and a new album to come. Then you’ve got the likes of Poppy, Bad Omens, the legendary Metallica, nu-metal icons Slipknot and Korn, who are still red-hot, and of course, there is Knocked Loose, and it’s safe to say they are at the top of their game.

Their third studio album, ‘You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To’, garnered critical acclaim upon its release in spring 2024. The band earned a nomination for the Best Metal Performance at the Grammy Awards and performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live in November. After performing their biggest headlining show in the UK at London’s Brixton Academy on Monday, it feels inevitable that they will be headlining bigger venues in the not-too-distant future.

From the outset, at the O2 Victoria Warehouse, the performance was hardcore brutality off the charts. As the crowd was bathed in a sea of black, a crucifix positioned above Kevin Kaine’s drumkit, covered in white lighting, shone as the eerie sound of bell chimes rang around the venue before the sound of chugging guitars, punchy drums and Bryan Garris’ guttural screams took over in a rendition of ‘Thirst’ that hits you like an RKO from Randy Orton.

Seeking to set the tone for the evening, Garris asked the Mancunian crowd, “Are you ready to go crazy?” before performing a rendition of the intense ‘Deep in the Willow’ which saw the Wall of Death emerge for the first time. The skull-crushing riffs of ‘God Knows’ are spine-tingling in a live setting; Kaine’s hard-hitting drumlines and aggressive guitars stand out on ‘Don’t Reach For Me’, which Garris dedicates to the crowd surfers.

Ahead of a rendition of the explosive ‘Trapped in the Grasp of a Memory’, guitarist Isaac Hale bellowed, “I need a circle pit right now,” and the audience duly delivered as Garris’ powerful screams and aggressive growls echoed throughout the intimate venue. The heavy ‘Piece by Piece’ explodes with the sound of Hale and Nicko Calderon’s heavily distorted guitars, particularly ear-catching, and ‘Deadringer’ is a shot of adrenaline.

Midway through the set, Garris demanded the crowd “bang their head off their shoulders" for the intense and haunting ‘Moss Covers All’ before the pace dips with the slow-building ‘Take Me Home’. Admittedly, last night’s show brought a first for me too. The band’s performance of ‘Everything Is Quiet Now’ was brought to a halt after the sound was cut off in the venue, possibly due to the waves of crowd surfers overwhelming security. However, the band returned with a five-punch combo of ‘Suffocate’ ‘Blinding Faith’, ‘Counting Worms', ‘Billy No Mates’ and ‘Sit and Mourn' to close out a splendid night of live music.

If the band’s set at the O2 Victoria Warehouse was anything to go by, performing inside intimate venues may well become a thing of the past sooner rather than later for the five-piece from Kentucky. The hardcore world is Knocked Loose’s, and we’ve got the pleasure of being a part of it.