DIY x Dr. Martens’ #STANDFORSOMETHING tour lands in Nottingham

Next up are the insatiably boisterous Gnarwolves, who kick off their set after a rather vocalised dash to the toilet by guitarist Thom Weeks. Bladders emptied and ready to go, the trio blast their way through a set filled with tastes from both their ‘CRU’ and ‘Funemployed’ EPs, wasting no time in causing havoc in the crowd. It’s the likes of ‘Community, Stability, Identity’ and ‘Oh, Brave New World’ that really get things going, and by the time that the set closes with ‘Melody Has A Plan, the singalongs feel electric. It’s another truly triumphant outing for the three-piece; not even their broken van could succeed in slowing this lot down.

Shortly afterwards, he main support slot sees The Minx quite clearly channeling their primary influence. Taking to the stage donning t-shirts covered with the likes of Bad Brains and Stiff Little Fingers, the Manchester band quite clearly wear punk on their sleeves – and chests - and tonight it shows. Their music is as aptly of the genre as their mohawks, and their Ramones-style throwbacks reminisce loudly. If true chaos was reserved for any act tonight, though, it was always going to be Lower Than Atlantis. Squeezing themselves (sort of) onto the low-but-wide stage, all lines are blurred between band and crowd as frontman Mike Duce makes quick work of diving into the crowd. Blasting through hits from their previous three full-lengths, their audience seems in the palm of their hand with every turn: not even a few rather unfortunate technical difficulties manage to calm the room’s spirits. Granted, the break in the set does seem somewhat troubling, but before we know it, they’re back on form and offering up quick and witty renditions of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’, and – of course – Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’. Diving headfirst back into the set, their fans follow suit: not a body stays still during their stage time. In fact, most of them seem intent to crowd surf their way to the closing track. Then, in a blur of mosh pits, broken pedals and hoarse singalongs, things draw to an explosive close and it seems to all be over all too quickly.

Natural Tendency
“It was warm, which is always a good thing! I was sort of down on the floor with everyone, which was really cool because they made us feel really at home. It’s our first time in Nottingham and it’s been a really good show and we were really grateful to have the opportunity to do it.”

Gnarwolves
“It was really good fun! It’s a nice venue and there was a nice intimate vibe. The crowd were cool and we had a lovely time. It was worth the journey. It’s always worth it! What else would we do? Sit at home? We’d always rather be playing a show than not playing a show, definitely.”

The Minx
“It was really cool. It was our first time in Nottingham, we’ve never been here before, ever so yeah, it’ been great. We weren’t sure how it might go down, as we’re a bit of a different band to Lower Than Atlantis, but I don’t think it mattered to be honest. Everyone was here just because there were cool bands on. It’s all worked out great.”

Lower Than Atlantis
“Basically, it was like playing in a pub about four years ago when we started playing in a band. Everyone was going absolutely f**king mental and there was no barrier.All of our stuff’s broke, but that’s fine because everyone had a good time. We don’t care - we just had a really good laugh! We played to two hundred kids in a pub and it was just a laugh.”

Tags: Gnarwolves, Lower Than Atlantis, News, #SFSTOUR13