Live Review: Wallowing with STILL, Casing, and Grandad at The New Cross Inn, London (17/05/23)

It’s the penultimate show of extreme sci-fi metal band Wallowing’s UK tour, this on the back of their release of their new album, the excellent Earth Reaper. An album that we loved, describing it as follows:

With limitless imagination and ambition, Wallowing have already made a name for themselves with the exceptional Planet Loss. An album that immersed the listener in their dystopian sci-fi world and delivered a concept that embodied their extreme metal sound. Now, they’re back and somehow, they’ve bettered what they did in 2019.

If Planet Loss was the release that put Wallowing on the map, Earth Reaper is the release that blasts them into the stratosphere.

Read the full review of ‘Earth Reaper’ here, the debut album ‘Planet Loss’ here, and listen to an interview with conducted with the band, below.

Wallowing are an exceptional band on record, but how they are live?

An immersive and unforgiving experience that confirms them as one of the brightest young bands in the metal scene right now. Before we talk more about them though, let’s focus on the support. It’s The New Cross Inn, fast becoming one of our favourite venues, and with little fanfare, London’s own geriatric hardcore onion crust band Grandad take to the stage.

The frontman stalks the floor in front of the stage, as a mildly interested crowd gathers, but before long, these noise-mongers have well and truly won over everyone who came down early. It’s filthy sounding, it’s chaotic, and it’s lovable. Kind of like their name suggests. If, like us, you didn’t know anything about this band beforehand, you were hopefully as impressed as we were.

Another unknown is next, as Casing take to the stage. A three-piece that defy all genre expectations. It’s a mental blend of nihilistic punk, abrasive industrial, manic grind, and none of those things. They are a fascinating watch and a captivating listen. Already, the ears are ringing from the noise created by this unique band.

There’s no time to recover though, as STILL are up next and while they offer up immense levels of heaviness, there’s something a bit different about them.

Playing an attractive style of blackened post-hardcore, STILL hit hard with their drum/bass combo. Yet, there’s a grandness to their sound that cuts through the meatiness and gives the whole experience a different flavour. There’s a curious dichotomy to what STILL do, being both melancholic and savage in equal measures. It leaves one hell of an impression.

Which is exactly what Wallowing do with an insane and immersive live show that has to be seen to be believed. From the outfits, to the lighting, to the movements, and of course, the songs, Wallowing are on absolute fire here. On stage, they stomp and jump around like they’re possessed. Expending so much energy that the vocalists genuinely seem exhausted by the end.

They hit the packed out venue with a tidal wave of sci-fi infused extreme metal. Music that combines elements of death, black, doom, punk, industrial, and so on. Encapsulated by a sci-fi dystopian concept that comes through strongly even in the live environment. From beginning to end, it’s ear-drum exploding levels of intensity, and it’s simply brilliant. Wallowing on record is one thing, Wallowing in the flesh is another. Combine the two and you have one of the best things in metal right now.

Next time they beam in to your city, make sure you see them.