The second I found out that Hacktivist were playing at a venue as cosy as the Bodega I was sold. I was sure that the intimacy and intensity the set would involve would make for an incredible gig – and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.
After a bit of a wait the opener The 500 started proceedings. They weren’t the most original band to grace metal but made up for it by generally putting in a good shift trying to get the crowd riled up. They were appreciative of everyone getting into it and by the end everyone was raring to go, ready for the headliners to take the venue by storm.
If you haven’t heard their music before Hacktivist’s mix of grime and metal entails menacing groove driven verses exploding into thunderous choruses and breakdowns. The fact that the band features two rappers – Ben and J – means that there is never a lull in the vocal onslaught of songs, as one finishes an expertly delivered verse the other will jump straight in, the two expertly switching back and forth.
The second the band got on the stage the crowd lost it. They delivered a flurry of incredible tracks including Hacktivist and Deceive and Defy, all of which were impeccable. The size of the venue made the gig all the more hectic; you could be right at the front singing the lyrics back at the band one minute and diving into the maelstrom at the centre of the room the next. As expected from a band with often politicised lyrics the set had it’s fair share of discussion of such issues. They went beyond merely thanking their fans for showing up – which they did do extensively – and took the gig as an opportunity to have a good dig at both ISIS and David Cameron, something the crowd was entirely supportive of.
Gabriel Burrow
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