Divorce / Ultimate Thrush @ The bay horse, Manchester 05/03/12

So, I’m just upstairs after Ultimate Thrush have played their set. I witnessed a fury of sporadic, yet seasoned blast-bursts, all held together by carefree fun artistry. They open the set with low lights, and the vocalist sliding across the floor, his back to a skateboard, free styling on a clarinet. 

When you witness something like this, you know how little of a fuck the band give, both for convention and appearing pretentious. The following half an hour is a barrage of thrash hungry power violence punk and some more clarinet.

A slight interlude was given to pay mock-homage to mosh-heavy breakdown scenecore. In the right way. Playing mostly new and unheard tracks, Ultimate Thrush are chaotic and unpredictable in every way, except they turned up, played loud music and were a bit weird. No costumes either. Devils.

 

Then there's Divorce: Lesbian hardcore grrl punk at its best. Chug heavy and my lips are chapped. Tightened thick with post punk tendencies, distorted power, throaty growls and punk shouts. In a Divorce show, the people with the most balls are them. The crowd are headbang heavy and we’re all friends together here. Not as sporadic or thrashy as UT are, but certainly as carefree and just as loud. There is more sludge, there is more grunge, there is more meat on these bones. They're also very tight, and well rehearsed. I overheard a fat gent say ‘they’re possessed, but in the best way’ that’s certainly a good review, if I ever heard one. And I’ll leave you with that.

For more photos click here

Eliot Humphries

Divorce / Ultimate Thrush: Tour preview

Up in Glasgow way, bands Divorce & Ultimate Thrush are doing quite well for themselves. They're homegrown DIY noisy hardcore punks, known for their explosive live performances, full of costumes, experimentation, noise and general Glaswegian ganders. But they are venturing southwards and doing a couple of dates around England.This might be the most important tour you ever missed.

 But wait, you needn’t miss it. No, not at all. They’re playing:

FRIDAY 2nd: LEEDS, Brudenell Social Club Part of the British Wildlife Festival w/ Disasteradio, Bad Guys and Super Luxury

SATURDAY 3rd: LONDON, Power Lunches/ Tortura and Loveover

SUNDAY 4th: NORTHAMPTON, The Labour Clubw/ E U N U C H S

MONDAY 5th: MANCHESTER, The Bay Horsew/ Trojan Horse

I highly advise anybody into DIY experimental noise rock music, hardcore music or punk music to go to one/all of these dates as it will be fantastic. GRRL Punk ‘Divorce’ meets spazzcore odyssey ‘Ultimate Thrush’

Eliot Humphries