Live Review: Unholy Alliance / Dead Objectives / Dischord / Sonnet 13 – Old Town House, Warrington, UK, 24th November 2018

The Old Town House is a venue situated on the outskirts of Warrington, it is somewhat unsurprisingly an old town house that contrary to its genteel exterior is decked with flyers and gig posters and a range of beers that makes me glad I’m not driving tonight, although our resident photographer may have had a somewhat different perspective on this subject. There is a compact stage that would struggle to accommodate a ska outfit but it is one that is perfect for the compact punk bands on display this evening, that tonight includes Dead Objectives, Dischord, Sonnet 13 and Unholy Alliance, Burning Flag were due to play but sadly they have had to pull out of tonight’s show due to illness, something that results in a reduced door price and leaves a fine quartet of grass roots punk bands on offer.

After catching up with a few familiar faces whilst Oldham’s Sonnet 13 deliver a noisy soundcheck the night starts with a blast of brutal hardcore that veers into the roots of thrash metal, but for the most part this is no holds barred old school hardcore punk that takes it cue from the roots of the American and UK hardcore scenes. Their twin vocalists are visually an odd couple, their hulking mohawk sporting bass player towers over their guitarist, but in the volume stakes they are equally matched as both deliver full blooded vocals, although you do sense that their guitarists hyperactivity might have been restrained by the compact stage. Sonnet 13 are relatively new to the scene having so far only released their split single, A Tale Of Two Cities, but on the evidence of tonight’s show their debut album, that is due to drop in 2019, will be something to look forward to.

Blackpool’s Dischord are next up, this is good natured hardcore punk that is served straight up and hits the spot perfectly, their vocalist eschews the confines of the stage and regularly heads out to spread mayhem amongst the crowd. Dischord lay their political cards on the table with Shell Shocked, a song that is commences with an introduction of “fuck racism, fuck sexism, fuck homophobia, don’t be a cunt” that cuts through the bullshit and gets a refreshingly blunt manifesto across. Dischord are a band that don’t deal in subtlety and don’t adhere to any template, tonight was my first exposure to them and it certainly won’t be my last. Towards the end of Dischord’s set an influx of people start pouring into the venue and you can’t help thinking they missed out on the first two bands, but at least they’re here in time for Manchester’s Dead Objectives who are on the eve of launching their debut full length, Human Symptom.  

Dead Objectives kick off with a brief statement of “let’s get this fucking thing going” and they’re off into Hollywood. Dead Objectives carry an anarcho punk sensibility but blend this with elements from hardcore and post punk, and of course good old fashioned punk rock, to create something that is truly unique in Manchester’s diverse punk scene. Dead Objectives, like every band on tonight’s bill, are borne of the DIY scene and are politically motivated, whether it’s raging against consumerism to opposing the current regime or covering environmental issues, their political stance is laid down, and if you don’t like it then that’s tough. The material from their forthcoming full length sounds sharper and more focused than ever and on the evidence of tonight’s show this could well be a late contender for one of the best releases from 2018. Always on topic they harpoon political whales with razor sharp barbed lyrics that are underpinned by an eclectic punk soundtrack, one that for my money marks them out as one of Manchester’s best DIY bands, and that is no mean feat in a city that is arguably claiming to be the home of DIY punk in the UK.

Finally we come to Unholy Alliance who close tonight with a set that crosses old school punk and hardcore, they are a welcome closure to a bill that showcases the diversity of the North West’s punk scene, arguably the most old school of tonight’s line up, but with no less an impact than their predecessors, they  complete a line up that indicates that punk is alive and well in the North West of the UK. Night’s like tonight and your local scene need your support, especially as venues like the Old Town House are becoming an endangered species, because you’ll miss it when it’s gone. Tonight is the kind of show where you don’t know the venue, the town it’s located in or most of the bands but turns out to be the kind of night you tell people you should have been there, the four bands and the superb setting of the Old Town House, that actively supports the bands that are playing, is faultless, you really should have been here. Venues like the Old Town House and the four bands that appeared tonight underline exactly what makes the UK’s DIY scene so vibrant.

Dead Objectives Facebook page is here and their Bandcamp is here

Dischord‘s Facebook page is here and their Bandcamp is here

Sonnet 13 can be found on Facebook here and on Bandcamp here

Unholy Alliance‘s Facebook page is here

The Old Town House‘s website is located here

Live photography is by Dean Unsworth, his Instagram account is located here and you can click on any of Dean’s photos to view a slide show of the images