This lot’s genre is lobbed without an ounce of accuracy somehwere between proto-punk and skater-punk, with a few distorted and razor-sharp pop tunes thrown into the mix. With it comes an insane fanbase who almost wrecked the joint!

Date: December 16, 2013

Venue: Rescue Rooms’ Red Room

“Nottingham’s sick, innit?”, announce Gnarwolves, as they reminisce about their myriad visits to the city.

This is their fifth visit, but these returning hard-core/post-hardcore merchants of noise are still having fun, “Jolly good fun”, in fact. But don’t let that attempt at quintessential Englishness fool you: Gnarwolves snarl and salivate like starving wolves in a chicken run, and their fanbase respond accordingly.

There isn’t really the space to stage dive or crowd surf, such is the Red Room’s limited capacity and low ceiling, but that ain’t going to stop the sold-out crowd from risking bruised and battered bonces from the room’s hazardous beams.

They throw themselves stagewards and climb upon each other as the whole room becomes a frothing, sweaty pit of madness.

As their sound swells like adverse weather systems hellbent on causing tsunamis of noise, a sea of bodies is carried upon a wave of hands.

If all this sounds like carnage, hold up. Amidst the fury are tunes. Tunes that are galvanised by tumultuous guitars, insane drumming and a Cornish-via-Brighton accent.

As the gig closes, and the rabid crowd react to their hardcore noise assault, security step in (boo!) and the crowd surfers are warned of their conduct. Harsh. Particularly as a sound this strong deserves this boisterous participation.

Unperturbed, the band play on, smothering and strangling skater-punk songs beneath a blanket of hardcore rebellion.

By this point, security is futile, as a circle pit evolves, a stage is invaded and the gig concludes in unbridled mayhem. Lacanthropic? Chaotic more like.