Public transport. That most fundamental of imperatives I rely on to ensure I get to shows on time, if at all. Most of the time I get to stay til the end but sometimes I have to cut it short. Today, for the first UK date of the hardcore juggernaut that is the Eastpak Resistance Tour I have to leave at the painfully frustrating time of 8pm. Yes, that’s right – EIGHT o Clock to catch my last train home, thus missing most of the acts on this soon-to-be-legendary 8-band line up that’s seen the likes of Biohazard, Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, Discipline, All Boro Kings, Death Threat and Born From Pain tearing it through 7 European countries in the space of 2 weeks. And as Eastpak brand manager Rob van Ravens insists that “a lot of our salesmen or marketing guys can still be found in a most-pit or on a skate deck” it seems only right that the hardcore friendly backpack manufacturers would sponsor such a trek.

Kicking it off at the relatively late time of 6:30pm Dutch bruisers Born From Pain bound onto the stage with their macho metal-core as a handful of audience members soon turns into a hotbed of sweat as some of the fitter attendees begin to warm up the pit for the ground-shaking beatdowns awaiting later sets. However, despite a bone-skakingly thunderous drum sound throughout formulaic tracks like ‘Death and The City’ Born From Pain’s vocal grunting appeared to weigh the band down and no amount of tough-guy poses could really escape it.

Strutting the stage next were New York’s all-drinking, all-smoking All Boro Kings, and believe me they don’t beat around the bush when it comes to the “f**ked up” lifestyle they openly promote at every opportunity. OK, so they’re no Skarhead but when a band starts to have song names like ’12 Pack’, after the wondrous invention that binds cans of beer into 12 easy-to-carry units then you kinda want to buy them a book or something. Musically, they plug a mixture of Biohazard vocals and Dog Eat Dog grooves but come off sounding like a terrible version of both nonetheless. Avoid.

And so, it’s up to the UK’s own Stampin’ Ground show us what hardcore’s premier league sound like and by ‘eck it’s heavy! Although I only manage to catch three songs the SG boys are a big lesson in beatdown-ridden hardcore, the classic ‘From Outside Looking In’ threatening the longevity of the venue’s very foundations! Speaking to DiS before the gig bassist Ian Glasper insisted that their new album has taken the band to new heights and he’s not far wrong by the sounds of new song ‘To Hate’, their new drummer (previously of Brummies Ackbar) hammering through it’s fast Pantera-style beats.

Unfortunately, I have to miss the rest of their set and indeed the likes of Hatebreed and Biohazard which, given the impressive sound in this venue, would’ve no doubt been amazing. However, if the success of this tour is anything to go by it’ll hopefully return next year with a similarly impressive line-up and keep the hardcore flame burning! m/