Let’s get the admission out of the way, I feel a bit cheeky. I’m here at Outbreak Fest at Manchester’s Mayfield Depot. It’s an all day thing, but I’ve only turned up for one band. I’ve been wanting to see Death Grips live for ages and wasn’t going to miss this, but having scrutinised the rest of the bill, there’s not much for me and full disclosure, there’s not much point in me writing about bands I’m going to struggle to do justice. So if you were further down the bill and I missed you or even better if you saw someone I really should’ve got here to see, let me know. I was intrigued by Code Orange though. Their new album particularly and I get in early enough to see them take to the main stage with an enthusiastic roar. I like Mayfield Depot, it’s an interesting space. It’s been a while since my last visit though for Aphex Twin and today they’ve curiously fenced off half the main floor space for priority wrist bands. I get it and can’t really complain seeing I arrived at 20:00, but still, it seems a bit excessive. Fear not though, the sound in here is incredible, so it doesn’t matter too much where you are. However I’m not really taken with Code Orange. They’re good, heavy, fast, with plenty in the low end to make your skeleton buzz, but this really isn’t my bag. There’s one setting driven by the drummer who goes at a frantic pace matched by the guitars and for that I can’t fault them, but I need a bit more ebb and flow and much of the electronic edge I’d heard on that recent record isn’t present in the set or lost in the mix which is shame. The crowd seem 50/50 too. Where I am it’s largely a bit of nodding and wandering round to the bars. Down the front though it looks intense and Code Orange getting a lot of love. There’s no barrier meaning a dizzying number of fans are clambering up on stage before diving back into the throng. I like this inclusive approach. It’s proof that people can be respectful and enjoy themselves, without it being an issue. As they go on they do start to draw me in with the songs that have Reba’s vocal, it’s got more to it and generally it’s the songs she fronts that work better for me. Elsewhere they struggle to hold my attention, but I’m still glad I caught them.
Death Grips do not have that problem. They are fucking phenomenal. Bludgeoning all your senses in an instant. Even the video relay screens are distorting with the power from the stage. It’s a simple line up of drums, a bank of electronic hardware and MC Ride. All silhouetted in red. To be honest it’s so simple it’d probably have the Billy Nomates Glastonbury haters wetting themselves… or is this okay because they’re all men? Sorry to bring this stupid argument into this but it’s really annoyed me and rightly so. Anyway back to Death Grips. Ride is the focal point, a ball of muscle, sinew and ferocious energy. It’s hotter than hell in here, but he’s relentless and whips the place into a the sort of frenzy you rarely see. I mean I’ve seen some intense gigs, but Death Grips are next level. The live drums sound amazing when they’re allowed space in the mix, they’ve got that sharp tightness reminiscent of Therapy? but dialled up to eleventy stupid. Layer some bouncy bass over the top and you’ve got the perfect bedrock for Ride to deliver the sort of venomous flow he’s built for. It’s quite the spectacle. Even the Showtec security guys have got their phones out. To be fair they’re not really needed anyway. This is one of the nicest crowds I’ve been in in a while. It may look brutal but everyone is looking out for one another, it’s rather beautiful. There’s no fanfare, no posturing. Just straight up brilliance, delivered by a band rightly confident in their songs. After an hour of near perfect hip hop fused hardcore they’re done and everyone looks happy but visibly shaken in a good way as the lights come up and we head for some much needed fresh air and, for me… to tune in to to see how upset the Twitter masses are with Axl Rose’s vocals headlining the Pyramid stage tonight. Fuck the haters who’ve probably never been to a gig in their lives. Support the music and the artists you love. I bloody adore Death Grips.
