20th February, 2026
Camden Town, London

As the winter is dragging it’s damp heels, it came as a sweet relief to find The Dev pub toasty warm. We can imagine that temperatures will only rise tonight as we came to see three UK bands give us all a damn good thrashing. Namely, the Norwich quartet STRUCK A NERVE, Birmingham’s EXORCISM and from Manchester, BLOODSAW.

A rarity from my visits is that tonights bill doesn’t offer any local talent. There is usually a band from the caital or home counties among a nights music here, so I’m feeling excited to see bands that aren’t on first name terms with half the place.
Equally rare was the claiming of an actual table. The Dev gets busy quickly and we allowed ourselves a bit of time to encamp ourselves and have somewhere to rest our drinks instead of holding on to them. It was nice, almost civilised.

Anyway, there was a show to attend and, spoler alert, it was just what the doctor ordered. If it’s name was thrash.

BLOODSAW were first on and it didn’t take much to see why these scrappy young lads from Manchester would come along. Their’s is a bungee jump, adrenaline rush of classic thrash metal that, by the time the second song, BLOODSAW kicked in, the place was sold.
What’s not to like? It seems a diet of Motorhead and Venom with early Slayer and Metallica sits well with the foursome.

Full transparency… I was way to engrossed to take note of the setlist, although their final song (and latest single), Die By My Gun was a face melter of tactical riffage.
For some of us old enough to remember the early, surly days, the sight of hi-tops, cut off t-shirts and ripped jeans, BLOODSAW are a tonic. This is no rehash nor retro refit. Their sound is skinned knees and bruise and elbows. Dirty and gnarly with a look that only a younger generation can pull off. They’re one’s to watch.

There is something about a strong start to a gig that puts some fire in the belly, and it isn’t a competitive flame. It’s more like a torch being passed over. The crowd are warmed up and loose and, in the case of EXORCISM, they were about to pour petrol over everything..

EXORCISM are another first for me, and I was eager to see the Birmingham bruisers up front and in the pit. Although my knowledge of their music is confined to the Spectral aggression EP, it was refreshing to hear more of their stuff.

I thought I was being clever by snagging a cheeky pic of their setlist but, of course, a band like EXORCISM only need single word prompts so I can only name check songs played from the EP.
One can only wait patiently for the other songs played get a release soon, as they all held onto the same string of belligerent urgency.

With that being said, the songs Strike Of The Match and Lost In The Dark were straight from thrash metal’s late 80s renaissance, where crisp precision and technical aptitude ruled. The place was getting sweaty with nary room to swing much of anything let alone a cat, as EXORCISM ploughed into our ears with the good stuff.
And things got real, real quick, when they pulled off a coup de grace in the finish with a pretty nifty cover of the Exodus classic, Bonded By Blood.

One of the biggest takaways about seeing a band for the first time, are the moments that makes you go back to see them again. I want to come back for more of both the openers, and the sooner the better.

Between BLOODSAW and EXORCISM, I casually wished STRUCK A NERVE’S bassist and vocalist, Aaron luck in following these hungry upstarts.
It must have, ahem, struck a nerve as, minutes before the main act went on, he walk over and proclaimed, “Right. Let’s show these kids how it’s done.”
Those words of intentional purpose or foreshadowing disaster was now in the hands of the Nofolk powerhouse.
It transpired those hands were very safe indeed.

Opening with the opener from STRUCK A NERVE’s eponymously titled dubut album was the sort of jolt that stated the mission objective. NOCTURNAL TERROR has that ferocious impact that demands boots on the ground and the band were locked in and in no mood to take prisoners.
Aaron was on fine form, displaying exuberant confidence with his voice and bass, while Nathan and Lex took up the flanks, firing chunky riffs and sick leads.
Chris, behind the kit was hitting those drums like they owed him money, making a solid wall of unabashed beats.

Later on, the song STRUCK A NERVE was dedicated to all the ne’er do wells, wrong ‘uns and bastards of the world, which makes sense as it’s a hate fueled mosh anthem that gets the vein in your temple throbbing.
There were two songs tonight that haven’t been released played this night, with the first being WALKING INTO BULLETS. It’s bullish, tough and mean, and the biys dug in hard. As they did a few tracks later with the other live exclusive, WARHEAD, where some gremlins tequired a bit of impromptu Sabbath covering before going proper.

If things couldn’t possibly get better, they only went and played a splotless cover of Damage, Inc. before topping things off with PARADE OF VIOLENCE, a brutal piece of heavy ordnance leaving the room brethess.

On a night that showcased the health of the UK’s thrash scene, you couldn’t have picked better suited bands. From the rough and ready energy of BLOODSAW, the technical tenacity of EXORCISM, to the proven, unrelenting attitude of STRUCK A NERVE, no corner was given. It further proved the symbiosis in metal’s underground. We need the more personal venues if you want a big impact between artist and audience they can both enjoy and get the most from either.

And I would also have no problem seeing all three of these bands again at bigger rooms.
Think of the damage we can create…

The new single by BLOODSAW, titled Die By My Gun, is out now.

Spectral Aggression, the debut EP from EXOCISM is out now.

The self titled debut album by STUCK A NERVE is available now via Listenable Records.