Review: Cancer Bats, Wedgewood Rooms, Southsea

After almost a decade since playing The Wedgewood Rooms supporting Gallows, Cancer Bats are back to headline for themselves.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Jan 2016, 20:56 BST
Updated 13th Jan 2016, 21:03 BST

From the moment they took to the stage the energy in the room was palpable and remained for the entire show.

The setlist was jam-packed full of hits including Bricks and Mortar, Pneumonia Hawk and French Immersion as well as tracks from their 2015 album Searching For Zero.

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The decision to play Hail Destroyer, arguably Cancer Bats’ most famous song, early in the set was smart - from the opening note, the crowd went wild until they finished playing for the night.

A pause in the music allowed frontman Liam Cormier to announce that he is shaving his head to raise money for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation and that the band will be carrying around a boot to collect money at all the shows on the tour, before shortly launching headfirst straight back into the show.

Cancer Bats’ famous cover of Beastie Boys’ Sabotage was brought out three songs before the end, causing a circle pit almost the size of the room to open up and the fans to let loose.

Ending with a bang but without an encore, the band went straight to their merch stall to chat and take photos with fans. Some of the nicest guys in modern hardcore, Cancer Bats know just how to please a crowd.

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