Gig Review: Twenty One Children at New Cross Inn

Lace Up Your Moshing Shoes! Twenty One Children and Ursula lead a rich booking of hardcore names on a night at that will have you saying “I was there” the day these bands both played New Cross Inn.

One of the best things about venues like New Cross Inn that makes it such a staple in the London hardcore scene is that you get to experience a wide variety of hardcore bands on an evening like this that capture the next big names in the scene and it’s pretty evident based on the fact that both Ursula and Twenty One Children are making the effort to play here on their legs -following a date in Paris for Ursula and the obligatory Green Door Store stop for Twenty One Children; that you’re about to get a special evening. The four bands showcase the best yet to come – riotous, raw, unpolished and setting out with an aim to tear up the rulebook and make their own craft and establish their scene.

Shunkai are loud, boisterous and unafraid to get stuck into the pit. Their praise for Palestine and commitment to calling out the news for their deliberate world play on reporting on Israel’s genocide; asking whether it’s a child or someone under 18 is commendable and captures the true punk spirit of our times. How you use your words matters and tells you everything that we need to know about you as a person – and Shunkai have their heart in the right place. As true punks go, this is a set of resistance, of raw power and grit – their occult emogrind origins make them have this kind of magnetic pull that’s just impossible to resist.

Second band on are appropriately, Second Skin – who have just started playing and only have a few shows under their belt but it’s instantly apparent they have a fantastic stage presence. They are new to the London hardcore scene, and this spotlight of new, local talent is impossible to resist. Noise is the watchword of the day and they tear up the room – they have that kind of unhinged energy of a band just starting out looking to prove themselves and are appropriately fearless in what they bring to the table. They’ve already got a few venues like The Black Heart under their belt and having established themselves as new local band to watch – it’s impossible to say no to – and I love that Twenty One Children continue to use this platform to spotlight local talent like this. It’s impressive that even this early on in the night both bands have such a distinctive sound – and the raw energy packs out the room.

Third act; Ursula, from California, only play for a short twenty minutes, but after one song, it’s evident you’re watching the next big thing in the hardcore scene. Their shortfire tempos are abrasive, brash and being American, are given a warm welcome for their stance: unafraid to call out their President “Donny Boy,” in ‘Out of Your Element’ and are introduced to British culture and tradition when asking whether or not it’s summer break; they’re told it’s a holiday. They’ll fit right in.

The debut LP ‘I Don’t Like Anything’ is a statement piece and tracks like “Shan’t”, rage against the world – asking the audience how they can exist in that same routine and you just simply have to get up and do it despite everything being so helpless. The sense of powerlessness allows that overwhelming rage at a response to that to come out in the audience in the pit; allowing them to go absolutely nuts and it being a no barrier show; people aren’t afraid to get on. It’s about how people aren’t afraid to turn a blind eye and just continue online shopping, unable and afraid to do or say anything. It’s straightforward and when the band switch into ‘Watch Out’ it sticks with that feeling – incomprehensible acts against others are broadcast into our living rooms or on our phones daily; especially when based around religion and often weaponised through faith. “It’s expected to of me to have a message,” Whitney sings – “all I know that it’s null.” They can take the hardcore scene the same way SPEED can – icons throughout.

Then it comes time for Twenty One Children – and there are chants of the bands’ name throughout, you know you’ve got a good crowd and they aren’t afraid to launch themselves into the pit and drum up an audience. It’s sharp, it’s intense, it’s short and sweet. Lace up your moshing shoes – it’s time to get stuck in! They run through ‘Za’, ‘Looney Bin’, the triumphant ‘Scare Tactics’ and ‘Life Thing’ with the tenacity of a band that knows what they’re doing and can take the whole scene by storm. It’s bassy with a hint of distortion and the Johannesburg outfit are never ones to not use their voice to amplify where they came from – a lot of people’s first exposure will be to Soweto would either have been the world cup; or the risings against Apartheid – but instantly linked in with punk rock is a scene that is bursting full of life.

It has old school echoes of the Punk DNA in their spirit - influences of The Beastie Boys rage heavy on their live vocals and the polish of a band that has done sets at skate parks and in support of young new blood. ‘Ice Cube’ in particular is a highlight – capturing a vibe of skating through Soweto when you were young and watching everything fly by – the world fly by around you. It’s vivid; it’s not Europe – and that’s so refreshing to see a band rise up from outside a European scene and offer their distinctive take on youth. One song talks about the friends they lost to drugs that they grew up with – real heartbreak, cathartic rage and the opportunity to vent out that anger in a mosh ready format – no wonder frontman Thula is unafraid to get stuck into the pit at any opportunity.

That energy is rewarded by a crowd that completely buy in and sell out the room – rich, raucous, live and energetic. There are touches of emotional catharsis ala the best of hardcore and the energy is frantic with bursts of real Letlive. energy at times. This is a band that has built up energy having already played festivals like The Great Escape and look set to go on to tear up Rotterdam’s Left of the Dial - and is determined to give back to their audience in spades.

Photography by @tommynotony