Live Review : Angel Dust + Powerplant + T.S Warspite @ District, Liverpool on September 17th 2023

Originally a supergroup comprising of members of Hardcore icons Turnstile & Trapped Under Ice, Baltimore collective Angel Du$t have undergone their fair share of lineup changes since its inception in 2013. Turnstile’s monumental rise from scrappy basement dwellers to the Grammy nominated mainstream behemoth they are today has meant that original Angel Du$t members Pat McRory and Daniel Fang have had to put their Angel Du$t commitments aside to fully focus on keeping the Turnstile Machine ticking on further.  

Despite sporting a new look, with vocalist, Justice Tripp, being the only original member, Angel Du$t have decided to embark on an extensive 16 date UK tour off the back off their latest release “Brand New Soul”. This tour gives the band a chance to show that whilst they’re not the same outfit that announced their arrival onto the scene back in 2013, they still have all of the hallmarks that made them the widely loved underground heroes that they have always been. 

Opening the show in Liverpool tonight are T.S Warspite. If I could sum up T. S Warspite in one word it would be Intensity. Their blend of politically charged Hardcore and Thrash is not something that reinvents the wheel, however the way it is presented on stage is what, in my opinion, makes them stand out. Their vocalist is an absolute tour de force on stage, passionately and aggressively acting as a spokesperson for the disenfranchised, whilst simultaneously possessing a natural swagger that just makes T.S Warspite just ooze cool. Each song was short, succinct yet got the job done; the concept of a song beginning, slapping you across the face and then ending is a staple in Hardcore. What this meant however is that the band managed to get through their material whilst only using 2/3’s of their allotted 30 minute set. I would’ve loved to have been able to have another 10 minutes with T.S Warspite, however with the 20 minutes we did get, I was convinced enough that they are a band that I should definitely follow after tonight, I’m excited to see where they go next. 

Second band of the evening, Powerplant offered somewhat of a breather after T. S Warspite brutal offering. Powerplant present a more melodic form of punk, with influences that seemingly range from The Dead Kennedy’s & The Cramps all the way to bands such as Idles, The Hives and even, potentially controversially, some of Arctic Monkeys very early stuff. Their unique use of synths and keys added a nice level of depth to their music and satisfyingly contradicted their brooding Klaus Fluoride esque bass lines and scrappy, fuzzy guitar tone. One song in particular, ‘Dungen’, impressed me with it’s brilliantly catchy chorus and the aforementioned synths laden, sweeping guitar sections. Powerplant was a great palate cleanser to get Liverpool ready for the nights Headliner. 

When Angel Du$t took to the stage there was one thing I noticed almost immediately. Angel Du$t live compared to them on tape is just a whole different ballgame. On recording, Angel Du$t have this melancholic, radio ready pop sound, with little indents of the hardcore punk sound that would be commonly associated with the Angel Du$t’s parent bands, the aforementioned Turnstile and Trapped Under Ice. Live however, they flip this formula 180 degrees, in which it becomes outright hardcore with little indents of Melancholic Radio Ready pop Music. I was completely taken aback by this, having never seen Angel Du$t live before and was almost In awe about how a song could be given a whole new sound and dimension, whilst not losing any of its original identity either. Each track was just banger after banger after banger and every song played by Angel Du$t benefited massively by this new live direction they were given. 

As a collective, much like T.S Warspite, Angel Du$t just personify cool. They posses a natural arrogance that let’s those in attendance know that Angel Du$t are aware of their talent as a band, yet at the same time there is no disparity between audience and band. There are multiple occasions where Justice Trip just passed the mic to those in attendance to help him with his lines, both band and crowd two step simultaneously in a manner that you would think was almost pre rehearsed beforehand. It is this community spirit that made me fall in love with Punk and Hardcore in the first place and I’ll never tire of seeing it. By the shows climax, the venue was like one big collective, Trip was shaking people’s hands at the end, everyone in the crowd were looking at each other as if to say “what the fuck just happened” and Angel Du$t left the stage as the triumphant heroes of the evening.  

In my opinion, Angel Du$t may be the ultimate gateway band for someone looking to get into Hardcore and don’t know where to start. On record, their songs are accessible, catchy, easy to sing along too and just outright class. It’d be enough to convince someone who maybe doesn’t dabble in such a genre of music all that often to purchase a ticket to an Angel Du$t show, which is when they can catch you off guard with their raw and relentless live show. I’ve been to many shows this year, however I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of the year, this is still up there with the best.  

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Angel Du$t, Powerplant, T.S. Warspite