Live Review : LLNN + Pupil Slicer + Worn Out @ Rebellion, Manchester on November 27th 2025

Three bands, three different shades of extremity, one unforgettable night. From Worn Out’s hardcore ferocity to Pupil Slicer’s avant-garde chaos and LLNN’s sludgy soundscape nightmares. Three radically different approaches to metal and a Thursday night Rebellion crowd ready to lap it up or let it obliterate them trying.

Worn Out hit the stage first and from the opening moments the intensity is immediate and infectious. There is no warm-up, no easing in, as they scorch the venue with a surge of energy that doesn’t let up. The first half of the set leans into Boundaries-esque hardcore, jagged riffs and breakdowns pounding relentlessly, before morphing into the churning oppressive brilliance of Will Haven for the second half. Frenetic energy like The Fall of Troy courses through every riff and every breakdown, and the crowd reacts as one heaving bouncing mass. The chaos spills off the stage, with frontman Xander Coughlan diving into the crowd, surfs across three or four brave souls, and somehow keeps screaming without missing a beat. Later on in the set bassist Brian Bowell follows suit. It is hardcore theatre at its finest, a perfect fusion of metal and hardcore with the passionate intensity of Comeback Kid and the thumping brutality of RSJ. By the end you are left exhilarated and exhausted in equal measure.

Pupil Slicer follow with a set that feels like a controlled explosion. The lights dim and for a fleeting moment the crowd exhales. It is the last breath they will get for a while. The first track detonates, chaotic yet calculated, granting the audience a split second to brace before plunging headlong into a maelstrom of mathcore and death-grind. Visually and sonically, they are a whirlwind. Jagged riffs slice through the air like shrapnel, time signatures twist and contort, and the previously delightful unpredictability of their sets and sound now feel telegraphed. There are still the frenetic guitar spasms, funky bass grooves, and pulsating drums, and it all somehow coalesces into a coherent sound, but it feels almost formulaic at times now.

Kate Davies is the eye of their storm, oscillating between controlled brooding and unrestrained mania. Their vocals tonight are pure black-metal shrieks, with hardly any clean singing due to a lost voice, which only amplifies the rawness. They certainly know their trade and themselves now though - no confusion, no hesitation, just full-throttle for a band who have pushed the boundaries with unrelenting creativity and are looking at consolidating their position in the scene now. By the time the set closes, the room feels like it has been turned inside out and sure of who and what Pupil Slicer are becoming.

LLNN bring the darkness. If Pupil Slicer were the choas, LLNN are the creeping void that follows. Their set is a masterclass in atmosphere, sludgy, visceral, and suffocating in the best possible way. Imagine Will Haven and The Ocean stripped back to their raw essence, then enveloping you in a soundscape that feels like it is seeping into your nightmares. Thunderous basslines shake the foundations, even surviving a mid-song technical hiccup thanks to flawless professionalism, while the guitars carve out claustrophobic walls of sound.

The unhinged middle segment, just Victor Kaas’ vocals and a backing track, feels like staring into the abyss. And when Worn Out’s Xander guests on one track, it is a collision of worlds that somehow makes perfect sense. LLNN do not just play songs - they create an experience. It is claustrophobic, it is crushing, but it is also strangely addictive, a sonic descent you cannot help but embrace. By the time the final notes fade, the crowd looks dazed, as if they have been through something primal and transformative.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
LLNN + Pupil Slicer + Worn Out