The lull of trying to kick start your year after the festive season and feeling the winter blues of January can sometimes be a real slog. However, here in the UK we are lucky to have a festival which will ensure the cobwebs are well and truly shaken out.
We are of course talking about Reality Unfolds, a three-day festival held at London’s New Cross Inn, is slowly becoming a regular in the UK alternative music calendar. Each year it offers up some of the best hardcore, metal and screamo which the UK has to offer as well as some distinguished guests from overseas.
Now in its third year, the festival set about starting 2025 with arguably their most ambitious line up to date. The results were a weekend full of spin-kicks, moshing, smiles and for this reviewer vegan crumble.
DAY 1
It is always a difficult task for any band to open a festival, but Closed Hands showcased that they are more than up to the task. Their combination of screamo infused riffs with mosh-worthy breakdowns, meant it wasn’t long until limbs were flying across the New Cross Inn. And despite the nerves expressed by their vocalist, they did a great job of getting the crowd warmed up for the rest of the day.
Norwich’s Hour of Reprisal followed shortly after and with songs about what a fascist state our country is becoming twinned with breakdowns which make you want to smash your head into a wall, it is no surprise that the quintet were rewarded with huge crowd participation for the early Friday evening.
It would be remised of me not to mention the backdrop of this weekend with both Closed Hands and Hour of Reprisal addressing the current political climate, and this would be a continuing theme throughout the weekend, with several bands welcoming the respite of a weekend of music to get away from the chaos of the real world.
The next band we caught was one of the UK’s finest modern metalcore bands in Long Goodbye who hit the stage like an absolute whirlwind. With a real throw back sound, Long Goodbye managed to really put a modern twist on what could have been quite a nostalgic sound. But their pure energy on stage and the visceral shrieks which came from their vocalist made this one of the highlights of not just the day but the whole weekend.
The surprise of the day was Dry Socket’s set. Now to caveat I am a big fan of the Portland four-piece. But on a very mosh heavy line-up, the more punk inspired sound of quartet could having been a swift vibe change. Instead, what happened was Dry Socket working the New Cross Inn into a frenzy with pummelling guitars, blast beats and side-to-sides galore. And within a blink of an eye Dry Socket’s set was over, but it most certainly was not one to forget.
Closing out day one was Wristmeetrazor, bringing together a blend of metalcore, screamo and industrial metal. As vocalist Justin Fornof stood ready to conduct the crowd with body harness and leather gloves, there did feel like there had been a switch to the bit more theatrical side compared to the pure punk passion we had just witnessed with Dry Socket. It might have been the result of the long day or the fact we had just witnessed two incredible sets prior to this, but there was something that was a little bit flat with Wristmeetrazor’s performance. Not to say they weren’t enjoyable to watch, but on such a stacked line-up there are always going to be peaks and troughs.
Day 2
For many in attendance at this year’s Reality Unfolds the Saturday was the main event, and it is clear to see why, with 12 bands crammed into a jam-packed day.
Getting things started bright and early were straight edge outfit Supernova. For a band who have not long been a band and have received huge praise for their debut EP, it is clear to see why there is a buzz about this band. Talking about issues such as the ongoing genocide in Palestine and violence against women at the hands of men, this five piece channel their rage through a melodic lens with catchy hooks and two-step parts for days.
Much like day one there was there a huge vide shift as the first on the Brighton collective to appear today took to the stage. And with their death metal infused brand of hardcore Blood Gutter were a sight to behold. With a vocalist who had more energy than the energizer bunny – and lungs to match – the BN1 unit were a return to the pummelling ways of the day before, with an added sprinkling of some insane guitar shredding thrown in for good measure.
Following shortly after was fellow Brighton outfit Aku, who showcased the depth of talent which is coming out of that part of the UK right now. With a more fastcore inspired sound, Aku again were full of energy and had the audience in the palm of their hands, especially when they unleashed their rendition of “Boot Party” by the Rival Mob, giving a nod to one of hardcore’s greats.
After a brief break to get some food – which meant missing a few bands – we returned to see Birmingham’s Stranglehold. Playing a brand of hardcore which is much more aligned to the traditional / melodic sound I grew up listening to, Stranglehold hits that sweet spot of hardcore which brings together emotion, energy and tough as hell breakdowns. Having released their demo in late 2024, this is a band to certainly keep an eye on in 2025.
It was then the turns of the BN1 king’s No Relief who were currently on tour with Broken Vow and you can tell from the being on the road for nearly three weeks’ how locked in the five-piece were. From the first riff there were bodies flying everywhere and mic-grabs aplenty. It has to be mentioned that before their set vocalist Ethan Barry addressed the fact that one of UKHC’s key players Ola Herbich is currently in prison for protesting the genocide in Palestine and the band dedicated their set to her and called for her freedom. It was this nod to the UKHC community and the reaction No Relief got from the day which has cemented them as one of the UK’s shining lights right now.
If Dry Socket were Friday’s Surprise then Malignant were Saturday’s. The beatdown band from Athens, Greece had come over specifically for this festival and they were damn sure to make an impression. Their pure intensity manifested maybe the scariest pit of the whole weekend but also created some of the biggest smiles on people’s faces. If this is an insight into the Greek scene then hell yeah I want more. This type of set is exactly how you make your mark on a scene and I have no doubt that next time Malignant are on our shores they will be welcomed with open arms.
One of the best sets of the weekend had a bittersweet feel to it as it would be the last time we would see Broken Vow in the UK. The New England band had decided to call it a day before they embarked on their European / UK Tour, but boy did they give us one hell of a send-off. Much like their tour partners in No Relief, the band was full of energy and had bodies flying across the New Cross Inn. And in a similar fashion to No Relief’s set it end with members of both bands taking to the stage to have a party together with the audience in attendance at Reality Unfolds. If Broken Vow wanted to ensure they were going out on top, they most certainly achieved that.
Closing out the day were Cleveland juggernauts Ringworm who were returning to the UK for the first time in 16 years. And even though the passing of time ages us all, the four-piece still command a stage just like they did all those years ago. Playing at a breakneck speed and clearly loving every second they were in front of this London Crowd, Ringworm ran through their back catalogue offering a mixture of old and new tunes to the delight of all in attendance. Hopefully it won’t be another 16 years until we witness pure legendary on our side of the Atlantic again.
Day 3
It was almost fitting to for the final instalment of this year’s Reality Unfolds to also be the closing chapter for Grey Market. Led by the brains by the festival Theo, the four-piece play a brand of hardcore punk, which falls somewhere between spoken word to chaotic and this pretty much sums up Grey Market who started with Theo having a book on this face which read “Welcome to the End” and resighting words from poetry books, but then mid-set they launched into covers of Trash Talk and Ceremony. It was clearly an emotional end to the band but it was a great send off for them as well.
We then unfortunately didn’t get a chance to catch any other band (other commitments) until Cady. The screamo trio showcased one of the rawest performances all weekend, with their bassist and guitarist complimenting each other’s vocal delivery. With the guttural screams and high-pitched yells all accompanied by a wall of blast beats and shredding riffs was just a joy to watch. And despite the technical issues the band had the crowd transfixed, which even saw the erecting of a human pyramid (something I haven’t seen in decades).
Next up we saw Bristol’s Perp Walk who maybe produced one of the most fun and silliest sets of the weekend. Like being shot out of a cannon, Perp Walk was a full on assault of punk infused hardcore, which had people running from side-to-side – including both guitarists at one point – across the room. But not taking themselves too seriously the pure comedic timing of drummer Jamie Hards to shout “circle pit would be nice” in a west country accent filled the room with laughter as well as smiles. And Perp Walk’s set was a stark reminder that at its core, hardcore should be fun and that is exactly what their set was.
The penultimate band for us of the weekend was London’s very own Shooting Daggers. The trio are a band that wear their hearts on their sleeves, with the band leading the New Cross Inn to a “Free Free Palestine” chat to saying their music is for the women and queers in hardcore. Through catchy riffs and sing-along vocal melodies the three-piece really channel their anger and rage at society through the hope for positive change and that comes through loud and clear.
The final band we caught (due to travelling) was Paris’ Sorcerer and this was a band I was most excited for over the whole weekend. Their record “Devotion” was one of my records of 2024, and to see them playing tracks from it live did not disappoint. The pure heaviness of this band was matched by the energy they offered up on stage and saw the limbs of audience members flying everywhere. Even though they weren’t the closer of the festival, this was a headline worthy set and with this being their first UK tour, you can guarantee next time Sorcerer are in town the hoards of spin-kicks will return in full effect.
With such an eclectic mix of alternative music throughout the weekend it is clear to see why Reality Unfolds is becoming a date to mark down in the calendar for heavy music lovers in the UK. And judging from 2025’s edition things are just going to get better each and every year for this festival.
Just An Insight 
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