As I sit here in my new Blood Command t-shirt and think back to last Friday, the TLDR words that come to mind are simply: what a gig! It was my second outing post-ArcTanGent, where I chatted with meth. about how sprawling London is and how it’s much more difficult to find your community because venues are all dotted around – however there is no denying that the New Cross Inn has become a hub for punk, hardcore and metalcore shows and that community feel was instant the moment I walked in on that end-of-a-summer Friday night, when you can feel the hint of autumn in the air. However, you can still get away with a band tee and a hoodie.

Could Be Ghosts

Opening the stacked lineup were Brighton’s Could Be Ghosts, who wasted no time getting the party started. With high jumps, kicks, hijinks, and even climbing the fixtures, the five-piece delivered a staggering set for the first opener, complete with a very relatable banter about Southern Rail (A full circle from “Buy our merch so that we can afford the train tickets” to “Fuck Southern Rail!”). Their sound might be rooted in classic rock, but with a hardcore and emo seasoning, and their songs are as heartfelt as they are catchy – I could easily picture a crowd of ArcTanGent silent disco enthusiasts belting them out as future anthems. The gradually gathering crowd wasted no time getting into the two-step.

Their new single ‘eyes agape (like mouths)’ comes out on Wednesday, the 3rd September, with a debut EP ‘you still speak in your sleep’, following in November 2025, and I’d certainly recommend keeping an eye on them. See them live if you can.

Could Be Ghosts New Cross Inn Magda Campagne 14 — Could Be Ghosts – New Cross Inn – Magda Campagne

Could Be Ghosts New Cross Inn Magda Campagne 34 — Could Be Ghosts – New Cross Inn – Magda Campagne

Chaos Reigns

It would be easy to say that it was difficult to follow such a high-octane performance – but Chaos Reigns are called that for a reason, and the chaos truly reigns from the very first note until the last drop of sweat. Despite a complete change of style from Could Be Ghosts, the crowd absolutely loved the slower, heavier, metalcore growls that seamlessly transitioned into danceable hardcore riffs, echoing the likes of Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge, with a sprinkle of Touché Amoré for the elements of mathy chaos.

Their EP, Sweet Violence, came out last November to a very warm reception, and their live performance is absolutely relentless and totally immersive. Vocalist Jason Heightman wastes no time on the stage and joins the mosh pit at the first opportunity – and the band’s crowd work is just impeccable. The venue has filled up enough to start a circle pit, and those not running were punching the air with their fists with a stank face of approval. By the end of their set, the guitarists had also jumped into the crowd, and Jason scaled the sound desk – because climbing the venue fixtures was just the done thing that evening.

The moment the last note rang out, the audience formed an orderly beeline to the merch desk – and if this sounds like fun to you, then you don’t have to wait too long. Known for working the grassroots circuit, Chaos Reigns return to New Cross Inn in October, opening for Coilguns.

Chaos Reigns New Cross Inn Magda Campagne 9 — Chaos Reigns – New Cross Inn – Magda Campagne

Chaos Reigns New Cross Inn Magda Campagne 14 — Chaos Reigns – New Cross Inn – Magda Campagne

Calligram

I didn’t have to wait long to find out where we were going from there because soon enough Matteo Rizzardo, the vocalist of Calligram, sound-checked his mic with a singular yowl, and I knew I was going to be in a happy place – that is, if you enjoy blackened metal riffs and howls of pain, death and chaos. After just seeing meth. live 3 times in 9 days – Calligram filled the meth.-shaped void perfectly (which makes sense considering they used to be label mates on Prosthetic Records), with a performance just as intense. Blending d-beat punk with stone cold black metal in a way that is confrontational and abrasive, and yet consumes me entirely.

Friday night was not the night to perform on the stage, and Matteo soon moved his mic stand to the floor, before throwing himself into convulsions onto the floorboards, just to jump up and ride the stage monitor before cradling it tightly. Visceral, immersive, bleak and oh, so heavy. The crowd was eating it up, with rhythmic headbangs and first pumps, and going through it along with Matteo. It was a change of pace, but one that flowed perfectly in the cadence of the evening.

They have just been announced as support on an upcoming short tour of the folk-horror rising stars Forlorn, and if any of the dates are near you, I would recommend treating yourself.

Calligram New Cross Inn Magda Campagne 5 — Calligram – New Cross Inn – Magda Campagne

Calligram New Cross Inn Magda Campagne 26 — Calligram – New Cross Inn – Magda Campagne

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Blood Command

While for the three openers there might have been space on the floor to perform, that gap closed swiftly once Calligram finished, with the front row filling up instantly in anticipation of death pop’s faithful Norwegian Adidas Originals ambassadors Blood Command. I have only ever saw them live in a festival setting (last year’s ArcTanGent and this year’s 2000 Trees), with larger stages, higher production etc, but I really wanted to experience their exhilarating live performance in a proper mosh sweatbox – and it took maybe five minutes for the vocalist Nikki Brumen to crowdsurf for the first time – and it was the first of many.

Their genre-blending post hardcore with punk energy and pop melodies, which already goes hard on the albums, live becomes its own beast, with Nikki really owning not just the stage, but the whole room. Known for being tactile with the audience, there was a huge amount of mutual trust between the band and the audience. As the waves of happy moshers hit the stage monitors or reached out for Nikki’s hand, cables got caught or disconnected – but everyone helped fix and made sure to catch the eye of the musicians to apologise – really wholesome, especially considering the ever-evolving chaos around.

The setlist was absolutely stacked – but then again that’s not difficult when some songs are under two minutes – with nods to the band’s time before Nikki joining in the opening ‘Ctrl + Alt + Delete’ and ‘Cult Drugs’, but the World Domination and Praise Armageddonism dominating – ‘The Plague On Both Your Houses’, ‘Forever Soldiers of Esther’ and ‘We Could Be Heaven’ being my personal favourites. By the end of the night Nikki and Snorre Kilvær, the bassist, crowd surfed multiple times, Nikki jumped on stage amps and audience members’s arms and went through 3 outfit changes, the final one right there on the stage, and at one point I counted three crowdsurfers at the same time – all this to say: immense amount of fun was had.

It was one of those gigs you come back from with a massive grin on your face, simply grateful that you were there to witness, make memories, and new friends. And because New Cross Inn is such a community hub, the next morning I saw a guy wearing his brand new Blood Command t-shirt walking down the street in my corner of South East London, and I felt the kind of kinship you can only feel after sharing such a wonderfully bonkers experience. Blood Command is simply a must-see force of nature.