Starting the night off was Invunche, who were new to me. Safe to say, I wasn’t impressed at all. While I’m sure they have their fans, they just weren’t for me. To be brutally honest: I was bored. They delivered a very strange mix of black metal and punk, accompanied by minimal stage presence and crowd interaction. I’m unsure whether it was the band themselves or the sound desk, but everything sounded bloated. All the tracks bled together, and while the setlist says they played seven songs, to me it felt like one continuously drawn-out mess. I know this review is scathing, but I really wasn’t feeling it.

Next up was Rotten Sound, a grindcore unit from Vaasa, Finland. They’ve earned a reputation as one of the most intense bands on the Scandinavian death metal and grindcore scene, and that description is spot-on. They delivered a whopping 19-song setlist, typical for grindcore, where songs rarely exceed two minutes, but impressive nonetheless. I walked away very impressed and eager to dive into their discography. Intense, fast, and heavy. If you’ve never listened to them, love the grindcore scene, and have 10 minutes to spare, I strongly recommend checking out their Mass Extinction release.

If you’re a fan of heavy music and haven’t heard of Nails, I’d be genuinely surprised. Blending grindcore, crust punk, powerviolence, and hardcore, they’re a band where you know exactly what you’re signing up for. The tour—which wrapped up its UK leg in London—was supporting their release Every Bridge Burning. Having listened to Nails since 2016 following You Will Never Be One Of Us, and with this being their first time playing Birmingham, I couldn’t pass up ticket news when it dropped.

While I enjoyed the performance, the set could, and should, have been longer. Whether it was the band’s decision or venue restrictions, a 35-minute headline slot ending around 9:30 PM left me feeling short changed and wanting more, especially given that other stops on the tour received closer to 45 to 60 minutes. What surprised me even more was that despite this being a tour centred around Every Bridge Burning, they only played one track from it.

The bulk of the set was a solid mix of their debut, Unsilent Death, and You Will Never Be One Of Us, along with selected material and tracks from the Fear Based Life / Dollar Bin Generation release. The merchandise selection was also unexpectedly slim, with only five short-sleeve designs and one long-sleeve available. Perhaps I’m just used to a broader selection.

Ultimately, Nails delivered on the violence and intensity I expected, even if the runtime fell short. I’d definitely see them again—even if it means traveling to another city for a meatier set.