PRESS TO MECO’s [7] sweet vocal harmonies are a red herring. Beneath the trio’s infectious melodies, their emo-tinged hardcore is littered with choppy breakdowns and mathy, spiked guitars.
“Come closer!” orders SHVPES [8] frontman Griff Dickinson, bounding onstage like he means business. “I want to get sweaty.” The Birmingham-based five-piece come with fire in their bellies and have hauled a decent-sized crowd: a mix of fervent supporters and others curious to hear their genre-bending rap metal. On the weighty grooves of State Of Mine and Skin And Bones the band smash together nu metal riffs, fiery letlive-esque aggression and the anthemic sensibilities of While She Sleeps, while Griff comes over like a young Zac de la Rocha on the quickfire rapping of barnstorming highlight False Teeth. The energy is infectious and before long, heads are banging from front to back. The band’s debut Pain. Joy. Ecstasy. Despair came out just weeks ago, but Shvpes already look like seasoned headliners and this crowd are roaring every word of Bone Theory’s whopping chorus – think BFMV at their blood-pumping best – and a galloping Breaking The Silence. By the time Shvpes support Trivium in February, they’ll have the hordes eating right out of the palm of their hand.
