Dragged Under // Defences // Immerse // Live Review // The Asylum // Birmingham

For some reason, British weather decided it hates Daniel today, as I found myself in the middle of a heatwave as I headed towards The Asylum for a night of punk and metalcore as Seattle-based Punk outfit Dragged Under headed out on their first ever EU tour with support from Defences and Immerse.

With me already sweating buckets, Immerse hit the stage with an utter onslaught of chunky riffs, grooves and incredibly catchy choruses. The band managed to blend mild slam elements and almost Pop-Punk level catchy choruses into a unique sound that those in attendance ate up. My personal highlight of the set is Chemicals, a new track just released and god damn it works so well as an opener, managing to encapsulate every element of the band’s sound into one tasty package. Hopefully, I’ll get to catch them on a headline show soon!

Up next we’re Defences, an alternative metal quintet. When I first saw the name, it took me a minute to realise I actually photographed the band back in 2018 in Coventry, so I was excited to see how they’ve developed in the time since. God damn. Within moments the band opened with crashing waves of bass and riffs that effortlessly flooded the air around me before the blend of clean and harsh vocals kicked in and showcased a great set filled with brutal breakdowns and beautiful vocal melodies. A great set from a band that will continue to make waves.

After another changeover, the headline act Dragged Under took to the stage, surprisingly, early as they let out an utter demolition of Punk Rock that got the crowd moving despite the abhorrent heat that the audience and band were having to endure. With a wide range of songs from the across the band’s discography, there was something for everyone in the set, be it from outright pure hardcore to Punk and even moments of Alt-Rock and Pop-punk, all neatly packaged up into one of the best performances I’ve seen in the genre for an incredibly long time.

After Dragged Under finished their set, I slowly crawled, dehydrated towards the bus. Despite the heat being almost unbearable in a room as small as the Asylum2, despite me being completely unsure about if my photography for the night was even usable, I just didn’t care. It was rejuvenating seeing three bands all play their hearts out, loving what they do, and I’d even say it was inspiring on a personal level. A great show with some damn great bands.