London DIY hardcore label Quality Control HQ is entering its 7th year of existence with a number of great records, which we’ve already covered in our #InShorts segment, and now it’s time to give you some more proper details on three of them, London/Essex’ STAGES IN FAITH, and Leeds’ BIG CHEESE and RAPTURE! Be sure to dive into these brief records and see what’s up in UKHC in late 2017!
BIG CHEESE – ‘Aggravated Mopery’ 7” / QCHQ-042
Big Cheese fly the flag for the New Wave of British Hardcore and hail from various parts of ‘The North’ of the UK. Members are also currently in bands such as Higher Power, Blind Authority and Rapture, and have previously played in Violent Reaction and Shrapnel.
‘Aggravated Mopery’ is Big Cheese’s second release after a critically acclaimed demo and the debut 7” EP contains 5 tracks: Side A: TCP, Pass The Buck, Night Keeper / Side B: Glass in your Foot, Path of Perfection (by M13), Aggravated Mopery. Big Cheese are: Vocals – Razor Rhythm Guitar – Maegan Brooks Lead Guitar – Louis Hardy Bass – Anth Wheatley Drums – Alex Wizard
“Man, talk about deja vu all over again: I just saw Outburst last week and it was amazing to witness people go apeshit for them, some literally not born yet when I caught them last in 1989. This vibe continues upon listening to BigCheese’s debut 7” on QualityControlHQ. The record is basically a love letter to the NYHC sound during the late 1980s: I hear a KillingTime/Leeway mosh part here, an Altercation/Warzone divebomb there, of course the aforementioned greats in Outburst, and how the hell does a northern UK lad sing a la Jeff Perlin from Breakdown?! These are all good points in my book as sometimes the implementation of retro styles can be a colorless, slavish reproduction of the past with no heart at it’s core. This is not the case here as the obvious affection for a particular time and place manifests itself in well executed grooves that both reflect and transcend their influences. Kudos to old friend DonFury for a nice, crisp production and to BigCheese for getting it right and flying the flag for an atavistic ethos that’s near and dear to my heart.” – Freddy Alva, WardanceRecords, New York and Author of UrbanStyles: Graffiti in New York Hardcore
Pressing Information: 300 on ‘cheese yellow’ vinyl / 700 on black vinyl / Comes with a black inner sleeve, black and white card outer sleeve, and poster size double-sided glossy insert.
Stages in Faith – ‘Forgiving Man’ 7” / QCHQ-041
Stages in Faith come from London and Essex in the UK, with members also playing in hardcore bands such as Blind Authority and Splitknuckle. Also for fans of Farside, DC Revolution Summer bands and Moving Targets.
‘Forgiving Man’ is Stages in Faith’s first release and the single contains three tracks: Side A: Forgiving Man Side B: Dysfunction/Brain Blank. Stages in Faith are: Vocals and Guitar – Christy O’Connor Guitar – Benjamin Woolf Bass – Joel Thornhill Drums – Seb Catmur Warwyck.
“Stages in Faith live between the self disciplined genre expansion of mid to late 80s hardcore, and the surge of melody and reflection that evolved in the 90s, and manage to hold that small but crucial space beautifully and precariously. This is still HC but coming from a legitimate, and perhaps unintentional continuation of what bands like Leatherface, early Snuff, and the Jailcell Recipes were able to achieve in the UK as tides were turning, all while touching on stylised Americanisms not out of place on Government Issue’s “Joy Ride” or American Standard’s “Wonderland” LP. Powerfully sung vocals over high velocity and tuneful music that you can still slam and dive to.”
Jonah Falco, FuckedUp / CareerSuicide
Pressing Information: 400 on black vinyl / Comes with black inner sleeve, outer full colour card sleeve and square colour card insert
Rapture – ‘I Glorify’ 7” / QCHQ-038
‘I Glorify’ is the debut EP from Leeds based hardcore unit Rapture. Taking a big leap from their well received demo released last year, Rapture have further developed their signature sound blending Floorpunch, Turning Point with a hint of early Youth of Today, brimming with a powerful rhythm section and catchy guitar hooks. The fast paced lyrics focus on the social pressures of everyday life, the power of words that seem to be so freely dispensed in today’s society, online or otherwise, and the costly effect that they can have. Songs like ‘Rapture’ fly the flag for women in hardcore with lyrics such as ‘Let’s settle the score, I demand more, sick of this sexist war, straight to the core’. Meanwhile ‘The New Wave’ is a nod to the New Wave of British Hardcore that Rapture identify with, sharing members with a host of bands such as Obstruct, True Vision, Shrapnel and Big Cheese.
Rapture are: Vocals – Mia Guitar – Maegan Bass – Anth Drums – Razor. ‘I Glorify’ contains seven tracks: Side A: Glorify, Big Contest, Rapture, Talk is Cheap Side B: The New Wave, Confine, Glorify II
Pressing Information 300 on red vinyl 500 on black vinyl Comes with black inner sleeve, outer full colour card sleeve and risographed double sided insert
