Bristol, UK based LEVEL THREAT got their start at last year’s Dean Lane Hardcore fest in 2023. Dean Lane is this gnarly public skate park in Bristol, and once a year, it becomes the epicenter of hardcore with a free all-dayer that brings out all the punk and hardcore kids from around the UK. It’s the event everyone looks forward to, and it’s where LEVEL THREAT was born.
Merv, who hadn’t been in NO WARNING SHOT for a few years, and Rob and Gav, who had just wrapped up FINISHER, were all hanging out at the festival. They were reminiscing about their days in hardcore bands and decided it was high time to start something new. They roped in Joe from NO WARNING SHOT to play drums, and just like that, LEVEL THREAT was on the map.
Their sound is fast, aggressive, and very much a reflection of the Bristol scene. Think bands like RYKER’S, PENNYWISE, STRIFE, and TERROR. Their debut EP is their first shot at figuring out what they sound like together.
Their themes range from anti-knife crime on tracks like “Length Pounders” to dealing with betrayal in “Mistrust”. They also tackle themes of resilience and avoiding negative influences.
We had a chat with LEVEL THREAT about their origins, influences, and what drives their raw, fast-paced sound. Check it out for an inside look at Bristol’s newest hardcore pack below.
First off, tell me more about this festival and the hardcore scene in Bristol. What is this festival about, and how did the band start specifically at this event? Why did you guys end your previous projects?
We met at the DLH Dean Lane Hardcore festival in Bristol, we were already friends and we were hanging out. Dean Lane is a public skate park in the city, and once a year they put on a free HC all dayer, with skaters and bands from around the UK. It’s always the one day that all the punk and hardcore kids come out and it’s always one of the best days of the year.
The Bristol hardcore & punk scene is great here, the whole music scene is very creative in all genres. We have a really good mix of styles representing, some of my personal favourites are (ask the other guys and I am sure they will pick other bands; my and Rob’s old band Finisher, Merv & Joes old band No Warning Shot, Lesser Known Character. Sick Pig, Zero Again, Menstral Cramps, Grand Collapse (No longer a band, but my personal favourite), Riot At Monroe, Peruvian Necktie, Perp Walk, Split Dogs, Chaotic Discord, I could go on.
When you were forming this band, what were your goals compared to what you did before?
We wanted to play music that we listened to, we are all fans of fast punk rock, and fast hardcore, so we just wrote what felt good to play. Music we think fits the city and the venues we’ll be playing in. Our goals at this stage are modest, play some shows, write some more songs and see what happens. We all play in other bands, but we didn’t have anything like this going, so we started it to fulfil the gap!
Regarding the lyrics, did you have any specific messages you wanted to convey?
We consider them more vocals than lyrics, which means it’s important to us that it’s a part of the music, rather than a monologue of detailed ideas. Having said that our themes range from anti-knife crime (we don’t have gun problems in the uk, but we have knife crime) on “Length Pounders”, to themes of dealing with people who you thought were trustworthy but who weren’t “Mistrust”, something everyone can relate to at some point in their life. We also have themes of staying strong and not letting negative influences into your life.
Musically, it’s obviously fast and aggressive, so tell me about your main inspirations.
We have influences from all over the place, but I guess you could say bands like Rikers, Pennywise, Strife, Terror are in the general zone of what we’re going for. All the local bands mentioned above are worth checking out. Bristol has so many great bands though.
