More often seen on large festival stages, PENGSHUi's visit to the cosy environs of the upper room at Rough Trade was a show we could not miss. Matt Pratt braved the noise - and darkness - as the band, with no less than four support acts, did their best to bring the house down...
Having caught PENGSHUi’s electric set on the Kerrang stage at Download 2022, I absolutely had to catch their intimate appearance at our very own Rough Trade. Their fierce combination of brutal rock and piercing drum and bass harks comparisons of Fever333, Bob Vylan or even some of Chase and Status’s early works. They fully owned the sizeable rock festival stage with their engaging and vibrant performance when I last witnessed them, but I had to question how that would translate to a more restricted setting, usually reserved for more stripped back, acoustic performances.
The night opened with a familiar local band, Bonestrider. It’s no uncommon sight to see the band’s name on a poster locally. Working hard to make a name for themselves on the Nottingham circuit, you can catch them at The Chapel, Billy Bootleggers, The Old Cold Store and even down the road at Derby’s Hairy Dog in the coming months. It’s great to see the trio thrusting themselves into the limelight and making themselves known, their performance this evening will cause no damage to the reputation they are establishing. With bone wobbling basslines and a confident on stage presence, the doom metal outfit looked plenty comfortable rolling out their dark, enveloping melodies to a respectable early evening crowd. With their new EP, Death Of A Binary Mind, dropping late last year, and a busy few months ahead, Bonestrider look to go from strength to strength in 2025 and we are sure to hear plenty more of them.
Second in our stacked line up of evening entertainment, which wasn’t far from feeling like a day festival, was Manic State. The stage looked significantly busier, with the five-piece barely squished on, and their strength in numbers was evident. An immediate assault to the senses, the cacophony of instruments paired with guttural growls from their lead vocalist saw a flood of intrigued early comers into the room. The band displayed wave after wave of enormous noise and most importantly, visible joy which made their set so engaging. The young band is already a regular name around Nottingham’s independent venues and has already laid their ambition bare, competing for a space at Bloodstock festival in last year’s Metal to the masses. Perhaps it won’t be too long before we see their name grace the poster of one of the worlds finest heavy rock festivals.
Our attention was then turned to Silent Confidant. As the three-piece took to stage it was notable that they had amassed a sizeable following. With plenty of whooping and heckling, the band clearly has a strong army of fans around these parts which added to a spectacular atmosphere for not even the final support act of the evening. To kick off their performance, both lead vocalist and guitarist appeared in balaclavas, an aggressive look which was met with their boisterous sound and feisty reception. The balaclavas, understandably, did not stay on for the length of their set, as I'm sure they would have been unbearable in the sweaty heat of the room.
The band ripped through a packed display of their back catalogue including some of their most popular tracks, Flies, Antichrist and Ode To Youth. The self professed “Industrial Scuzz” band’s time on stage came to an end with a performance of their song, Fade, received with a raucous response from the elated crowd. The set went down a treat and the band is sure to be headlining their own shows of this size in no time with a following like tonight.
The final support artists, Face The Wolves, captured my curiosity the most out of all artists on display. Taking to the stage as a duo, the lead singer’s presentation appeared comparable to up and coming metal vocalist Mimi Barks, sporting an eerie tech-noir style. Their sound is almost genreless in execution, with an ethereal mix of haunting vocals, piercing electronics and heavy rock foundations. The performance was as engaging as it was intriguing, powerful in its heaviest moments and encapsulating in it’s more gentle interludes.
The show made for another excellent example of diversity in the metal scene and an unexpected pairing with the other bands of the night. It was disappointing to see the crowd appear somewhat diminished from that which had gathered for Silent Confidant just a short while earlier, however, those who stuck around were keen to loudly show their appreciation for what was an absolute treat. I’m excited to see where Face The Wolves can go next with their experimental sound and will be keeping a keen eye on potential tour dates in the coming months.
Following a long night of excellent music, it was finally time for our headliners, PENGSHUi. The London band took to the stage with all the smiling charm of a band elated to be back in front of a sweaty room of ecstatic headbangers and ravers. They were quick to give the onlookers exactly what they came for with their cocktail of rap, drum and bass, dubstep and heavy rock. The room gyrated with the energy of the circle pit which engulfed it, the trio sending spine tingling basslines into the crowded room.
It has been a short while since we’ve seen the band in action and they were sure to clear up the reason for this. Illaman proudly announced that, shortly before the start of this tour, they had wrapped up a bunch of new music that they’ll be sharing with us in the coming months. With new music coming and the band not looking like they’ve lost a single iota of their energy, it is an absolute certainty that PENGSHUi will be looking to rise back into prominence and we will look back on this unusually intimate show as a rare spectacle.
The band was sure to pay respect to their roots with plenty of drum and bass and dubstep mashups and even a cover of The Prodigy’s Omen which was met with great enthusiasm. Keen to maintain the authenticity of the night, the band decided the simple lighting of the room was far too much fancy production and opted to have them turned off for the majority of the set to give it a truthful underground vibe.
The band rifled through their hits, Eat The Rich, Break The Law and Nobody Cares. You could truly feel how much fun the band was having on stage with Illaman giving plenty of praise to his bassist Fatty and drummer Pravy Prav. The good feeling bounced around the room as if it were viral and was the perfect way to end the evening and divide off into the frivolity of the late night shenanigans.
I left this evening feeling as though I had experienced a full day at Download Festival, minus the mud. The sheer breadth of style and talent on display could have easily earned this show a place on a Rescue Rooms or Rock City stage and I feel very lucky to have witnessed it. I can wholeheartedly recommend every band who found themselves on stage this evening. Lucky for you, a good portion of them will be back in Nottingham very soon, so get yourself down to your local independent venue and give our local bands the support they deserve!
PENGSHUi performed at Rough Trade on 22nd February 2025, with support from Face the Wolves, Silent Confidant, Manic State and Bonestrider.
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