Live Review: Blackgold - Holy Diver, Stockport
25th April 2025
Support: Deadwax, Dacara, Pengshui
Words: Matthew Williams
Photos: Tom Atkin
A Saturday night out in Stockport is probably not high on many people’s lists, but it represented an opportunity for me to visit a new venue, and more importantly to see Britain’s nu-metal sensations Blackgold for the first time.
Wearing a 25-year-old Senser t-shirt to a gig has its advantages, as I had a friendly chat in the car park about them with a young chap, who was in fact Ben, drummer from Deadwax. So, after getting the setlist off him, I went inside just as they walked on stage, and all I’ll say is WOW, what an opening set they delivered!!!!
From the first seconds of “Hollow” to the last moments of “Northern Behaviour” they delivered a barnstorming set full of booming bass, destructive drumming and gritty guitars, all led by the energy bunny himself, frontman Jake. Despite being hungover, he was in total control, as their mix of nu-metal, dubstep and grime got everyone in the mood. It was their first time in Stockport also, and with “House of Wax”, the aggressive new single “Shook” and “Believe Me” they introduced themselves to the crowd perfectly. Jake describes the band as “nu-metal with a UK flavour” as they mix drum n bass into their sound and it works exceptionally well, as “Bang On” highlights, with beat drops that build the atmosphere up and when the final song kicks in, their collective sound is huge and they’ve done their job.
Manchester’s Dacara were also new to me, but having chatted with a bloke stood next to me, who was genuinely excited to see them, the quartet are lively and explosive. Their brand of pop-infused metal isn’t exactly my thing, but I was impressed by vocalist Emma and guitarist Dave, who seemed very hyped. The EDM edge to their sound is enjoyable and combines well with the heavy rhythm, roaring vocals and seriously fast beats that begin to emerge. They bring a high energy to proceedings and Emma gets animated and a bit theatrical in her performance as the melodies start to soar. I recognised the final two songs, “Just Monika” and “Nice Try” which are both good, with the crowd chanting the words back to the danceable tracks, as they go down well with their local crowd.
Next up were London trio Pengshui, who hit us hard with their punk energy, that blends seamlessly with heavy metal, grime and everything else in-between. With Illaman (Dave Penning) leading the vocal charge, Fatty Bassman pushes the bass to its limits, and the crowd are flying into each other. They have some seriously good songs as “Break The Law” sounds huge with some nice breaks allowing the venom fuelled lyrics to flow. They build the tempos superbly on “No Joke” and it’s great to see the duo having so much fun on stage. I’m totally immersed in their performance, and their set is punchy and fearsome, with one song having the frontman repeatedly shout “fuck off” as the drum n bass elements add to the madness in the crowd.
Then the most bizarre part of the evening, as they play the song “Shoes Off” and some of the crowd throw their shoes on stage, very strange but funny to watch, before Jake from Deadwax joins them for another raucous song. “Nobody Cares” whips the crowd up into a frenzy before Bassman steps up to say, “battered sausage”. (I’m none the wiser either) We get told a story about Liam Howlett ahead of their version of The Prodigy’s “Omen” as the dub step sound has the floor shaking, but after a quick shot they end with the anthemic “Eat The Rich” which was a brilliant way to end their set.
With Eminem’s “Without Me” playing, the fretless bass and guitars are taken upstairs to the changing rooms, and with a rumbling of thunder, Blackgold appears one by one onto the stage. The crowd are properly warmed up as frontman Spookz asks us, “how we feeling” before they start with the slow and steady “Wake Up” and then, pow!!!! We are just hit with this immense power, and the pit starts to properly go off during the bass heavy “Social Blackout”. It’s awesome to watch and hear this nu-metal sound for a new generation. They rip through “Today’s My Day” with their high energy on stage matching that in the pit, as they feed off each other.
“It’s Art” brought more of that 90’s nostalgic feel to proceedings, with the drums from Lux being a joy to witness, and the whole sound really taking me back. It’s relentless and there’s a clap along during the intro to “One Chance” where the whole crowd were in unison. Spookz talks the chorus as he asks to see more action and the crowd respond accordingly. Then we get my favourite song of the night, as we go back to the “Old School Sound” with a bit of The Beastie Boys “Intergalactic” mixed into it.
Spookz works the crowd exceptionally well and is like a coiled spring on stage, as he introduces “Cash Moves” from last year’s “EP Phone Home” before they kick into the full on mental “Dance Like That”. “We’ve sold this out and haven’t even released an album yet” which is quite rare these days, but the crowd are getting exactly what they want, old school nu-metal mixed with high energy which goes off again during “Bring Noise”.
We get to witness the mixing skills of SP3 with some Naughty by Nature and Onyx getting an airing, before the rest of the band return to the stage with their anthem, “Crazy World” which was breathtaking. Their cover of Cypress Hill’s “Ain’t going out like That” is pure gold, and after thanking the crowd for coming they end with the blinding “Bogeyman” which sees wild, chaotic scenes all over the place and leaves the crowd not only battered and bruised, but having witnessed something special. Catch these soon as they are going to blow up.
Photo Credit: Tom Atkin
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