In parts of the world, October 30th is known as Devil’s Night, a chance to justify an early Halloween costume purchase and stir up some chaos— on this night, where better to be than at a Cancer Bats show? Fresh off the release of the ridiculous ‘Give Me Dirt,’ Cormier and company are still having the time of their lives up on stage, and the likes of Ignite, Knives and the hardcore fans of Nottingham were all more than happy to run wild with them.

Knives

Marshall have dubbed this the ‘Made of Loud’ tour, a title opener Knives were taking very seriously: how were we expected to stand still once they started hitting us with wailing saxophone lines, screaming out over some of the filthiest post-punk grooves Rescue Rooms has ever hosted? The six-piece may have only released their debut LP last year, but the sound they brought to Nottingham was fully formed (and devilishly enjoyable at that)— the Cook/Marshall rhythm section had us locked in from the moment the dizzying beats of ‘VERMILLION’ came bounding off the speakers, and they wouldn’t let us go until this thirty minute set had absolutely flown by. Knives don’t flaunt the same metal influences as Cancer Bats, but don’t let that fool you. Cuts like ‘THE DAGGER’ and ‘PHD’ were genuinely punishing in the room.

The up-and-coming Bristol crew are clearly a band with a lot to say, and even more energy to say it with. Right up until set closer ‘EAT THY NEIGHBOUR’ rounded things out, the six-piece were a fireball of passion and excitement— they were dancing across the stage and swinging their instruments around with enough vigour to put the headliners’ mosh pits to shame! Knives were walking a very fine line between enthusiasm and stark intensity, with frontman Jay Schottlander delivering his lines like a preacher, eyes fixed on an already sizeable crowd. This post-punk outfit blew us away at Rescue Rooms with a crushing sound entirely their own. After the fact, we’re just praying that the theft of Tegan O’Conner’s saxophone doesn’t slow such an exciting act down.

Ignite

Ignite may be playing second-fiddle on this tour, but they certainly made the entrance of a headliner on Friday night: Cancer Bats are due to support them throughout November, after all, so why wouldn’t the four-piece walk out with absolute confidence? Like Knives before them, Santana and company were playing like it would be their very last show— the racing drum hits of ‘Poverty For All’ made for a well-suited opener to this, a set bursting at the seams with passion for hardcore punk music. The moment that stood out here were the times when Ignite wore their hearts on their sleeves, with their cover of U2’s ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ (dedicated to Sick Of It All) earning a reverent response from the crowd.

What Ignite didn’t have, at least in comparison with Knives and Cancer Bats, were the malicious riffs to really drag you into the fray, kicking and screaming. A number like ‘Bleeding,’ for instance, was nothing if not energetic and infectious, but it wasn’t out to grab you like the Bristol crew had done— Santana’s soaring vocal style, though certainly impressive, had us adjusting our expectations multiple times throughout the show, which was more anthemic than outright heavy. Nonetheless, there was little to complain about as far as performance is concerned, and why should there be? Ignite have been in the game for thirty years at this point, and they’re as exciting to watch as ever: that, in and of itself, is quite a feat.

Cancer Bats

Devil’s Night may be celebrated across the globe, but no-one in the world was more ready for it than Cancer Bats, who’s entrance at Rescue Rooms was downright hilarious. Jackson Landry’s decision to play the entire set dressed like a member of Angine de Poitrine was absolutely a bold one— he must have been sweating buckets in that thing— but it made for the perfect tone-setter for one of the most outright fun shows around: Liam Cormier’s skeleton outfit and Jaye Schwarzer’s increasingly risqué stripper attire were just plain goofy, in only the best of ways. If Cancer Bats are doing anything on the Made of Loud tour, they’re having bucketloads of fun. After catching their Bat Sabbath show earlier this year, it was an absolute treat to see them on a bigger stage, tearing through some of the most exhilarating hardcore tunes of 2026.

When Cormier and company took to the stage, the mosh pit opened up, and it wouldn’t close until the rip-roaring ‘Hail Destroyer’ was done away with more than an hour later— the in-between was an absolute blur of balls-to-the-wall aggression and elbows flying in your face, and no-one in the venue wouldn’t had it any other way. Whether they were getting everyone to jump to the driving riffs of ‘Bricks and Mortar’ or striking us down with the lumbering grooves of ‘Lucifer’s Rocking Chair,’ Cancer Bats were having the times of their lives, completely commanding a Rescue Rooms packed out with eager fans. Four tracks from new record ‘Give Me Dirt’ made the setlist this time around, and they sound just as thunderous live as they did in the studio— having Brooklyn Doran up on the stage for ‘Long Tooth’ was a particularly endearing moment, but dwelling on it would do a disservice to the sheer momentum this set was running on. ‘Pneumonia Hawk,’ ‘World Wild Fire Death Race’ and ‘Sabotage’ gave us bruises, sore necks, and the biggest grins you’ve ever seen.