Live Review: Blood Youth - The Black Heart, London 20/08/2018

The ever destructive Blood Youth took control of The Black Heart in London on Monday after some well deserved time off and they did not show any signs of ring rust.

The Black Heart may be on the smaller side of venues in London but it played the perfect host in the form of dingy lights and dirty, punk rock toilets that wouldn't look out of place at a Clash show. All of this added to the atmosphere of venue and I wouldn't change a thing.

The boys of Blood Youth came straight out the blocks, full throttle by hitting the worked up crowd with ‘24/7’. The pits opened up quickly and didn’t pause for a minute and that was helped by the raw brutality of every song played by the band. Throughout the whole show my heartbeat didn't drop once. Blood Youth were exhilarating, energetic and encapsulating. The band also played their latest release 'Starve’ and it blew my mind live. If you don't like head banging, you will once you see this song live. Never have I woken from a show the next day with my neck feeling stiffer than a £5 bottle of wine from a 24/7 garage and it was worth every second of that song. The whole crowd couldn't stay still throughout 'Starve’ whether it be moshing, headbanging or bouncing, everyone was moving, an excellent credit to band who brought the angry and anxious party.

Overall the show was immense purge style fun. The show had everything, sing a longs, vicious dancing and most importantly of all…. People losing their minds.

If you are heading to Reading and Leeds Festival this weekend I beg you to check out Blood Youth. You won't regret it.

Words by Alfie Drake and Photography by Joe Dick