Live Review: Free Throw - Cavern, Exeter 28/10/2025
Free Throw stay in touch with the roots of the scene, putting on a roaring show in the Exeter Cavern.
When I saw the tour poster for this show, I had to do an immediate double take, as surely a band as monumental and genre-defining as Free Throw would play bigger venues on a UK tour, right? But to Exeter’s delight, we were treated to one of the most chaotic yet heartwarming sets I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Genre legends Free Throw stopped by for an intimate show, also bringing backup in the form of the endlessly talented and truly astounding Prince Daddy And The Hyena. This was a genuinely special evening as these bands belong on the highest pedestal possible, having spent years breaking ground in uncharted territory and creating the soundtrack to countless suburban heartbreaks. For both of these bands to stay wholly connected to their roots and perform in small venues around our little island truly resonated with me and showed me that it is not just the music that makes this scene what it is, but the people around it. Tuesday night was a crystal-clear reminder of that.
The show opened with Bristol/Plymouth-based post-hardcore band Funeral. These 4 budding musicians were exactly what the night needed to get the cogs turning, local, brutal and full of vibrance. They played tracks from both their very recently released self-titled EP and sprinkled in a few new ones to see how the crowd reacted. To open for bands like the ones on the bill tonight is no small feat, yet Funeral did this with resounding courage and captured the soul of the room in their short set. People filled in with unrelenting passion for the songs being played, and by the end of the set, a number of new fans had been created. I was immediately impressed by their avant-garde and DIY sound, so much so that I purchased their demo CD, giving me even more time to appreciate their sound on my drive back to Bristol.
Now that the crowd was warm and truly raring to go, the co-main event of the evening was about to begin. The members of Prince Daddy And The Hyena funnelled in through the small stage door, brandished their instruments, and immediately blasted the room into a deafening roar of applause. Seeing bands of their stature genuinely appreciate the moment, regardless of venue, has always given me an extra layer of admiration for a band; thankfully, this would ring true for the rest of the night. Prince Daddy kicked off their set with “Adore The Sun,” casting an initial air of melancholy over the room before absolutely shattering expectations and breaking into an instrumental frenzy for “Adult Summers Part 2.” This change of pace immediately had the crowd rushing forward and bouncing like wild creatures. The energy displayed by Kory Gregory, frontman of the band, was utterly hypnotic. Using his signature harsh and emotionally resonant vocals, he commanded Jordan "J Nasty" Chmielowski, Daniel Gorham, and Cameron Hanford to deliver an immense amount of talent through the speakers and keep the power surging through the crowd.
The middle of their set was a mix of stand-up comedy bits and raw, intense ballads; this fusion of emotional opposites created the perfect and most chaotic of environments. The highlights of this portion were the tracks “god complex” and the expertly named “***HIDDEN TRACK***”. Both pieces featured beautiful choruses from not only the band but also the packed-out, bunker-like venue. The latter half of the set maintained the same energy throughout, with the crowd bouncing and screaming along to classics like “I Forgot To Take My Meds Today” and “Curly Q” whilst continuing to litter in some excellent new songs from their upcoming album. Prince Daddy left our ears ringing and our hearts full by the end of their set, carving out a path for Free Throw to step in and amaze the crowd, who by then were absolutely bouncing.
Free Throw began their set with an honest message about how much it meant to them that this venue had sold out, something which was almost a guarantee, yet nevertheless the entire band seemed to truly care about the scene around them, no matter what part of the globe they were in. once the whoops and cheers of an extremely excited 200 Midwest emo fans had settled, Free Throw kicked into fan favourite “The Coroners Dilemma”. Every single member of the band was absolutely on form, ripping through songs with white-knuckled passion and cutting-edge talent. Corey Castro, Jake Hughes, Zach Hall, Justin Castro and Lawrence Warner have soundtracked not only some of my most formative years but the ups and downs of thousands of lives with their water tight talent and unmistakeable song writing, and to hear the messages of songs like “pallet town” and “tongue tied” ring out through the venue in the first half hour truly left me speechless. Growing up with these songs, you form a sense of identity alongside them, each note relatable to a moment in time, and to see these unfold in front of me was a truly beautiful sensation.
Emotional relation isn’t the only thing these songs had going for them, though, as Free Throw have shown time and time again, not only are they excellent songwriters, but by god can they play. attempting to stay afloat in the middle of the pit to watch Corey break from screaming the essence of his being into the crowd to play eloquent and sonically perfect was something I believe every human should experience. The middle portion of the set was highlighted not only by the endless flow of crowd surfers but by lesser-known songs like “Randy I Am The Liquor” and “Joy Ephemeral”. While being deeper cuts, these songs still elicited the same reaction from the crowd, unrelenting chaos. This chaos led to the band consistently congratulating the crowd on being one of the most hectic they had seen and even successfully knocking Corey Castros’ pedal board into a new setting bank. As the crowd continued streaming ahead, so did the band, and now it was time for the big ones.
The show ended on the highest of highs, playing three songs from their masterpiece. First up was “What Day Is It, October?”, leading the fans to chant along to the lyrics and build endless excitement for the coming 2 tracks. What followed will be a core memory for 200 people of the southwest for years to come, now as the band played both “Hey Ken, Someone Methodically Mashed The Doughnuts” and the cult classic “2 Beers In”. These tracks enlisted a cacophony of voices to scream their lungs out while thrashing limbs collided with those at the side of the mosh pit. This experience seemed to happen in slow motion, allowing everyone to truly take in what they were witnessing. With that, they left the stage, leaving the crowd in a mix of ecstasy and longing.
Free Throw is a truly special band, and to be part of such an experience was tremendous to witness. If you are ever given the opportunity to see the Nashville 5-piece outfit in action, leap at it.
Words by Josh Pook
Photo Credit: Callum Spicer
