Gig Review: Rumkicks, Pardon Us, Spiteful Void and Psychoactive at Guac n Roll - Monday 09 June 2025

Words: Richie Yates, Photos: Adrian Wharton/Richie Yates

Guac n Roll, a small veggie/vegan cafe in a less trodden part of Liverpool City Centre. By day it serves food and hardcore punk records from its in house small record shop, by night it’s a centre for musical punk gatherings.

Tonight, a ridiculously young Psychoactive are playing, with a bass player who could be 10 and other members who aren’t much older its a bit annoying for us ‘older musicians’ to get such a slap in the face by them being part snotty nosed kids and part a full on very capable punk band. They produce a totally convincing set that pretty sharp and the vocalist/front person is all over the audience taking it to the people. Watch these.

First time seeing Spiteful Void and they are chunky Black Flag (or Sabbath, take your pick) riff based hardcore. Fronted by a mad man in a balaclava (should go down well with the BBC). They are loud and extremely together, the drums and bass are locked in with each other and both capable of hitting wilder parts whilst the other keeps it solid and that guitar has tone to die for. They chunk along at a rapid pace and all the while their vocalist contorts himself in front of the band yelling obscenities and reprimanding off those with colour politics. Pretty raw and authentic this and all over in less than 20 minutes.

Pardon Us are a rocket fuelled melodic punk, they never put a foot wrong and are one of the best bands around in any scene. Its tight as hell and keeps charging at you with more and more melodies all backed up by a razor sharp rhythm section with drums that seem to be hitting beats faster than I can hear them. Every song is a bit of a gem, and their delivery continues to amaze even after seeing them countless times over the years.

Then Rumkicks hit it and its high energy punk all the way. The South Korean band on a UK tour and playing some warm up gigs prior to playing Rebellion Festival again. They are part Ramones, part a brutal take on 90s American Pop-Punk, throw in some general fast sharp rhythms and high level vocals and this template has carried them all the way from South East Asia to Blackpools shining tower and the largest pure punk festival in the world. The relentless wave of musical energy is broken up by short speeches describing subjects from how expensive cigarettes are in the UK to not bowing down to others opinions of you. A snapshot of highly mobile and colourful pure punk aggression thats well worth catching.