Birmingham Medolic Hardcore Dxwnsides are simply mesmerising to say the least, with a massive range of emotions displayed throughout their tracks their discography is something special. You may have heard of them before with their debut album "I'll Never Be Enough" released back in 2021. I managed to catch their set at D-Day II fest back in May and was simply blown away.
One thing I always thought of after listening to their album for the first time was wondering how they will showcase their powerful and emotional sound live - well they did it perfectly! The ending track of the album "Bathe" as an example still holds the perfect balance of sad and angry emotions which really holds their unique and impactful sound you can hear in recording.
During their set you could really hear the different dynamic levels and it was on another scale. The drummer Ollie not only holds the beat perfectly but really ensures that the drums are dynamically controlled when they need to be. The whole band seem to be completely in sync with each other on a dynamic level and this makes their performance impressive to say the least.
It is also super clear that this band are very well rehearsed. The whole time Dxwnsides seemed confident on stage as an example guitarist Bens backing vocals where simply immense when mixed with Chris's vocals. The guitar work from Luke and Ben also was perfect when mixing Luke's lead lines (filled with reverb) with Ben's rhythm guitar.
If you've listened to the album you'll know these tracks. Dxwnsides combine the two tracks "Bleed" and "Ache" together and the outcome is something special. Hearing the "Bleed" chorus lyrics mixed in with "Ache" creates atmospheric part like no other. I found myself completely immersed during this - almost becoming completely unaware of everything else which was happening around me.
You've got some really energetic tracks in the set as well which are filled with energy. In fact Dxwnsides really know how to move themselves on stage and this is shown in tracks "Chase" and "Pointless". When these two tracks came on the band gave off a level of energy which just made it near impossible to stand still to; a massive contrast compared to the more atmospheric and emotional tracks of the set.
After this gig I can confirm I was certainly not disappointed at what I saw - I massively recommend seeing them if this appeals to you. You've got simply everything from really pretty lead lines to angry - two step riffs and tracks which are just impactful.
Their next appearance will beon the 17th of June at Crofters Rights where they are opening for Post-Hardcore band "Split Chain"
All photos in this article are by @katefeastphotography
