GIÁ-BĂNG opened the year with uncompromising force. Hardcore and metal scenes collided as local and Japanese underground acts pushed the room past control. Breakdowns, bruises, and shared intent turned this live show into a statement, not a celebration.
GIÁ-BĂNG opened the year with controlled chaos. From local heavy hitters to Osaka and Japan’s fiercest exports, the night escalated without paus; breakdowns, bruises, and shared instinct. A reminder that the year doesn’t ease in.
Saigon hardcore outfit Under Pressure mark their arrival with “Omnipotent,” a blunt and disciplined debut EP released on New Year’s Eve. Five tracks of raw intent, unpolished force, and underground conviction set a hard foundation for what follows.
A relentless night of blast beats and crushing riffs, Deathcember brought pure death metal force to the stage. Infecated, Voluptury, KINH, Hypertension, and Thanh Duc turned sweat, distortion, and precision into a visceral celebration of extremity, captured here in raw, unfiltered moments.
A night where sound fractured and reassembled in real time, from Thangca’s emotive Vietnamese rock roots, through The Broken Flowers’ relentless energy, into Phạm Thế Vũ’s immersive noise, and finally Ryosuke Kiyasu’s primal percussion ritual. A reminder that some music only truly exists live.
Hanoi metal act Gargoyles in the Night Wasteland return without warning with Scepters of Fate, a stark standalone single released after their self-titled debut. Grim, focused, and ritualistic, the track stands as an isolated statement rather than a continuation.
From fractured grunge to trembling snare rolls, the Christmas Eve edition at Kobe Town was anything but ordinary. Four acts: Thangca, The Broken Flowers (Taiwan), Phạm Thế Vũ, and Ryosuke Kiyasu (Japan), took the stage one after another, blurring genre lines and expectations alike.
In a cramped Saigon courtyard, a “normal” Wednesday transformed into an explosive underground hardcore showcase. Featuring relentless sets from bands like Shiv, Born in Hatred, Happyco., Under Pressure, Empathize and Knife Sticking Head, the night bypassed personal space for raw violence and community spirit. It was a high energy celebration of passion over scale.
irihi reads like a fragmented diary of youth, blending J-punk and J-rock emo with sharp math-rock edges. Across five tracks, it moves through escape, waiting, separation, and uneasy forgiveness, before an acoustic closer leaves everything unresolved. Honest, disciplined, and quietly hopeful, this EP charts growth without forcing closure or pretension.
Golden Bird’s lit up with Black Sheep’s boldest edition yet, as six genre-defying acts—from Alexis Cao’s soulful debut to Trần Đức Nguyên’s explosive finale—redefined indie ambition. A new venue, technical hiccups, and pure passion collided in a night that proved Vietnam’s outcasts can truly outshine the norm.
