Bringing a new attitude to the Nu-metal scene, the Essex-based singer prowled the stage on Monday with her sold out tour selling fans on her punk promises.
There’s something indescribably personal in the moments of an intimate gig.
The apprehension that you’re witnessing the potential of an artist in real time and on your doorstep is truly exhilarating, and that’s without being the one to step foot on stage.
Cassyette has done more than just take a step; more so parading around her home turf and leaping onto the world stage, having performed with Frank Carter as he headlined Download Festival and supported My Chemical Romance on their comeback tour.
Yet here, these sweat-slickened walls of Rescue Rooms provided an echo chamber for the unadulterated punk energy that makes live music so liberating.
A fresher face to the revitalised emo sound, Cassyette released her debut album, ‘Sad Girl Mixtape’, last year, joining the likes of Nova Twins and Wargasm on the forefront of a rising, woman-led nu-metal scene.
Three bands were on the bill tonight and although the tour may be winding down to a close, they certainly didn’t dial back on their delivery.
Lozeak claimed the first supporting slot and has the alt-rock girl aesthetics down with such minute precision: shoulder-length red hair and New Rock stompers bring gravitas to her sound-tracked resumé.
A short yet punchy setlist teases the room with what famous fans Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes and Radio 1’s Jack Saunders have touted so early on in her career.
Her softer, melodic harmonies on the opener ‘No Saving You’ blended beautifully with the almost grime delivery of ‘Alter Ego’ – a likeness to Maggie Lindemann’s sound is obvious; however, Lozeak is cleverly crafting her own signature with standout ‘Hate Me Too’ bringing a plosive pop punch.
After a brief interval, the urgency of which Calva Louise tore through the sound system is palpable and raw.
Hailing from different corners of the world, their shared love for gothic grandeur is evident from the very first chord of their opening track, ‘Euphoric’.
And how fitting for the rush of meaty riffs, punchy basslines, and ferocious drums the trio launched into.
Frontwoman Jess Allanic’s vocals are a force to be reckoned with: she spins synth serenaded songs such as ‘Over The Threshold’ and ‘Oportunista’, screaming with such sacred self awareness.
The band’s sheer passion alone would allude to them being the headliner, yet their soft-spoken moments with the crowd are flavoured with a humbleness as intense as their sound and leaves you hungry for what Calva Louise are capable of.
‘Third Class Citizen’ is a boiling pot of swirling keyboards, explosive riffs and Jess’s screaming vocals as she sings about feeling like an outsider, yet that couldn’t be any further from the truth in the venue tonight.
The camaraderie between the three bands billed on the setlist could have warmed up the room without the buzz of an amp.
Each artist paid rich compliments to their contemporaries – forgoing the typical few words of acknowledgments to truly hammer home that this night, this environment, and this scene were part of a special performance.
Cassyette proved she’s exactly ‘Like That’, bouncing back and forth across the stage with a grin from ear to ear.
Prowling the stage all lean, mean and sinewy, this singer’s bark is definitely worse than her bite.
Adorning a layered wardrobe of a mini skirt over cargo pants and a checkered corset top, Cassyette was embellished with the look of a rock phase P!NK and the smirk of Billy Idol.
A sonic setlist that is as mixed and matched as her pleasingly diverse audience, her lyricism latches onto the relatability of relationships and mental turmoil, emphasised by melodies more attitude defining than genre confining.
‘Behind Closed Doors’ is a beautiful excursion into alt-rock territory with a catchy chorus and extreme vocal outbursts.
Frequently, finding herself at the front row to unify her experiences with fans.
Veering toward mainstream territory, her recent singles ‘Mayhem’ and ‘Sad Girl Summer’ are rewarded with eager audience participation.
Her cathartic earworms shine throughout the setlist.
Harrowing vocals slice sharply through choral screams, the powerhouse performance had the room vibrating.
Scorched metal of the minute-long ‘Die Hate Cry’ growls like a heartbeat that surges into ‘September Rain’, all anthemic and harnessing the energy within the room acutely.
With every charged chorus, the crowd managed to barrel the mosh pit like an over wired pinball machine.
The London-based singer humoured her audience with a false crescendo of ‘Go’, prolonging the beat drop just enough to order the parting of the audience with a sweep of her hands.
When Cassyette tells you to wait, you wait until you’re told to mosh.
Petrichor is the smell of rain falling on dry soil, but the song of the same name has nothing to do with bucolic charm, rather a gothic metal behemoth complete with death growls.
The band left the stage as the crowd played victim to the ‘peek-a-boo’ act performers guiltily reward – an encore of two more favourites.
‘Dear Goth’ and ‘Prison Purse’ are passionately prescribed to end a euphoric night.
Exciting things are happening within the scene right now!
Cassyette has a fascinating future ahead of her, and although balancing and maintaining her metal roots and cashing in on the hits which a pop approach could garner, the upcoming Radio 1 Big Weekend in May will be a great excursion in her repertoire.
Image credits: Talia Robinson