We hit the streets of Birmingham for the first night of Knocked Loose’s UK headline tour to find out who their fans are and why they love hyper-aggressive music so damn much…
This week, Kentucky hardcore bruisers Knocked Loose are tearing across the United Kingdom with their pals in Deafheaven and Headbussa for one of the hardest-hitting nights out of the year. Coming ahead of their highly-anticipated new album You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To, there's a tangible buzz in the air outside the O2 Institute Birmingham, where they're kicking things off in typically violent fashion.
But who are Knocked Loose's fans? And who wants to spend a weeknight getting bodied in the pit? Let's find out…
How long have you been a fan of Knocked Loose?
"Since [2019 album] A Different Shade Of Blue. I heard that song with Emma Boster on – A Serpent's Touch – and I thought it was a banger. Ever since then, I've been a fan!"
What is it about their music that keeps you listening?
"It just hits different. When I'm in an angrier mood it always helps me to get out that rage."
Will you be getting that rage out tonight?
"Hopefully, yeah, if I don't get punched in the face!"
What other music do you like?
"Bring Me The Horizon! I was at their gig in January. Just, like, hardcore shows, Bad Omens, stuff like that."
What's the craziest thing you've ever seen in a pit?
"Someone did a line of ket, that was at Bring Me The Horizon as well. I'm guessing it was one of the Bad Omens fans, they can be a bit… y'know."
Walk us through what you're wearing.
"Vans, black chinos, Knocked Loose jumper and a Bad Monday jacket!"
What first got you into Knocked Loose?
"Oh, fucking hell. Can't even remember what song… Billy No Mates? I think it came up on the Spotify shit, you know the playlists on there? I started listening to it from then. It's been about two or three years now."
What are your favourite songs?
"The new one's pretty sick. Blinding Faith. And then Billy No Mates, God Knows and All My Friends."
What's the wildest thing you've ever done in the pit?
"I stage-dived, someone caught me by the legs and threw me up on their shoulders and I was there for the rest of the gig. Fucking sick, that was."
What other bands do you love?
"Static Dress – I've seen them three times now. Dying Fetus, Cannibal Corpse, Palpitations."
What about less-heavy music?
"Ermm, Paramore!"
What are you wearing?
"Static Dress merch, my work shoes – just Docs which are all fucked-up."
How long have you been a Knocked Loose fan?
"About the same as Dean [above]. I discovered them the same way too, through Spotify recommendations."
Are you gonna get in the pit?
"Yeah! If I break an arm it's okay."
We're sure there's a hospital nearby. What other bands do you like?
"It varies. I love Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Paramore, Static Dress."
What's the maddest thing you've seen happen in a pit?
"I once saw a guy holding up his phone showing his screen around which said, 'Does anyone have any ecstasy?'"
Walk us through what you're wearing.
"New Rocks, fishnets, KILLSTAR shorts, a Cannibal Corpse hoodie and that's it!"
How long have you been a Knocked Loose fan?
"About a year or two. I'm pretty sure I just heard some clips of them on social media and thought, 'Who are these guys?' So I checked them out and loved them!"
What is it that keeps you listening to them?
"Just pure anger, isn't it? It helps to just let everything out."
What's the maddest thing you've ever seen in a pit?
"I saw my friend lose his necklace and then about an hour-and-a-half later someone tapped on my shoulder asking, 'Have you lost a necklace by any chance?' It was his necklace and they found it on the floor amidst a crowd of thousands of people."
Can you walk us through what you're wearing?
"I've got my boots on with thick socks to stop me getting mad fucking blisters. Got my Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss T-shirt on, and a coat to keep me warm. Also got a Bring Me The Horizon six-sided star pendant and a few others."
How long have you been a Knocked Loose fan?
"I'm very new! I'd heard their songs before, but had never properly listened to them till last week. I was like, 'Oh shit, I'm going to their gig, I need to prepare myself!'"
What other music are you into?
"At the moment I love Lorna Shore and Paleface – it's all I've been listening to on repeat at the minute."
What keeps you listening to heavy music?
"It's just how it makes me feel. It's therapeutic, in a way. It's a kind of cathartic experience, I'd say. I really enjoy it."
What's the maddest thing you've ever seen in a mosh-pit?
"Oh my gosh, well, someone's tit fell out while they were moshing. It was an interesting sight in the middle of the pit!"
What are you wearing today?
"I'm wearing some really baggy cargos, some Docs that hurt my feet – they might have been a bad decision. And an oversize hoodie I got from Download!"
How long have you been a fan?
"Two or three years? I got into them via my ex."
Okay, say no more! What's your favourite song and what keeps you listening?
"It changes often, but currently it's Oblivions Peak. And I don't know, it's just good music!"
Have you seen them before?
"Yeah I have, this will be my second time."
What's the wildest thing you've ever seen in a pit?
"I once saw someone doing Sudoku in the pit."
That is mad, but also kinda wholesome. What's your outfit today?
"I've got my New Rocks, some jeans, a spiky belt, a Paleface hoodie."
How long have you been a fan?
"I'd say five or six years. The first song would have been in like 2019 – I saw them in an amazing line-up, I think it was Malevolence and Justice For The Damned."
What is it that first got you into them?
"Not sure, I think I just found them somewhere, god know's where, and I thought they were sick. I think it was when [2016 debut album] Laugh Tracks came out I really started listening to them."
What other bands do you like?
"I love Bring Me The Horizon. I love Jesus Piece, Dying Wish."
And what are you wearing today?
A Drop Dead x Poppy T-shirt. Some Bershka cargos. And some Nikes."
How long have you been a Knocked Loose fan?
"Probably a couple of years. I think since [2021 EP] A Tear In The Fabric Of Life."
What keeps you listening to them?
"I just find them very raw. I don't want to sound pretentious, but they're very unprocessed I think. The constant tempo changes. It's just noise."
What other music do you like?
"I'm a big fan of punk, metal, gothic rock. Anything like that really. I like Avenged – they're my favourite. The Cure. I'm a big Bauhaus fan. Architects. I've forgotten all the bands I love right now!"
What band has had the wildest pit you've ever seen?
"I Prevail's pit was crazy! I wasn't really expecting it from them when I saw them in Rock City last year."
And lastly, tell us about your outfit.
"These are thrifted jeans, some barbed wire fishnets underneath. I thrifted this jacket and painted an anarchy symbol on the back."
We love the troll!
"Oh yeah, I found it in the shop I work in – or rather my colleague did – and I decided I'd keep it because it looks like me."
Knocked Loose are on tour in the UK now. New album You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To is released May 10 via Pure Noise.
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