A Night of Defiance and Raw Energy with HAWXX in Manchester
There is something about a small venue and a band with absolutely no intention of holding back that makes for a particularly potent combination. At Gullivers, HAWXX brought their uncompromising blend of heavy riffs, punk attitude and theatrical intensity to a room perfectly suited to their sound, with Strange Woman and Omoia setting the scene for an evening of alternative noise.
Strange Woman opened the night, offering the first taste of the evening’s alternative edge. Support slots on bills like this provide a valuable opportunity for audiences to discover artists beyond their usual listening habits. Omoia followed, building anticipation for the headliners and helping establish the atmosphere before HAWXX took centre stage.
When it comes to live performance, HAWXX understand that heavy music should be felt as much as heard. The London-based trio have built their identity around a sound that refuses to behave itself. Their combination of jagged guitar work, weighty low-end and forceful vocals creates music that thrives on contrast, shifting between intricate instrumental passages and moments of outright sonic aggression. Live, this contrast makes them particularly compelling. The riffs have a physicality to them, carrying a dense, almost suffocating weight, while the sharper guitar lines cut through the heaviness with an unpredictability that keeps the music from becoming one-dimensional.
The vocal delivery adds another dimension. Moving between melodic passages and abrasive, visceral intensity, the performance captures the band’s ability to balance vulnerability with outright defiance. Rather than smoothing out the rougher edges of their sound, HAWXX lean into them, allowing the harsher moments to deliver their full impact. This willingness to embrace discomfort gives their music its bite.
Their live identity is equally rooted in attitude. HAWXX have never seemed interested in simply standing still and playing the notes correctly. There is a theatrical quality to their presentation, an understanding that the visual and physical elements of a performance can intensify the music rather than distract from it. This sense of character is particularly well suited to a smaller venue like Gullivers, where the proximity between stage and audience makes a performance feel immediate rather than distant.
The band’s heavier moments are not simply loud for the sake of it. There is structure beneath the chaos, with rhythmic changes and shifts in intensity giving the music room to breathe before the next wave of distortion arrives. This dynamic approach makes the heavier passages hit harder, demonstrating an understanding of pacing that is essential to a compelling live set.
Beyond the technical aspects of their performance, HAWXX’s identity is inseparable from the messages behind their music. Feminist resistance, queer solidarity and the rejection of oppressive expectations are central to their work, giving their aggression a sense of purpose. The anger is not an aesthetic pasted onto heavy music; it is part of the band’s creative foundation. Their shows bring these themes into a shared space, transforming the noise into an expression of frustration, defiance and community.
This combination of conviction and musicality makes HAWXX such an interesting presence within the alternative scene. Plenty of bands can turn up the distortion, but fewer manage to make heaviness feel so closely tied to personality and purpose. HAWXX’s sound is abrasive without being careless, theatrical without losing its edge, and technically considered without becoming sterile.
With Strange Woman and Omoia completing the lineup, the Manchester show was a reminder of the value of grassroots venues and the artists pushing alternative music into interesting territory. Gullivers provided the setting for a night built around experimentation, attitude and the simple pleasure of hearing heavy music played with conviction.
HAWXX are at their most compelling when they embrace the friction between melody and noise, precision and chaos, sensitivity and fury. Their music does not ask to be made comfortable. It demands to be felt, and that is precisely where its strength lies.
