Photo Credit: FINN CONSTANTINE – @finn_constantine
You might know fiery punk rap duo Ho99o9 for one of two things. The first, their name, the nines representing r’s to make up in normal terms their name Horror. The second, their collaboration with the legendary Corey Taylor coming in the form of 2022’s attacking BITE MY FACE. But there is actually a third reason why you should get to know Ho99o9 outside of the confines of their name or big-time collaboration and that’s their genre defying mission to meld horror theatrics with face melting garage punk rap rock, where one moment you feel like you are in Block9 of Glastonbury to the two-step mosh pit of a hardcore show. Add in the occasional killer waft of weed and one of the hottest rap rock duos in the scene and you have your one-way admission ticket to the Ho99o9 revolution.
“What you are about to witness are scenes of a Graphic Nature” warms an alarming tone that rings around Kings Cross’ Scala for hardcore clan Graphic Nature and their set was explicit to the senses. The bunch of hardcore misfits throw glitchy electronics and grimy breakdowns at you full pelt, through the midst of hoods mist if the band adorn, you can see the menacing face of leader Harvey Freeman out for blood with killer tracks like White Noise and new skin in their armour. If you missed the creepy, skin crawling nu-metal meets hardcore Graphic Nature supplied down at Scala, never fear because if you bagged a gokden ticket to Download Festival’s 20th anniversary next year, you can catch the Kent cohort down in Donnington next year, name dropping themselves for the much-anticipated line-up moments before Download dropped the bombshell that got the 1,000 people inside the Scala staring at their phones come 9pm. 8/10
Whilst their name suggests pure and utter horror, Ho99o9 instead of a trick the duo were a treat. Taking a no-nonsense political stance rallying it with shocking stage gear and explosive nu metal, rap, rock, hardcore punk and industrial sized brain rattling noise, enough to cause the chaotic action of the crowd catapulting a Punk IPA or Lost Larger in an act of impassioned rage at the sight of the New Jersey duo appearing on stage to pit inducing opener Is It Safe to Internet or just out of a pure hatred for Brewdog, Ho99o9 made it clear from the get go they ain’t playing.
Whilst the odd showcase of classic crowd-pleasing songs such as Frank Sinatra’s My Way or a colossal cover of Nine Inch Nails’ March of the Pigs paused the Ho99o9 headlining hardcore rave momentarily. The outfit have no trouble igniting their fire, falling one song into the next with little to no talking in between except the occasional praise for turning up and the aesthetically appearance of the London gathering, a destroyed, nearly dying sweaty mess by the time Ho99o9 inflicted the trauma tracks like Punk Police, Get A Grip or Street Power cause, The OGM getting down and dirty in the middle of the pit, providing their photographer with the money shot of the night.
Hardcore psychotic material, Ho99o9 isn’t a band, it’s a revolution and that’s something you will never ever forget if you witness the chaos this duo cause. 8/10
Written by: Katie Conway-Flood
