Words by Ella Patenall

Pinkshift have been non-stop touring in the US and are finally back in the UK for the second time for what they’ve called the ‘Britshift’ tour (plus a show in Belgium). We caught their show at The Underworld in Camden Town, London, with support from The Sex Patels and Just.

It was a rare warm summer's evening in Camden Town and we’ve entered The Underworld - an iconic venue that has been hosting heavy bands for the past 35 years. It’s the perfect venue for Baltimore-based emo/post-hardcore/grunge band, Pinkshift.

We took our prime position on the balcony, giving us an excellent view of the stage and the chaos in the pit. Kicking off were 4-piece math rock band, Just, who mix jazzy elements, complex guitar riffs and sophisticated drums, topped off with energetic and strong vocals by the singer. While some of the songs sounded a bit samey at times, as a math rock fan they were certainly talented musicians and I was transfixed by the guitarist’s hands whizzing around the fretboard - a band to keep an eye on.

Next up was all South Asian supergroup The Sex Patels putting their middle fingers up to brown Tories. Having seen them before, I was very excited for their set. Nadia Javed (The Tuts) was a bit late to take the stage, but it added to the anticipation of a killer set to come. They kicked off with their fun intro track ‘We are The Sex Patels’ (incase we didn't know!). Nadia and Dana Mohammed (Ms. Mohammed) - both charismatic as ever - stirred up the audience with political messages, audience participation, a wall of death and funny anecdotes about having to buy Ferrero Rochers to park in Sainsbury’s and Nadia’s mum's BMW. They go from Nadia's gentle singing to raucous screaming, accompanied by guitar solos and licks from Dana, joined by the pounding drums from Muscle Vest’s Arun Dhanjal and new bassist, Amir (Black Sixteen). The Sex Patels sing bluntly on current issues including Hindu nationalism, anti-immigration policies by Priti Patel (who the band manifested her resignation before it happened) and a newer song on the cost of living crisis - serious messages, but delivered with equal doses of fun and fury. 

Headlining was the much-anticipated Pinkshift who have gone from strength-to-strength since their debut in 2020. I'd last seen them about a year ago at the much humbler Camden Assembly up the road and they could hardly believe anyone had turned out for them. One year on and many gigs later, the tighter playing, increased energy and confidence was evident. Fronted by Ashrita Kumar, their tremendous vocal range and strength was something to behold, going from screaming to wailing and back again. Their set is like watching a workout video - from racing from each side of the stage to the twisting jumps of guitarist Paul Vallejo, and Ashrita’s first time crowd surfing. There were a few quieter and more serious moments, with Ashrita picking up the guitar for a deeply personal track called ‘home’. Throughout the show, they spoke of unity and solidarity for those most marginalised by society, namely trans people and refugees.

The crowd was loving them, singing along and hanging onto Ashrita’s every word. Of course, the crowd demanded an encore and the band obliged with a great cover of ‘Territorial Pissings’ by Nirvana, with drummer Myron Houngbedji putting down his sticks and picking up a guitar and Paul behind the drums before taking their usually places to end on the song where it all started, ‘i’m gonna tell my therapist on you’, which went viral on Reddit.  

We love seeing South Asians taking over heavy music scene. The warm, positive messages of unity and solidarity made The Underworld have a real community feel which lasted well after the gig was over.