Two days, two cities, two of the most exciting new live acts going: VLURE and Frozemode take on Dork’s Home & Away

Dork’s Home & Away is back for two nights in Manchester and London.

Words: Jamie Muir.
Photos: Josh Collins / @goshgoshgoshgoshgoshgoshgosh (Manchester),
Charlie Barclay Harris / @charliebarclayharris (London).

When we talk about coming back with a bang, Dork’s Home & Away 2024 may just be the blueprint. After all, who better than VLURE and Frozemode to host a visceral and pumping party that spotlights a blistering new world ready to boot the metaphorical front door in? These two aren’t waiting around for people to hop on board; they’re grabbing them and bringing them firmly into the moshpit.

After a blockbuster opening night at Manchester’s Deaf Institute Lodge, where band and audience meet for a sweaty night of fizzing pill-punk breakdowns, it’s at London’s Colours Hoxton where Home & Away touches down for a whipping finale. For Frozemode, stepping on stage is like lighting a match; an explosion of energy rings out from start to finish. Born for that live setting, it’s a set ready to rattle cages – in-your-face rap meets unpredictable rave in one glorious cocktail. The crunching ‘MANDEM NAH’ revels in the darkness, whilst ‘STICK DAT’, ‘ASBO BOYS’ and ‘NO ASSUMPTIONS’ capture Frozemode at their very best. Raveified hits that take over all the senses, it’s the club brought into a whole new lane.

“London. ARE YOU READY?” comes the booming voice through the Colours Hoxton speakers. It’s pitch black. Blistering hyper-pop has just poured out as dizzying lights ricochet across the jam-packed room. This is VLURE, and this is the live experience every music fan needs to dive into. Immediately setting the tone, what follows is one of the most all-encompassing shows of the year so far. Turning Colours Hoxton into a sweaty club, VLURE manage to make everyone gathered feel like they’re about to head into battle, with them leading the charge.

‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Show Me How To Live Again’ set markers firmly in place for a live show that’s undeniably the full package. Roaring passion and jaw-dropping lights perfectly mix with their dripping acid-punk spins in the largest fashion possible. ‘Cut It’, ‘This Fantasy’ and ‘Shattered Faith’ are met like communal anthems, with lead singer Hamish and guitarist Conor prowling the stage like preachers at a 24-hour rave. Unlike any band right now, it’s both a workout and a cinematic showcase of something far bigger, as demonstrated by new tracks such as ‘Fear’ and ‘Feels Like Heaven’ showcased tonight. Fitting effortlessly into their already powerhouse show, ‘Fear’ oozes a beefier electro-rock stomp that aims squarely at the big leagues, while ‘Feels Like Heaven’ struts with dialled-up hyper-electro spins.

Shaking Colours Hoxton to its foundations (we’re looking at you, person whose drink at the bar tipped over as ‘Heaven Sent’ kicked in), a firecracker ‘This Is Not The End’ with incendiary moshpits, band members climbing the bar and one final moment of release seals it. Consider yourself warned: VLURE are coming for everyone.