Picture this. You have just watched Forest get walloped at the City Ground. You and the gang dip into the local boozer for a commiseratory pint, but all they have got is that posh craft bollocks. You do not want to stew in some charity-shop leather chair to the soundtrack of some hipster lo-fi nonsense. You are burdened with rage and unspent energy. Well, I have got good news, Pintglass are in town for a proper ‘Geezercore’ knees up.
Pintglass – Negative Frame – Actin’ Up
The Bodega Social Club, Nottingham – 30 November 2025
Words And Photography: Matt Pratt
Looking like they are fresh off the job, the riotous wrecking crew are causing mayhem before the show has even begun. Frontman Ben Mason is demanding the crowd pack in, “Get the fuck down here now,” he yells before eventually venturing into the crowd for some physical manipulation.
The show is a melting pot of styles that should not work together, but that is the entire appeal. In the space between songs, in fitting with their personas, we have the tomfoolery you would likely expect in the City Ground. Chants of “Geezer! Geezer! Geezer!” soundtrack the evening along with dedications to the band’s favourite amber nectar, Stella.
Where the mischief may feel Upton Park, the songs are definitely Green Street. Basslines that shake the bones in a breathless room, alongside relentless intensity that make the breaks even more vital. The brutality is gladly met with exactly the sort of aggression a Hardcore show demands, head-height kicks flying in all directions.
It is hard not to respect a project with the audacity to have a song named Pintglass, on an album named Pintglass, from a band named Pintglass.
The whole concept is absolutely ridiculous, with songs about Full English breakfasts and plenty of mentions of lager, but it serves as a sledgehammer to the conceptual wall between artist and fan.
This show is not a performance. It is a house party, and Pintglass are certainly not being considerate of the neighbours.
Negative Frame
You might expect, especially in a smaller venue like the Bodega, for the crowd not to hit its potential until moments before the headliner. But we have reached near capacity just in time for our final support act, Negative Frame.
The bundle of bodies filling the room is no coincidence. There is raucous enthusiasm for the underground force of this Hardcore ensemble, with limbs flying around the danger zone that has opened before the stage.
Though the pit served a vital purpose, the final song demands an advance toward the stage, all crushing in for a close-up with a band who are swiftly buying favour with their fierce taster set.
The track even offers the lucky few an opportunity to lend their screams directly into the mic, an act of participation representative of a lasting appreciation of this fiery discovery and the ideal birthday celebration for percussionist Luke.
Actin’ Up
Opening the show, a spot for local Nottingham band Actin’ Up. There are no arguments for whether the infant band belongs in the evening’s unforgiving line-up, taking the responsibility of whipping up the storm incredibly seriously.
A pleasantly strong crowd made it down in time to offer the quintet their ears and energy, with plenty of fluorescent-clad ragers populating the pit.
Curious about the action, the frontman of the band even took a venture into the eye of the storm, while the bassist filled his onstage presence with feral enthusiasm, which embodies the emerging band’s approach to this coveted support opportunity.
