Cancer Bats + Ignite + Knives @ Chalk, Brighton 13th October 2026
Cancer Bats arrive in Brighton as part of Marshall’s Made of Loud Tour and in support of their latest album, Give Me Dirt. In tow, they bring support bands Ignite and Knives. I’d enjoyed Knives at 2000 Trees, so I’m very much looking forward to seeing them.
Knives
Knives certainly don’t disappoint tonight. They’re pummelling in a Fat Dog kinda way. They’re very kinetic onstage too, with bassist Ben Marshall executing impressive scissor kicks, whilst saxophonist Maddy Hill spins around when she’s not playing. The sax very much comes into play on PHD, sounding like a cross between Hawkwind’s Nik Turner and Laura Logic from X-Ray Spex.
The band’s energy makes it impossible to look away from them. Maddy shines as a co-lead vocalist, particularly on Headcase, which also features one of the guitarists on vocals before he dives into the crowd, with vocalist Jay Schottlander briefly taking over on guitar. He calls for a pit in the middle of the crowd. Most people move away.
Mention must be made of Erin Cook’s motorik drumming on The Dagger, which is both cool and powerful. At the beginning of I Hope You Get It, Jay is holding the speaker grille from his monitor. Apparently, it’s “kaput”. The band finish with the wonderfully titled Eat Thy Neighbour.
Knives are regularly described as a punk band, but I believe that’s slightly lazy, as there are so many different influences at work in their material that they really don’t sound like anybody else.
Unfortunately, the band have to return to Bristol tonight as they have work tomorrow. The glamour of being in a touring rock ‘n’ roll band, eh?
Ignite
Next we have Ignite, a four-piece from Orange County, California, of whom I must confess I was completely unaware until tonight. They are purveyors of melodic hardcore punk, which you would imagine would go down a storm in front of a Cancer Bats audience.
It has to be said, however, that the audience are a bit reticent. The music is fast and punky, with some impressive growling from vocalist Eli Santana. They tell us that they’re “going to do all kinds of hardcore” and make good on that promise with Guilty One, a song that only came out last week. This is only the second time they’ve played it live, but it sounds assured and powerful.
The Butcher is “a big fuck off to all the corporations”. That’s a pretty popular sentiment at the moment. There’s still a yawning space in front of the stage. Is this crowd too posh to mosh???
The band have a back catalogue reaching back over thirty years, and they treat us to various selections from it. A highlight is Bleeding from the album Our Darkest Days, which helps to fill that space stage-front.
They dedicate a song to Sick Of It All vocalist Lou Koller, who tragically passed away in July. Sick Of It All were the first band to take Ignite on tour and basically taught them how to survive touring, amongst other things.
Know Your History has some very meaningful lyrics. There’s wisdom right there in the title. A knowledge of history will allow you greater insight into what’s happening in the world today.
Well, while they didn’t get the crowd to mosh, they’ve certainly left us with plenty of food for thought.
Cancer Bats
Cancer Bats released their latest album, Give Me Dirt, in August, and they must be pretty pleased with it as they kick off tonight’s show with the title track. It has a fantastically fluid bass line courtesy of Jaye R. Schwarzer, and I’m surprised to hear that vocalist Liam Cormier’s vocals are more melodic live than on record.
Trust No One is fast and thunderous, with superb drumming from Ian Romano. There’s also what sounds like an ace wah-wah’d guitar solo with feedback from Jackson Landry. However, at this point in the set, the guitar is far too low in the mix and can’t be heard properly.
The crowd have clearly been saving themselves for the headliners, because we now have a full-on circle pit. Bassist Jaye is clearly impressed with this and stands on his monitor in order to commune more closely with his audience.
Vocalist Liam, meanwhile, tells us that “the real party animals come out on Monday and Tuesday”. That’ll be us then! He dedicates Bricks and Mortar to us as it’s about having a good time, which we are very much doing! The Hoof is about skateboarding and is suitably up-tempo.
Drummer Ian gets a special mention as he’s “standing in” for drummer Mike Peters. This isn’t exactly the case. Mike has stopped touring in order to spend more time with his family. He still records with the band, though, and is involved with songwriting and other background activities.
Ian apparently gets to choose the setlist, though. If that’s the case, he’s doing a damn fine job!
The band have been absolutely explosive throughout tonight’s set. Jackson Landry particularly shines on Gatekeeper, with an absolutely storming solo.
Lucifer’s Rocking Chair is described as an “old banger”, but it is one of the best songs of the set, being pretty much faultless from start to finish.
The band are joined by singer Brooklyn Doran, who sings on the new album. Tonight she’s also running the merch stand! She’s onstage for Winterpeg and R.A.T.S.. She bends over backwards whilst singing, which doesn’t look easy.
Proceedings draw to a close with the title track of their 2008 album, Hail Destroyer, which the crowd sing along with.
Cancer Bats are not necessarily the best band that I’ve ever seen, but they do provide a bloody good night out, and I guess ultimately that’s what matters, right?
WORDS: MARK KELLY PHOTOS: CRIS WATKINS
More Cancer Bats on Punkinfocus: Cancer Bats lead Marshall’s Made of Loud venue investment tour (September 2026)
