Haggard Cat Live In Nottingham: An Epic Album Launch Night Of Pure Rock Chaos

Published by

Fox Reviews Rock

on

16th May 2026

Introduction

It’s not often you get the chance to see a truly great band live. It’s probably even rarer to catch them on the opening night of a new album tour.

Haggard Cat have just released The Pain That Orbits Life and, frankly, it’s a corker — go and listen to it. The band are local to me, so heading to Nottingham for opening night felt like a no-brainer. I knew this wouldn’t just be a gig; it would be a celebration, with special guests appearing along the way.

Joining them were Every Hell, bringing their own flavour of Doom Pop (complete with saxophone), and Bristol’s Mother Vulture, armed with a high-energy alt-punk show and vocals capable of hitting ridiculous heights.

I arrived early, giving me chance to reacquaint myself with Rescue Rooms — a venue I hadn’t visited since a day festival about a decade ago. One quick pint and a few chats later, it was time to head inside. As it turned out, I was first through the doors after queueing alongside Tom from Haggard Cat’s parents and sister. Genuinely lovely people.

Then I spotted it: a signed drum skin at the merch stand. My eyes lit up immediately. A one-off piece of memorabilia (not the last of the night either — more on that later). It HAD to come home with me.

I was already in a very good mood by this point. But things only got better from this point onwards.

A quick mention has to go out to Dingir Zu — without them I’d probably never have discovered these bands, despite them being practically on my doorstep. Their weekly rock show is fantastic, so give it a listen.

Every Hell

Set List

Bane Of The Bear
Catching Thunder
High Fives
Underground
Let Me Go
Choke Hold

Every Hell were completely new to me, but I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. The five-piece have a drummer who can REALLY play. Add expansive vocals, gritty screams, and a saxophone into the mix, and there’s genuine variety here. They deserve far more love than they’re getting on Spotify at the moment!

Singer Will had impressive stage presence, while the rest of the band played incredibly tight. A well-oiled machine. A very solid opener and one I’ll definitely be revisiting.

“We were hyped about playing this show. Haven’t played with Haggard Cat or Mother Vulture before but have been mates for ages and it was especially awesome to celebrate Haggard Cats sweet new record being released. Was an epic show, especially for them and we caught up with lots of old mates! Mother Vulture were incredible too, what a band! Doing a bunch more shows with HC soon, we can’t wait!”

Mother Vulture

Set List

Mike Check
Mr Jones
Sufferin’ Succotash!
Slow Down
Treadmill
Knuckles
The Masquerade
Phoenix

I’d always known Mother Vulture were a band I HAD to see live eventually. Their records are packed with punk attitude, alt-rock flair, massive riffs and soaring vocals. They did not disappoint.

Seven of their eight songs came from latest album Cartoon Violence, which only reinforced my belief that this band have a huge future ahead. Treadmill, which we scored 87/100 as a single, absolutely ripped live. Alongside Slow Down, it was one of the standout moments of the set.

I’ve not seen a band that active on stage in a very long time. Absolute carnage in human form — somehow still composed enough to sound fantastic.

The only older track was Mr Jones from 2022, and honestly, that amazed me live. The crowd were fully into it, and so was I from the front row. They promised they’d be back next year. I suspect I’ll be buying a ticket.

My only complaint? No GO BIG OR GO HOME. But with a new album to push, I get it. As a final note: I loved the overall vibe. The look, the humour between songs, the performance — everything felt authentically rock and roll. If you get chance to see them live, do it.

“Supporting Haggard at their album launch was genuinely a dream come true. They’ve influenced our band so much since we first played with them in 2018 and it was really special to come full circle and join them for such a special show.”

Haggard Cat

Set List

I HATE IT HERE
SOAR
HALCYON
THE AFTERLOVE Ft Jonny Hall (Heck) on vocals
APNOEA
NAILS Ft Andy Gillan (Palm Reader) on guitar & Ruena bass/vocals
SUPPRESSOR Ft Hannah Stormkester/ Hannah Storey/ Ruena backing vocals
LANDSCAPES Ft Paul Shelley (Heck) on bass
WARPATH Ft Paul Shelley (Heck) on bass
ZION Ft all of the above guests + Gary Gent

Having spoken to Matt before the show, it was clear of two things: firstly, the boys were nervous, and secondly, they REALLY wanted to make this a night to remember. By the time they started setting up, I’d reclaimed my front row position directly in front of Tom’s drum kit. I NEEDED to get as close to the noise as physically possible.

The set followed the album track-by-track, beginning with I HATE IT HERE — which I hope wasn’t a reflection of playing their hometown show…

The song’s long, swirling intro gradually whipped the crowd into a frenzy. By the time the main riff landed, everyone was locked in. Hooked instantly. There’s a reason we named this one of our Songs of the Week.

Haggard Cat have always thrived on chaos, but The Pain That Orbits Life feels like a mature step forward. The sound has evolved, both instrumentally and lyrically, with themes digging much deeper into personal thoughts and emotions.

As SOAR kicked in, the band became engulfed by what I can only describe as a cloud. The smoke machine may have been turned up slightly too much. I’m not exaggerating — at one point you genuinely couldn’t see either of them. Think 80s pubs where everyone smoked twenty a day.

It was during HALCYON that the significance of the night really hit me. Not just for the band, but for their friends side-stage, the crowd, and everyone involved. Matt’s vocals somehow kept improving from an already high starting point, while Tom was beginning to absolutely let loose behind the kit.

Then came THE AFTERLOVE, arriving at breakneck pace and putting my neck at serious risk from the amount of headbanging. It also brought the first guest appearance, with Jonny Hall emerging seemingly from nowhere to deliver vocals.

Jonny, formerly of Heck alongside Matt and Tom, added another dimension entirely and gave a glimpse into how the usual two-piece sounded with reinforcements. This was only the beginning of the carnage.

APNOEA is probably the most experimental track on the album — electronic effects, seven minutes long, and featuring one hell of a guitar section that nearly had me losing my mind hearing it live. The playful side of the song stood out even more in person than on record.

One guest appearance clearly wasn’t enough. On NAILS, Andy Gillan (Palm Reader) joined on guitar, while friend of the site Ruena took bass duties. Mid-song, Matt climbed into the crowd before scaling the sound desk itself to perform from the top. It was equal parts impressive and ridiculous. The difficult part was deciding where to look — Matt roaring vocals from above, or the chaos continuing on stage. By the end, Matt had everyone in stitches: “I’m sure that wasn’t as high last time.”

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the opening to SUPPRESSOR. The stop-start guitar and drums, the attitude dripping from the vocals — it’s a reminder that beneath the alt-rock flourishes, Haggard Cat remain hardcore at heart. Adding to the wall of noise were Hannah Stormkester, Hannah Storey and Ruena on backing vocals. I’ll be honest: if they released a live version of this show, I’d be VERY interested.

LANDSCAPES initially dialled things back. I say initially, because after a subdued opening minute it explodes into life. Assisted by Paul Shelley (Heck) on bass, the song felt fuller and even more expansive than the studio version. Tom, meanwhile, absolutely smashed this one out of the park on drums. He looked visibly exhausted by the end.

Paul stayed on for WARPATH, my favourite track from the album and a genuinely relentless tune. It’s aggressive, melodic, and packed with a chorus built for screaming back at the stage. It’s well and truly earned a permanent spot on my gym playlist.

Eventually the night had to end, although Haggard Cat still had one final mountain to climb: ZION. At nearly eleven minutes long, it was no surprise they needed backup. Every guest from earlier returned to the stage, joined by Gary Gent, turning the finale into a celebration as much as a performance.

When it ended, Matt and Tom looked absolutely spent. Not surprising really — their music is full throttle from the first riff to the last. The reception they received was fully deserved. As for me? I somehow managed to leave with a broken drumstick.

Seriously Tom… how hard do you hit those things?

This was the best gig I’ve been to in many years. Great support acts followed by an unbelievable headline performance. Would I have loved an encore featuring American Graffiti or Bone Shaker? Absolutely. But that would have missed the point. This night wasn’t about nostalgia. It was a celebration of THE PAIN THAT ORBITS LIFE, of Haggard Cat, and everything they’ve built around them.

Now I just need time to recover. It might take a while.

“This show felt like a huge leap forward for us in terms of production and ambition, it was a scary step into the unknown, but the outcome was life affirming. It was amazing to share it with our wonderful friends.”