KAKIHARA

Formed in 2018 out of Edinburgh’s underground, Kakihara deliver metallic hardcore with the subtlety of the One O’Clock Gun. Vocalist Keith Muddiman, drummer Gary Hollingsworth, bassist Biff Paris, and guitarists Fraser McNeill and Kris Kournavos grew up in Scotland’s 2000s hardcore scene, took a few quiet years away, and came back—average age a mid-life crisis of 36.5—convinced the world lacked Big Stupit Beatdoons.

Excited to be touring again, COVID had other plans, but once stages (and the floors) reopened Kakihara hit the road hard—touring the UK from Inverness to Bournemouth, tearing up festivals in Manchester, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Dundee, Leeds and London, and sharing bills with The Callous Daoboys, Portrayal of Guilt, Kaonashi, Meth, and ’68. The band freely admits they simply love playing shows and are grateful for every chance to step on a stage (and floor) and share the chaos.

Their new EP Love Songs Part II captures that live ferocity while staying true to their DIY ethic. Tracked over several days in a single living room—live drums one day, roaring amps the next, vocals the day after—the band chased the raw electricity of a gig while guitarist Kris Kournavos handled recording and mixing, with mastering by Fader Mastering.

Drawing inspiration from Coalesce, Converge, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Heaven In Her Arms, Envy, and Botch, Kakihara fuse mathcore chaos, 90s screamo textures, and punishing hardcore beatdoons into a sound that’s urgent, unpolished, and unmistakably their own.