Employed To Serve, Cage Fight – Yellow Arch, Sheffield – 23rd March 2026

CAGE FIGHT

There was a lot of excitement in the extreme music underground when this tour was announced, pulling together two of the countries most exciting up and coming bands, hitting towns and venues that are often overlooked. The Sheffield date was at the Yellow Arch Venue, a regenerated Victorian factory complex, that houses a recording studio and a white room as well as a bar, pizza place and an intimate gig venue. The gig room was pretty empty until a few minutes before the first band were due on stage, with many understandably choosing to sit outside with a beer but by the time Cage Fight hit the small stage, the room had filled up nicely. 

Taking to the stage with no pretence, and opening with a visceral One Minute the band launched into a ferocious set drawing from their debut album as well as singles and tracks from the upcoming Exuvia album. Straddling the line between hardcore and thrash, the high energy set flew by as a venomous rendition of Pig led into a more melodic Un Bon Souvenir which was perhaps a highlight of the set. After a few tracks, and some encouragement from guitarist, James Monteith, the crowd warmed up and the pits started to move.

A LEADING LIGHT

Vocalist Rachel Aspe was clearly the focal point as she stalked the front of the stage, unleashing one inhuman roar after another between the more melodic moments. The band were full of energy and each track launched the next, until the set was pulled to a close all too soon with Hope Castrated. This had been a savage and visceral, yet glorious, aural assault from a band with a point to prove, leaving no-one in doubt that they are one of the leading extreme UK bands at this point in time, and I have no doubt that Exuvia will take them to bigger venues than this.

EMPLOYED TO SERVE

After a short turnaround, Employed To Serve took to the stage with Treachery before a fantastic Atonement got the crowd moving. Almost half of the set was pulled from the latest album, with the rest covering most of the discography as the band effortlessly blended metalcore, hardcore, thrash and death metal giving a unique, immediately identifiable sound.

Vocalist Justine Jones spent much of the set grinning from ear to ear when she wasn’t trading guttural vocals with guitarist Sammy Urwin, and the whole band looked to be having a great time. Fallen Star had the whole room jumping up and down while We Don’t Need You had everyone singing along enthusiastically. There were mosh pits, circle pits and of course a wall of death as the crowd lapped it all up. Mark Of The Grave brought some more melodic sections before Whose Side Are You On saw Rachel from Cage Fight back on the stage providing some guest vocals, before the set was closed with From This Day Forward. 

STUNNING

The crowd left satisfied having appreciated seeing two stunning performances from bands at the top of their game in an intimate venue, which I suspect is unlikely to happen again for either band. This had been feral, aggressive, vicious and assertive, and yet the room felt like a community with everyone enjoying the bands, feeling at one and having a good time, and surely that’s what it’s all about. 

All photography by Andy Pountney (Event Photography Awards Winner 2024 and 2025). You can check out more of his work on shot_in_the_dark_photography2 on Instagram.

Employed To Serve: Website

Cage Fight: Bandcamp

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