In Conversation with No Relief
Brighton’s No Relief on Brutality, DIY and Dancefloors
No Relief have proven themselves to be Brighton’s most promising offering to hardcore over the past few years. Supporting the likes of Terror and Madball is only a further testament to their musical merit. The group released their first EP ‘Ritual Oppressor’ in 2022, and since then have continued to pump out tunes that keep crowds rowdy and get feet moving.
Their most recent single with tunes ‘Inner Rage’ and ‘Your Fate’ is a perfect example of the metallic hardcore that No Relief have become synonymous with. ‘Your Fate’ is already a beefy, full-fledged anthem, however with the collaboration of Glasgow’s Despize it shifts the tune to a brutally intense sound.
With upcoming shows and the band’s exponential growth I caught up with members Marley and Oscar to talk shop.
The Interview
STP: You’ve recently announced that you’ll be playing Burn It Down festival in Devon in September. How do you find it differs playing festivals to shows?
Marley: There’s definitely a different vibe between the two but as long as there’s faces at the front holding it down it really doesn’t matter how many people there are behind them watching.
Oscar: I guess festivals you’re sometimes playing to more people who dunno who you are, whereas regular shows there’s more a chance people might know your band (if you’re playing closer to home). So that can be cool, I like winning a crowd over. I enjoy the atmosphere at a fest, just hanging out with mates from all over and seeing bands you don’t always get to see. Playing shows in a small sweaty room can’t be beaten sometimes though. My preference is whatever has the dopest stage dives and dancefloor activity going on!
STP: Linking with the last question, are there any standout shows you’ve played?
Oscar: Fortunate to have played a lot of memorable sets. Every time we play at home in Brighton it’s usually a blast. I think the first NR headline show we ever played (Marley’s first show on drums too) gets referenced a lot. And the DYW release show. Done a lot of cool supports in Brighton, I think the time we supported Madball is up there for all of us too.
First time we played in Paris (on tour with Broken Vow last year), that was particularly nuts. Outbreak set last year was pretty dope too.
Back in February this year we toured Europe and played a few crazy sets. Paris and Lyon shows were awesome. Lyon show was in this like old bunker that I think was also a brothel at one point. And we did a show in a nightclub in Madrid where the crowd was pretty rabid and just going mental for everything, launching themselves off stage into the wall and shit. I don’t think they even knew any of our songs they were just super keen to mosh it up. There was also some weird private party going on in another room in the club, and so all these older middle class types were having to walk through this rabid moshing crowd to get to their party while having their drinks smashed everywhere, it was pretty hilarious
Get Gabe’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Marley: For me it will always be my first set with the band. It’s been what feels like a lifetime now, but I wasn’t the original drummer for No Relief and was actually called upon on the day of their first headliner at a small DIY venue in Brighton called The Cowley Club after their drummer pulled a sicky on the day of the show.
The guys hit me up asking if I could do it and they somehow got me to say yes despite it being a huge ask. I listened to their demo non-stop all day, including in between the bands sets after moshing to every set to take my mind off how nervous I was. We set up, the guys looking back at me and I counted us in and that was it, it felt like in that moment this was the band I wanted to play in. It wasn’t the best show and we only played the demo but the vibes were through the roof and I’ll always treasure that moment and them talking me into doing it for the rest of my life.
STP: Hardcore and DIY are two things that go hand-in-hand. What does the DIY movement in hardcore mean to you?
Marley: It’s literally in the name. The fact you don’t have to rely on anyone if you don’t want to, you can just do what you want yourself and if you truly believe in what you’re doing and put in enough hard work the outcome is beyond rewarding.
Oscar: Figuring shit out for yourself. Problem-solving. A lot of people expect to be spoonfed things these days, and don’t have the initiative to just work it out and make something themselves. There isn’t a ‘DIY movement’ in hardcore – hardcore IS and always has been, strongly defined by being DIY – and that’s it really. Anyone who skips over that never really got it in the first place… I always try to do something myself when I can.
STP: Brighton is known in the UK for having a great hardcore scene, are there any other local bands you draw inspiration from or love to see live?
Marley: I think everyone in Brighton can agree that Imposter are the best band we have to offer and if they disagree they’re tapped in the head. Whether you’re into punk or metal they got it all and they’re some of the realest people you’ll ever meet.
Oscar: I don’t think there’s any current bands in Brighton that we take any direct inspiration from, but we’re all inspired by the creativity of our peers. There’s a lot of people in Brighton doing cool shit and it’s sick to be surrounded by that. Best live bands in Brighton for me at the moment are Imposter, Warhead 97, Bodybag, Beyond Human.
Historically I loved Rough Hands and State Funeral.
STP: If you were to describe No Relief to a first-time listener how would you do so as a band?
Oscar: Lights on Asics Hardcore
I first caught No Relief opening for Broken Vow (R.I.P) in January of 2025. Seeing the band in prime, lights on conditions was enough to make me a fan from the off, that was before I saw the No Fear merch rips as well. The set was energetic, with the crowd backflipping for some reason. I’ve been sold ever since, although backflips are still not in my wheelhouse.
