Text by Stephanie Souza
Last Sunday (9), the atmosphere was one of anticipation around Espaço Usine, in the Barra Funda neighborhood, in São Paulo. This was the place that New Direction Productions chose to celebrate its first year of existence at the brand new NDP Fest , a festival that featured seven bands from the metal and hardcore genres.
The party started really early, at 3 PM, and some eager fans were already in line waiting for the venue to open, which was punctual. Right at the entrance, merch stalls occupied the space before the dance floor, and many who entered stopped to look and buy some item from the bands on the lineup. It's important to support the scene, isn't it?
At 3:20 pm, the Rio de Janeiro-based punk rock band Klitoria took to the stage, kicking off what would be a long day of live music. The group is new, formed in 2022, mostly made up of women, and has already been gaining ground in the scene — they were the opening act for Amyl and the Sniffers last Thursday (6). The set was short, only half an hour, but concise, fast and aggressive. Malu Desu delivers raspy vocals while showing exceptional coordination on the drums, together with Brayner , who dominated the left side of the stage with his energy. The setlist featured songs from their new EP, entitled Entre o Chão e o Assoalho . Even with some technical problems, the performance was energetic and set a great tone for what would follow for the rest of the night.
The second band of the night came next: the São Paulo-based Hardgainer , who define themselves as a "heavy metal" band. Featuring two women, Ellen Tavares on drums and Patrícia Schlithler on bass, the band delivered a heavy riff and plenty of screams from vocalist Patrick Marçal . A highly technical show, it took a while to warm up the crowd, who only really got into a mosh pit near the end of the set. The band seemed to have a lot of fun on stage and shared that it was "the biggest show of their career."
Next up was Clava from Rio de Janeiro , who delivered a chaotic, intense, and highly politicized performance. After all, hardcore is political. A banner—installed by the band—at the front of the stage read: “ Land for those who live and work on it. Long live the agrarian revolution. Death to the landowner! ” It's political, but it's also fun: the show's opening used a sample from God of War, and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game was shown on the screen. On stage, the band members jumped and gave their all in every note. In the audience, those present were divided between two steps , crowd surfing , and punches and kicks thrown into the air. The setlist included songs from their three albums: Correr pelo Céu (2024), Sudaméfrica (2022), and Declaração de Guerra dos Condenados da Terra (2021). They also performed a cover of “Santuário das Almas” by the classic hardcore band Confronto , fellow countrymen of Clava and a major influence on the group. One of the most powerful shows of the night, the band is direct in its message, reinforced by vocalist Alex , who reaffirmed in his speech: even if they burn the symbols, they will never burn the meanings .
The miners from Black Pantera also made an appearance at the festival. A rising band in the metal scene, they opened shows for giants like Slipknot and Sepultura in 2024. The group has the ability to make a small venue show feel like an arena show. Lots of groove and slapping bass – Chaene da Gama possesses an innate rockstar presence –, explosive moments interspersed with moments of reflection, an all-female mosh pit, a wall of death, a chorus in “Fogo nos Racistas” (Fire on the Racists), tireless vocals from Charles Gama , and boundless energy from the drums commanded by Rodrigo Pancho . A complete act with an important and current message: the anti-racist struggle.
Point of No Return's turn . A classic of São Paulo's straight edge hardcore scene, they were also one of the most anticipated acts on the lineup: 18 years after their breakup in 2006, the band returned to the scene in 2024 following the release of their new album, The Language of Refusal . In the first few seconds of the show, the center of the venue transformed into a huge dance floor. Or rather, a huge display of energy and power. Sweaty bodies fought for space amidst two-steps, crowd surfing, punches and shoves, while the three vocalists – Fred , Kalota and Ruy – conducted the chaotic energy of the crowd, who also battled for the microphone.
The energy discharge was so intense that the show had to be stopped after someone was injured and had to be taken away (nothing serious happened). It's important to mention that Point of No Return is not just a band, but also a political act, perceptible in all the lyrics and speeches of its members. During the songs, one of the vocalists said: " it's a fight not for an ideal system, a perfect society (...) but for something that is in constant evolution ". Closing with a flourish, the last song performed was a cover of Unbroken Feelings , by the band Self Conviction (formed and also disbanded in the 90s by members of PONR).
The most controversial and uncomfortable moment of the night came with the first international act of the festival: ZULU , a hardcore band from Los Angeles, played their first (and probably last) show in the country. The day before the performance, a former girlfriend of vocalist Anaiah Rasheed accused the singer of assault and abusive behavior in an Instagram post . Later that same day, Anaiah denied the accusations. The other members did not comment on the matter. Because of this, one of the biggest uncertainties surrounding the group's performance at the event was the news, which spread, causing discomfort among many attendees.
The vocalist arrived at the venue but left before his performance. The rest of the band was forced to proceed as planned, with Dez Yusuf taking over vocals. While the show was underway, a murmur arose in the audience as a fight broke out, and part of the production team tried to separate and calm things down. On stage, the band stopped the show several times, but, without understanding what was happening, chose to continue playing despite the situation. The 13 songs on the setlist seemed to pass in a second, as the discomfort continued not only on stage but also off it. ZULU was one of the most anticipated bands on the lineup, and due to the accusations, NDP Productions chose not to proceed with the group's remaining performances . It is important to emphasize that the bands present do not condone the behavior of ZULU's vocalist.
After the chaotic ZULU , it was time for the last act of the night, Earth Crisis . The New Yorkers returned to Brazil after 16 years and were the most delirious moment of the festival. Vocalist Karl Buechner handed the microphone to several people who were crowding at the foot of the stage, while a huge mosh pit brought the entire venue to its most chaotic state of the day. “Gomorrah's Season End” made the most devoted fans climb onto the stage to shout the most explosive moment of the song “ I am straight edge ”. The vegan and straight edge message was reinforced by the energy of the crowd, who spared no energy for a second of the performance. During the last song, “Counter”, a cover of The Path of Resistance , part of the venue invaded the stage, ending the night with a bang in a cauldron of euphoria and wildness.
It's safe to say that the first NDP Fest will be one to remember, in the style of "those who were there, were there". Even with the setback suffered the day before the event, and some minor technical problems common to any event, the production company delivered a competent job and celebrated its first year in style. From vegan snacks to merch stalls to political speeches and the return of legendary bands, hardcore won on the night of the 9th.
Check out the photos from our contributor Thiago Vidal :
