Friday 28 November** words and pictures by Sara-Louise Bowrey
A Night of Pure, Unhinged Joy
Snapped Ankles didn’t just play The Piper on Friday night — they lit the place up from the moment they emerged in their trademark woodland get-ups. One second the room was buzzing with anticipation, the next it was a sweaty, bouncing hive of movement, completely locked into that unmistakable forest-fused post-punk groove they’ve made their own.
The Piper at Full Voltage
The Piper’s tight, intimate layout turned out to be the perfect habitat for a Snapped Ankles show. Their jagged basslines, pounding drums, and gloriously warped synths slammed into the walls and shot straight back out again, turning the whole room into a kind of rhythmic pressure cooker.
Track flowed into track with barely a breath in between — a hypnotic mix of ritualistic repetition and bursts of wild, punk-tinged chaos that kept the crowd moving as one solid mass of limbs and laughter.
Part Gig, Part Ceremony, All Vibes
What really sets Snapped Ankles apart is the way they dissolve the barrier between stage and crowd. This wasn’t just a gig — it felt like stumbling into a rave in the middle of an ancient forest, equal parts joyful, pagan, and brilliantly unhinged.
As the set built, the temperature climbed, the beats got sweatier, and the crowd surrendered completely. People weren’t just dancing; they were joining in, swept up in the communal weirdness that the band somehow conjures so effortlessly.
Leaving the Room Glowing
By the finale, band and audience looked equally exhilarated — soaked in sweat, grinning, and very aware they’d been part of something a bit surreal, a bit chaotic, and entirely unforgettable.
Snapped Ankles took a chilly November night and turned it into a full-blown sonic furnace. It was warm, wild, and overwhelmingly alive — the kind of show that reminds you exactly why live music still matters.
