Cabbage @ Gorilla, Manchester, 11 Feb

As Mossley outfit Cabbage tear through a solid 50 minutes of immersive post-punk motifs and unashamedly abrasive left-wing politics, you get the sense that they’re more intent on tearing down the foundations and starting again than conforming. Mid-set earworm Uber Capitalist Death Trade stands out as one of tonight’s many highlights, its primitive chorus shaking Gorilla to its very core and making absolutely clear that this band are truly like no other.

Cabbage could transform any set of songs into absolute chaos, but their own are clearly birthed from a visceral desire to wreak havoc on sweaty Manchester crowds. Their Ruby Lounge show at the back end of last year felt like confirmation that the city has a new favourite band, but this outing feels like a send-off before world domination ensues. With shows up and down the country – and the small matter of a Courteeners support slot at Old Trafford cricket ground – in the crosshairs, it’s hard to not be astounded by the band’s seemingly limitless trajectory.

Throughout their set, which at times threatens to spiral into a brawl between frontman Lee Broadbent and some of tonight’s more aggressive onlookers, Cabbage tread a fine line. The sonic pallette that the band draw from strikes a balance between hypnotic and confrontational, and the live show is as antagonistic as it is warming; ‘We are all immigrants’ reads the band’s backdrop. Tonight’s show is at times aggressive, uncomfortable and utterly chaotic – but there’s an inherent togetherness that transcends that. Overriding the band’s confrontational nature is the solidarity that they fill the Gorilla with tonight; solidarity against hatred and solidarity against mediocrity.