When it comes to some areas of the UK and their local hardcore scene one area that might not come to mind straight away is the scene down in Devon. You may not know it well yet but definitely in the past year since I have been writing and reviewing UKHC I have personally seen/heard Devon’s scene grow exponentially.

Especially with the likes of Burn It Down Fest in Torquay and their promoter group BYP gaining more and more traction the years it has been running. Of course you may have heard of some of the bands also coming out of the South West like Apathy, Mentality just to name a few..

One band that has come out of this area in recent years is none other than Torquay locals Fight The Champ. With a few singles currently available on streaming services and some great shows where they have played with the likes of Filth & Heart of a Coward it seems these lads are really making waves! especially with some of the shows coming next.

I recently spoke to the lads about their beginnings, whats coming up and everything in between.

FIRST OF ALL WHERE ARE YOU GUYS BASED & HOW DID YOU ALL MEET?

We’re based in Torquay, South Devon, and we have been playing together since about February of 2024. The idea to start a band was brought to me by Alex at Download the year prior and, as a massive fan of hardcore, I was absolutely buzzing for it. I was already in an indie punk band with Kai at the time, who also shared similar passions for hardcore as me, and it just made sense to get him on board. After that, Alex met Sam at a gig (not before having his nose popped with blood spilling everywhere) and after they got talking, Sam got on board too.

WHAT WAS THE SCENE LIKE WHERE YOU WERE GROWING UP IN DEVON & HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN IT?

The heavy music scene down in Devon has always been pretty strong in Exeter and Plymouth for as long as I’ve been attending shows. I remember watching the Plymouth based bands like Kings Hollow and Moorhaven back in the day and always wanting to put Torbay up on that level with them. I have loved heavy music since I was young, thanks to my parents, but hardcore in particular came into my life when I was about 16/17 when I first heard Laugh Tracks by Knocked Loose just after it came out.

From there I went down the rabbit hole and discovered bands like Terror, Hatebreed, Earth Crisis and Madball among others who have all shaped my taste from then on.

THIS MIGHT SOUND LIKE A DUMBASS QUESTION BUT HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME FIGHT THE CHAMP?

Our vocalist, Alex, was a professional wrestler in the past and we all have a big love for wrestling so when Alex came to us with a band name that was unique and linked to that, we knew we had to go with that.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND TO SOMEBODY WHO HASN’T HEARD YOU BEFORE?

An unholy mashup of hardcore, nu-metal and whatever other styles we all collectively love.

We offer crushing breakdowns, heavy riffs, some melodic sections and a consistent amount of chaos that keeps the listener on their toes throughout.

This is raw, relentless and a little bit ridiculous.

WHAT HAS BEEN SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU’VE BEEN FACED WITH?

We are a fully independent band and we all have full time jobs and families etc which does make life pretty full on when trying to balance both worlds, I think that alone is one of the biggest challenges. As last year We hit pedal to the metal and played as many places and shows as possible. Trying to continuously, keep pushing material, shows and time to the max is always going to be the struggle. However we will never stop to play where We can all over the country and world…. if ever possible.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR ALL TIME FAVOURITE ARTISTS?

I speaking my self about my absolute all time favourites are Terror, Enter Shikari, Primus, Four Year Strong, Knocked Loose and Hatebreed. Might lose some hardcore cred for the fact that they’re not all hardcore bands but I don’t think it hurts to have influences from elsewhere.

The other band members influences are

Alex – Limp Bizkit, Killswitch, Terror, Earth Crisis, Him and Alexisonfire.

Sam- Machine Head, Waste, Slipknot, Guilt Trip

Kai-  Pantera, Knocked Loose, Meshuggah, Thrown

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SHOWS YOU’VE REALLY ENJOYED BEING A PART OF & DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE VENUE?

Obviously Bloodstock is the standout, being able to play a major festival like that alongside some of the biggest names in the heavy music scene is an honour and privilege that we will forever be grateful for, but also playing Burn It Down festival was very special for us, as most of us live local to it and have been attending for many years, hoping to one day perform there. then We did to an awesome violent crowd. As far as my favourite venues go, The Junction in Plymouth and The Cavern in Exeter are two very special venues for me personally, having attended many shows there in my youth and many more over the years since and it’s still unreal to me that we’ve been able to perform at those venues as many times as we have.

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM TOUR TO GET FIGHT THE CHAMP ON?    

Worldwide tour with Creed would be sick. But in all seriousness, Download festival is the ultimate dream festival for me. Having attended every year since I was a teenager, I’ve always dreamed of one day playing on that stage, whether it’s main stage or one of the little tents, it doesn’t matter to me. Outbreak festival in Manchester and This Is Hardcore in the US are two festivals we’ve always talked about wanting to play.

WHAT HAS BEEN SOME OF THE BEST EXPERIENCES YOU’VE HAD TOGETHER?

Bloodstock and Burn It Down are the two that stick out to me personally the most but also getting to play alongside bands that we were fans of before even starting this band has been such a cool experience. Our first show we ever played was opening for Confessions Of A Traitor, who me and Alex had both been following for a good while before we even knew eachother. Alongside that, we’ve shared the stage with Pintglass, Filth, Cruelty, Guilt Trip among others as well who we would’ve all considered influences even if we hadn’t played with them.

HOW HAVE YOU FOUND THE HARDCORE SCENE IN DEVON & THE UK CHANGE IN RECENT YEARS?

I think the local scene has had a big boom in great local bands starting up in the last couple years, some of my favourites being Reality Check, Lacerta, Mentality, Safeword, Apathy and Arbiter to name a few. There has been a noticeable shift into more hardcore influenced bands in the local scene in comparison to what it was like before which I’m more than happy with personally.

I think the wider scene nationwide is in a healthier place nationwide compared to what it was when I was growing up with a lot of alternative acts going viral on social media (for better of for worse) and being played on mainstream platforms as opposed to being limited to the more specialised channels for our scene.

HOW IMPORTANT IS REPRESENTATION IN THE HARDCORE COMMUNITY?

I think representation is a key part of what makes hardcore what it is. This scene is built on people coming together from all walks of life and being tolerant of all races, religions, nationalities, genders and sexual orientations. I truly believe that hardcore should be a safe space for everyone no matter who they are and that the unfortunate minority that disagree are greatly outnumbered by the rest of us.

WE MEET A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS SCENE. DO YOU HAVE A GREAT CONNECTION WITH ANYONE IN PARTICULAR AND WOULD RECOMMEND WORKING WITH?

Shout out to Rob our producer and mix master. He’s our go to guy for all of our music and he makes us sound bigger than I ever thought we could, it genuinely never ceases to amaze me. I’d also like to give a massive shout out to Matt Goodyear and everyone at BYP for not only giving us a platform to showcase what we have to offer but for bringing some of my favourite bands to Torquay as well as supporting the local scene, making sure it stays as healthy as possible.

WHO HAS BEEN SOME OF THE LARGEST INFLUENCES IN YOUR SOUND?

I’d say, collectively, our biggest influences would be Malevolence, Korn, Hatebreed and whatever else we happen to be listening to this week.

WE CAN’T ALL BE MUSICIANS 24/7 SO WHAT JOBS/CAREERS DO YOU GUYS HAVE?

I’m a machine operator at an aerospace factory, Alex works in the construction industry, Kai is a music technician at a college and Sam is a coded welder.

HAVE YOU GOT ANY HOBBIES/INTERESTS THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE PEOPLE?

I am an avid football fan, I follow my local team, Torquay United, and try to go to games as much as I can, work and band permitting. Alex is a huge wrestling fan and has been his whole life. Kai likes feet. Sam is a world class tap dancer and Lerm’s just trying not to die most of the time.

YOU RELEASED YOUR MOST RECENT SINGLE ‘HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN’ BACK IN JANUARY. WHAT WERE YOUR INFLUENCES FOR THESE TRACKS AND HOW HAPPY WERE YOU WITH HOW IT CAME TOGETHER?

So How The Mighty Have Fallen was actually one of the first songs we wrote as a band. I think we were listening to a lot of Malevolence at the time so I think that shines through quite a lot in this track, particularly in the chorus. When we got the final mix back, I couldn’t believe how heavy it sounded compared to the rough demo we produced about a year prior. As far as a full release goes, we’re currently in studio recording and writing new material. So keep an eye out.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE FROM YOU GUYS FOR THE REST OF 2026?

Before this year is done, we aim to have our first e.p out for all to hear. We have been in the studio grinding away at it and can’t wait for you all to give Your ears a blasting. We are aiming to pick up more shows further afield from where we have gone before and we are always looking for more ways to continue to grow this band and improve on what we have.

HAVE YOU GOT ANY SHOWS COMING UP THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING?

We have some dates that we’re very much looking forward to play this year such as our special guest headline set at the Metal 2 the Masses final in Saltash in July and Cobermouth’s Homecoming festival in Helston in September, supporting Misery Index in Bridgewater as well as a bunch of other dates that are yet to be announced. 

FINALLY, HAVE YOU GOT ANY OTHER ARTISTS/FRIENDS YOU THINK THE PEOPLE SHOULD CHECK OUT?

Some of our friends bands that I think you should definitely check out are Apathy, Reality Check, Safeword, Mentality, Lacerta Cobermouth, Blunt Impact, Arbiter, Death Assault, Funeral, Grove Warden and Carrier

You can listen to Fight The Champ’s discography on all streaming services now! So go and give it a listen.

For further show information see their upcoming run below and keep an eye out on their socials @fightthechamp

Until next time, I’ll catch you in the pit!

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