Exeter on a Friday night can be a mixed bag, and this one leaned towards the quieter side — unless you stepped into the Cavern. Outside, clusters of smokers huddled under the streetlights, eyeliner thick and gender‑neutral, swapping pre‑gig predictions. Inside, the venue was its usual self: smoky, dark, and bathed in that unmistakable sleazy red glow that makes the Cavern feel like an underground metal bar lost in time.

Parking was a nightmare (bloody students), but the crowd that gathered was small, lively, and buzzing with curiosity. A surprising number of older gig‑goers dotted the room — people who looked like they’d lived through nu‑metal the first time around and were more than ready to relive it.

Bangor’s own Celavi opened the night with a set that felt like a ritual: PVC, lace, black‑and‑red aesthetics, and a pulsing electronic undercurrent that set the tone instantly. They’re a trio — drums, guitar, vocals, and a backing track that throbbed through the Cavern like a heartbeat.

It took the crowd a moment to warm up, but once they did, Celavi had them. Dyma Fi, their Welsh “do what the hell you want” anthem, landed with swagger. Morgana, their new single (released on Friday the 13th, naturally), has already caught the attention of Metal Hammer, and live it felt like a statement of intent: creepy, theatrical, and confident.

Lowercase, lifted from their EP Anima, was a highlight — hectic, melodic, and heavy AF. But the real magic came with the whispered intro and tribal beats of Bite My Tongue, a track that hit like a war drum and felt like the perfect way to kickstart the weekend.

They closed with Eyeliner, sung in three languages. You clocked the English and Welsh… the third remains a mystery, but the effect was hypnotic.

For a first visit to Exeter, Celavi made themselves unforgettable — a band who wear their identity proudly and deliver it with teeth bared.

Preston’s N0TRIXX took the stage next — just her, her guitarist, and a compact setup of laptop, controller, and a bag of sonic tricks. From the moment she stepped into the red haze, the room shifted. People didn’t quite know what to expect, and that uncertainty became part of the thrill.

Her sound? Heavy. Dark. Mesmerising.

N0TRIXX writes about mental health with a rawness that borders on fearless. Every track tackles a different condition — dementia, ADHD, anxiety, dissociation identity disorder, suicidal thoughts, depression — and she performs them from the inside out. Some might call that messy; I call it brave, and I’m right. She turns lived experience into art with no apologies and no sugar‑coating, she shoots straight from the heart.

Her latest track Revenge on God was showcased early in the set, dark, visceral and deep were the words, the jagged guitar lines and pulsating rhythms as N0trixx got up to speed.

One of the most striking moments came with Narc, I’m So Happy That You’re Dead, a song about surviving narcissistic abuse from a parent. She spoke openly about discovering the truth at 30, and the room fell into a heavy, respectful silence before the track detonated.

Her vocal range is astonishing — shifting from death‑metal growls to melodic clarity in a heartbeat. At one point she stepped off the stage and wandered through the crowd, greeting fans mid‑song, dissolving the barrier between performer and audience.

The track exploring autism was a standout: she built it layer by layer at her console, weaving in sounds that reflected her sensory world. It was artful, vulnerable, and utterly captivating.

Between songs, she spoke candidly about her political stance and her opposition to the war started by her president in Russia. She also revealed the reason behind her face mask: partly health, partly anonymity — she’s no longer welcome in Russia because of her views. It was a stark reminder that for some artists, the stakes are far higher than ticket sales.

Sonically, the set was tight, raw, and honest. No smoke and mirrors — just truth delivered through heavy riffs, rapped verses, spoken‑word poetry, and electronic darkness.

N0TRIXX’s debut album, A Catalogue of Madness and Melancholia, dropped the very day of the Exeter show (March 13), and the merch table reflected the excitement. Prices were fair, the selection solid, and fans flocked over at the end of the night. She met them all — warm, open, and grateful.

It might have been a quiet night in Exeter, but artistically it was anything but. After running a feature on Notrixx before Christmas, this show felt like the missing puzzle piece — the moment where the myth meets the music. And she did not disappoint.

If I were to create a one liner for the show, it would be “Don’t judge a book by its cover — N0TRIXX’s exploration of mental health might sound heavy on paper, but live she is utterly mesmerising, enthralling everyone in the room.”

Catch N0TRIXX on the remaining dates of her UK tour — you’ll walk away changed.