All Hail: Prostitute Live at Wharf Chambers
Image Credit: Will Palmer
Some have criticised the world of post-hardcore for being stuck in the ways of greats such as Steve Albini, Unwound and Fugazi, unable to innovate and adapt. Michigan’s newest noise rockers Prostitute challenged this in 2020 by providing a fresh, Middle Eastern inspired take on post-hardcore. It took 4 years to finalise their debut album Attempted Martyr (2025) following the release of singles ‘All Hail’ and ‘Judge’, but this was well worth the wait. The delayed, albeit overwhelmingly positive, reception to the project immediately put Prostitute on the radar of promoters and music enthusiasts around the World, with many noting them among acclaimed bands such as Model/Actriz, Daughters and The Armed.
Their debut album Attempted Martyr (2025) consists of 8 songs, most of which are derived from fuzzy and dense noise rock skeletons, such as ‘Body Meat’ and ‘Harem Induction Hour’. However, the band’s defining attribute is their inextricable relationship with Middle Eastern culture due to singer Moe Kazra’s Lebanese heritage, displayed on deeper cuts such as ‘Joumana Kayrouz’ and ‘Senegal’. Prostitute also use this connection to raise awareness for the conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan, having played benefit concerts to support those affected. The success of their debut culminated in their subsequent 2025 European tour where they have played famous venues such as the Brixton Windmill, The Croft in Bristol and Leeds’ own Wharf Chambers.
Wharf Chambers was a perfect environment for the band’s explosive and unrelenting tempo, becoming a vessel of excitement as the set opened with a repetition of harsh and industrial noise that led into the opening track ‘M. Dada’. Perhaps the harshest performance of the night, the track is underpinned by two interchangeably electric and sludgy riffs. This facilitated lead singer Moe Kazra’s homicidal ramblings of a barbaric Prince, which hit even harder in a live setting as he increasingly began slurring his words and missing some lyrics entirely by the time the song climaxed.
Another noise section followed to introduce the 2nd song, ‘Judge’. In a shorter, almost tribal excursion, Kazra descended further into insanity, already sweating profusely. The performance recounts the story of Blood Meridian character Judge Holden with the monotonously repetitive main riff, led by guitarists Dylan and Ross, echoing Holden’s insanity as he wrestles with his perceived immortality. The drums and riff then increasingly fall out of sync, mirroring the narrator’s mental decline as the song progresses and eventually grinds to an abrupt halt.
Then followed the swirling sounds of ‘Body Meat’ which felt transformed live,the venue’s acoustics largely benefitting the atmospheric guitar work that the song feeds off. The performance was a linear masterclass in noise rock for its first section, with Kazra now erratically dancing at the centre of the stage. This environment largely complemented the songs’ themes of religion and transcendence as it dramatically shifted into its triumphant instrumental outro, as if the band themselves were ascending.
The band then presented two new, unreleased tracks, the first of which encapsulated the band’s Arabesque influences with a sound reminiscent of bands such as Taqbir. The accessibility of the song made the audience feel as if we’d heard it before, with it receiving the warmest reception of the night, making standing still harder than ever before. The song’s untethered middle section and overall dynamism surely left everyone in the crowd begging for a studio version sometime soon.
The second of the unreleased tracks felt most comparable to Attempted Martyr’s ‘In the Corner Dunce’ with its uncharacteristically softer tempo, and Kazra at his most static of the night. The song constantly warped and utilised more industrial and electronic elements than most of the bands’ catalogue, feeling almost improvisational at times. Although the foundations of a great song are undoubtedly there, this track felt more like a work in progress than the other songs on the night.
‘Joumana Kayrouz’ then provided a return to form, with the song named after the Michigan-based injury lawyer and Lebanese immigrant of the same name. Similar to ‘Body Meat’ this song’s imposing live stature far exceeded its’ studio counterpart, feeling like a celebration of bassist Bret’s mesmerising work. The song naturally gave way to an anguished performance from Kazra, with his movement relenting in place of anger and direct stares at the audience.
Fan favourite ‘All Hail’ capped off the bands’ performance by beckoning the crowd to clap along to drummer Andrew’s percussive mantras. This was accompanied by the song’s foreboding Ground Zero sample, which consists of the horns that dominate Consume Red (1997). Kazra’s voice was evidently deteriorating by this point, with his rasps becoming more prominent, compounding the theatrics of the song as he impersonates both a Hanafi gunman and suicide bomber, with his eyes eventually closing of exhaustion.
The set then ends with the Islamic prayers of ‘Attempted Martyr’ as the band seamlessly leave the stage, surrendering to the crowd, now disarmed of the energy that defines their music. Everyone is left disoriented, tired, and £11 lighter. Though we’d all do it again next week if we could, for now, the only thing we can do is all hail the new Kings of noise rock.
Words by Will Palmer