buzzcocksfan: 2017

14.12.17

The Filthy Tongues + Klammer. Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough. 09.12.17.

Promoter: Dave Griffiths Fast Forward Promotions

Third time I’ve seen Klammer in almost as many months. Better be careful or I’ll start being called a groupie. Well worth it though, Klammer are a band that shouldn’t be missed. Their dark, punchy, spikey guitar driven sound never gets dull or boring. Like it was a couple of weeks ago in Leeds, the sound tonight is superb, really bringing out Steve Whitfield’s impressive punky/gothic lead guitar playing, the rumbling bass and drum combo from Mike Addy and Bruno Almeida and the deep, brooding vocals of Poz Strickland. Featuring songs from both their albums – ‘Star In The City’, ‘Somewhere New’, ‘A Vested Interest’ and ‘Big Lies’ from superb debut Auslane. Heavy, bass driven numbers with subtle sawing guitar noises that drop you right back in the middle of the best of mid 80’s goth with ‘Somewhere New’, interspersed with the fast paced, slashing guitar driven, foot tapping, singalong punk (Big Lies) and the clever blending of Gang Of Four guitar, late New Order bass/drums/synth that is ‘A Vested Interest’. Second album, the self-titled Klammer has a more consistent, much more punk feel to it – dominated by bass with a ton of catchy guitar riffs tonight’s set opened with the driving force of ‘Power Of N’ quickly followed by the thundering ‘Reciprocate’ and the pounding drums / piercing guitar of ‘Space Elevator’. Single ‘Everything Depends On The King’, quite rightly plugged by BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq, full of subtle guitar picks leading straight into a thrashy chorus keeps the adrenalin flowing. Highlight for me at any Klammer gig is the slower but no less powerful ‘High Life’. Try listening to this and not wanting to let yourself go and bounce around. Impossible. New songs ‘Magpie’ and ‘Spiral Girl’ give a taste of what’s to come on album number 3 and it’s good. Top all this with the deep tones of Strickland’s vocals and lyrics you really want to grasp Klammer are a band that really shouldn’t be playing such small, intimate venues for too much longer.

Klammer

Opening with a brilliant cover of Brel’s ‘Amsterdam’, also covered by The Filthy Tongues previous incarnation as Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, you know immediately that tonight is going to be very different from their Teesside appearance back in October supporting Brix & The Extricated. October’s show was fantastic but tonight The Filthy Tongues seem more powerful, more into the whole thing. ‘Amsterdam’ rolls into ‘Crew Cut’ – full on repetitive bass and a guitar riff that cuts in and builds to a perfect noise between each verse. Martin Metcalfe, Fin Wilson and Derek Kelly have been around in one form or another for over 30 years. First as Goodbye Mr Mackenzie then as Angelfish, both with Shirley Manson who went on to front Garbage. The Filthy Tongues album Jacob’s Ladder is, to me anyway, one of the best albums to be released over the last few years. Dark, gothic, bluesy songs that stay well away from the niceties of life and instead focus on its underbelly of addiction and violence. Tonight’s short(ish) 11 song set delivers six songs from the album. The pounding, almost anthem, that is ‘Children Of The Filthy’ - “it’s time to take the stage tonight, it’s time to kill the king”, title track ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ features one man feasting on another, the darkly menacing ‘Long Time Dead’ while dodgy dealers dominate ‘High’ – “He’s as high as an eagle looking for its prey … he knows where you’re dealing, you ain’t going to last”. Throughout it all Metcalfe, hiding under his pilgrim hat behind reflective shades, growls out the lyrics, occasionally crouching to hammer notes from his guitar, Wilson stares ahead and along with Kelly on drums delivers rhythms that drive deep into your soul. Keyboards and some extra percussion help add layers to the songs and complete the process of drawing you right in to the point that nothing else matters apart from listening. Angelfish number ‘Mummy Can’t Drive’ kicks ass probably more so than when Manson sang it. ‘Green Turn Red’, from days gone by as Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, thunders along and has the faithful dancing as does closing song, the classic Goodwill City, sounding as fresh now as it was back then although thankfully it’s rare nowadays to hear such toxic points of view as those of a Tory councillor that inspired the song. Returning to play ‘Bowhead Saint’ we’re taken back to Edinburgh’s less cheerful side one last time.

Two great bands, one great gig. Will tonight make it into my top ten gigs of 2017? Without a doubt.

The Filthy Tongues

26.11.17

The Undertones + Klammer. Stylus @ Leeds University. 24.11.17.

One of my favourite bands from ‘back then’ together with one of my favourite bands from now and this was always going to be a good night.

I’m never quite sure why people pay upwards of £20 for a concert ticket and don’t bother turning up to see the support band. Anyway, their loss as tonight local Leeds/Bradford band Klammer put on a sterling show. I’ve seen them a few times this year already, usually in small clubs, and have always been impressed but tonight their unique sound is allowed to shine in a venue where the PA (and sound engineer) really do bring out the best of their dark, edgy post punk tunes. Limited to a 30 minute set it’s dominated heavily by most recent self-titled album ‘Klammer’. Opening with ‘Power Of N’ you’re immediately hooked in by the it’s dark, heavy bass rhythms and slashing guitars before the deep tones of vocalist Poss enter and treat us to “Come in says the spider, stay awhile. The spider with an arrogant style”. And that’s the beauty of a decent sound system. As well as bringing the best out of the music it allows you to get a good grasp of the lyrics and Klammer have lyrics worth grasping. ‘Reciprocate’ follows with “She was his slave – can she be his master?” Like most great lyrics you make your own mind up what they mean and how they might apply to you. ‘Reciprocate’ pounds along with it’s classic punky guitar chords, gloomy yet throbbing bass lines and drum beats punctuated by Steve Whitfield’s Magazine like guitar solo. The drum/bass intro to ‘High Life’ should be way up on anyone’s list of great song starters. It’s an almost impossibility to keep your feet still and then that guitar enters again – a melting pot of Magazine/Banshees/Wire – familiar but very distinct. And so it continues. It’s dark and moody yet at the same time it’s strangely uplifting. Because Klammer don’t just make you think they make you want to move about. Stick their album on your cd player and I guarantee you’ll be banging the beats out on your desk or knees. ‘Space Elevator’ powers along, far more punk than post punk before ‘Somewhere New’ slows things right down. If you appreciate anything about the classic Leeds sound of the mid ‘80’s when bands such as the Sisters Of Mercy were good then you'll love ‘Somewhere New’. Sadly it’s the only song from debut album ‘Auslane’ that’s played tonight. Recent single ‘Everything Depends On The King’ really does thunder along with subtle guitar notes and raucous chorus as it describes power leading to arrogance.

Despite the 30 minute time limit Klammer slot in a few new songs that immediately put their 3^rd album, to be released mid 2018 hopefully, on my must buy list before finishing with the unrelenting rush of ‘Heavy Weather’.

If you haven’t seen Klammer live before then I suggest you rectify this immediately. Don’t believe me? Have a listen here.

Klammer play The Jolly Brewer, Lincoln on December 8^th and Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough on December 9^th (with The Filthy Tongues)

www.facebook.com/klammerband/

www.klammer.co.uk

Klammer

It’s hard to imagine just how many absolutely perfect punk pop songs The Undertones have. Perfect guitar riffs, perfect jump around beats, an Undertones gig is, quite simply, fun. Paul McLoone on vocal duty since 1999 has taken this role and made it his own. Never still, jumping up and down, kicking the air, staring at the crowd, smiling at the crowd, waving to the crowd you know he’s having just as good a time as the 800+ people packed in here. The Undertones, ordinary unassuming blokes from Northern Ireland, dominate the stage with both their presence and their superb guitar driven pop music cranked up to flat out speed and soaring volume. Opening with ‘Family Entertainment’, ‘I Gotta Getta’ and ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ there’s no gradual build up just those two guitars and those beating drums together with McLoone’s voice all urging people to let go of their worries and jump right in. As part of their continuing 40^th anniversary celebrations tonight was always going to feature a ton of songs instantly recognisable by anyone who’s had the slightest interest in decent music over the years. It’s a career spanning set going right back to the obligatory ‘Teenage Kicks’ – delivered in all its glorious, pounding wonderfulness just one third of the way in (not leaving it until the encore proving just how great a back catalogue this band have to draw upon) together with both ‘Oh Please’ and ‘Thrill Me’ from 2003’s Get What You Need and ‘Dig Yourself Deep’ from 2007’s album of the same name. Nothing has changed – the more recent songs fitting perfectly into any Undertones set – powerful, twin guitar fuelled, angst driven numbers. It would be easy to say the standout numbers were those early classic singles. ‘Teenage Kicks’, ‘Jimmy Jimmy’, ‘Here Comes The Summer’, ‘Get Over You’ all have the crowd bouncing but so does almost every other tune hammered out tonight. ‘Hypnotised’ has the place chanting “H-Y-P I’m hypnotised” in perfect unison. “You’ve Got My Number”, “Billy’s Third” and even the slower, almost ballads ‘Wednesday Week’ and ‘Julie Ocean’ have the crowd joining in. It’s a joyous 31 song set that never lets up. This is a band having as much fun as the audience. Jokey quips between Michael Bradley and McLoone crop up often, while Damian O’Neill, together with brother John, delivers those oh so catchy guitar riffs with an almost permanent grin on his face. With the main part of the set ending with ‘Get Over You’ – “Dressed like May, you must be living in a different world” the place erupts into a mass of (mostly) middle aged exuberant dancing and singing. It must, however, be pointed out that there’s a significant number of youngsters here having just as good a time as the rest of us.

The Undertones return to the stage to deliver an encore of songs that any band probably wishes they could have written. ‘I Know A Girl’, ‘When Saturday Comes’, ‘Top Twenty’, ‘Girls Don’t Like It’ and ‘My Perfect Cousin’. No let up in energy until the very last note. It’s been a fantastic show delivered by one of the greatest bands to master that faultless, melodic punk rock pop all those years ago.

The Undertones

Klammer

22.11.17

Penetration + Uproar. The Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 18.11.17.

Looking forward to another great night of live punk rock promoted by Fast Forward Promotions and, as is to be expected, it opens with a proper decent support band. Uproar, from Durham, are not new. They’ve been delivering their own brand of punk rock since 1982 and still consist of ¾ of their original members. And they pack a real punch. A melodic cross between SLF, The Clash, UK Subs etc they’re loud, hard, energetic and aggressive yet thankfully don’t stray too far into the zone of hardcore shouty punk. Recent album ’Waiting For The Revolution’ features heavily. Full of Dave Cook’s slashing guitar riffs, powerful vocals from Stuart Henderson backed by the infectious bass/drum rhythm of Andrew ‘Goober’ Scobie and Gav Scollen songs such as ‘Time Is Coming’, ‘I Don’t Care’, ‘Empty Heads’ grab your attention, hold you there, throw you back in time whilst also emphasising the relevance of the songs today. ‘Vane Tempest’ – spitting venom about the closure of the former Seaham colliery - “Where has all the spirit gone? You took fools gold. You’re closing down our hometown”.

But it’s not all about the new album – ‘It’s Not You’, ‘Have A Good Laugh’, ‘Soldier Boy’ from early 80’s album ‘And The Lord Said’ together with ‘No War No More’ from 1982 EP ‘Rebel Youth’ remind us that the leaders we live under today are no different or better than they were back then.

Uproar

Penetration walk on stage, check guitars are tuned up, then launch into ‘In The Future’. From those opening guitar chords, quickly followed by the voice of Pauline Murray you know this is going to be really good. It’s the last night of their 40^th anniversary tour and we’re treated to a set of songs in chronological order from 1977 right up to October ’17. Opening songs ‘In The Future’, ‘Duty Free Technology’ and ‘Race Against Time’ never made it as official releases in ‘77/’78 but show us Penetration as part of that very first wave of punk. Raw, honest, powerful songs full of the energy needed to push music in a completely new direction. Thankfully they were eventually properly released, but as the original demos, on LP ‘Race Against Time’. ‘Silent Community’ follows, guitar intro as angry now as it was then. With Murray’s vocals ranting this is punk at its most sincere. ‘Don’t Dictate’ says it how it is with real anger. ‘Firing Squad’ shows just how much energy this band still has with Rob Blamire stomping round the stage hammering out those bass riffs, Paul Harvey lost in the atmosphere of the gig, crouching low, almost in the front row of the crowd pulling sounds out of his rhythm guitar whilst second guitarist Steve Wallace backs those sounds up with a much calmer persona. Four songs from classic debut album Moving Targets – Patti Smith’s ‘Free Money’, single ‘Life’s a Gamble’, a superb cover of Buzzcocks ‘Nostalgia’ that Penetration have made their own since they first recorded/performed it and the almost funky punk ‘Movement’. ‘Danger Signs’ precedes just two songs from second album Coming Up For Air, possibly less well known but no less powerful than Moving Targets. ‘Shout Above The Noise’ and the wonderful ‘Come Into The Open’.

At some point in all this Pauline Murray has told us she’s suffering from a particularly bad cold. It’s not noticeable. Melodic and captivating her voice hasn’t changed and remains as distinct now as it was 40 years ago. Continuously moving around the stage, in and out of some great lighting, she’s a captivating presence.

2015’s album Resolution, arguably more slickly produced than it’s older siblings, is still pure Penetration. Catchy guitars throughout it’s twelve punk/pop/rock numbers all, with the exception of one, overlaid with that voice it’s rapidly become a fan favourite. Three from this – ‘Just Drifting’, the guitar driven ‘Beat Goes On’ and the indie power pop of ‘Calm Before The Storm’ – round off a perfect hour.

They return to perform an encore that includes new single ‘Shake Some Action’ (a Flamin’ Groovies cover) and a superb version of ‘Stone Heroes’.

And that’s it. Great band, great gig.

Penetration

11.11.17

The Fallen Leaves + King Mojo. Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough, 04.11.17.

Back at The Westgarth for another gig. A proper social club with locals enjoying a few pints and a game of snooker in one room while bands throw out some noise in the room next door.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the sound engineer at these gigs works wonders and tonight is no exception. Small room, great sound. Some big venues would benefit from giving this guy a job.

First up are King Mojo. The third time I've had the pleasure of witnessing them play in 2017 and probably the best. New wave mod, there’s a huge Weller/Jam sound here, with subtle hints of punk rock guitar and 60’s garage all coming together to create powerful tunes that get your feet moving. Tonight they seem tighter, more together than the last time I saw them (supporting Toyah). Oz (guitar & vocals), Tetley (keyboard/vocals), Dave and Adrian (bass & drums) are clearly talented at what they do, the sound system really allowing them to shine. Yet another decent opening act.

King Mojo

For an hour The Fallen Leaves treat us to their own blend of catchy, guitar driven garage punk that includes songs from all four of their albums. Rob Green, complete with maracas, flask of tea, shades, rather cool walking stick (used for nothing more than resting his arms and gunning down the audience) and vintage microphone blows smoke rings whilst almost crooning his way through the perfect pop punk of ’Prodigal Son’, ‘I Made A Mistake’, ‘Lavender Girl’, ‘Shining’, ‘Silvie Says’. New song ‘Green Eyes’ (?) slots in perfectly alongside crowd pleasers ‘Motorcycle Girl’ and singles ‘Out In A Forest’ and ‘Trouble’. Throughout it all Rob Symmons hammers out note perfect twanging guitar whilst bassist Matthew Karas stands effortlessly cool in his paisley smoking jacket and the impressive drumming of Buddy Ascott (originally of ‘79/’80 mod band The Chords) holds it all together from the rear of the stage.

A cheeky pre-gig request for ‘My Phantoms’, not on the original set-list, is granted and makes this a perfect gig for me.

No shouting, no swearing, no deafening, thrashing guitars. This really is ‘Punk Rock For Gentlemen’.

The Fallen Leaves website.

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