buzzcocksfan: September 2017

Nev Craggs has been putting bands on at The Fleece for a couple of years now. A proper friendly, traditional pub with a decent back room for bands. Their biggest claim to fame (to date) is having The Sherlocks play Fleecestonbury Festival in March ’16. We know how big they've become recently. Lighting and sound provided by Steve Williams (of Willowman Festival) means that when Benson start their set tonight you’re not going to be complaining about either of those. In fact once Benson strike a note you know you’ll have nothing to complain about at all. Opening song ‘Hopes Up’ hooks you right in with its infectious beat, catchy guitar and deep bass. But then the sax and trumpet section opens up and suddenly Benson have changed into something much more than an indie rock band. Try to imagine tuneful punk, infectious ska beats, a slab of soul then throw in the very best of Dexys brass (think ‘There There My Dear’, ‘Seven Days Too Long’) mix it all up, put the volume on ten and you’ll just about be there. And it’s not just the one song. The 12 songs that make up tonight’s set keep us right there in the moment. The ceiling is a bit low for jumping around but there isn’t a still foot in the place. Benson are a band that enjoy themselves. Joe Sefton and Stash – the brass – constantly moving, guitarist Danny Sharp throwing out those catchy riffs with a constant smile on his face, Adrian Hand (bass) and Marc Miles (drums) holding it all together while vocalist Jordan Clark sings not about trivial matters but about real life – such good tunes shouldn’t work when divorce is the topic but they do. This band need a bigger stage where they can really move.

Before the second song has finished I’ve sent a message that simply says ‘Get them signed up for Willowman’ I’m so impressed. Benson would fit in perfectly.

Not punk, not ska, not soul. Benson are all of these rolled into one and all the better for it.

Small apology for quality of photos. All taken with my phone. Next time I’ll have my proper camera with me.

Benson - Facebook.

Benson - Website.

Benson

The second gig to be promoted by Lunar Tricks at Moby Grape Basement Club in Stockton features Swears, The Black Lagoons and The Likkor Men.

Swears walk on stage, spend a couple of minutes fine tuning their gear before launching into what turns out to be one of my favourite opening sets of 2017. Full on, in your face indie punk. Strong lyrics from Joel Clayton who sounds not unlike a ferocious Paul McLoone (vocalist with The Undertones). But while The Undertones play perfect pop punk Swears hit you with a sound that’s altogether noisier, angrier and faster yet still hooks you in with its infectious beat. Their own description “screeching guitars, doom-laden beats and reverb drenched vocals” is perfect but it’s brilliantly catchy. ‘Space Invader’, ‘Devil Finger’, ‘Faith In The Nation’ ‘Righteous’, ‘Lame Wizard’ and more – frantic guitars, deep bass and those beats make sure your mind doesn’t wander. And throughout it all lead guitarist George Louca picks out piercing sounds while barely stopping for breath, bassist Craig Hughes completely is lost in the moment whilst drummer Stephanos Louca holds it all together at the back. Hard to believe this was only their fifth gig.

Swears

The Black Lagoons deliver the second superb set of the night. A young band from York they pack a punch as if they’ve been doing this for years. Garage rock with a heavy psychobilly / punk influence they deliver loud, heavy tunes that veer between the thumping bass driven drone of ‘The Creature’ to the manic, high velocity, machine gun guitar licks of ‘I Am Your Guest’. Ferocious, unrelenting, fuzzy, head filling tunes. It was worth the admission price tonight to hear ‘Jumping Joe’. They look good too. Stylish and confident with great stage presence the seven songs played tonight can only help their fan base grow.

The Black Lagoons

Tunes here.

The Black Lagoons

A quick tune up and then The Likkor Men slam my ears out. I’m wearing decent quality ear plugs but f*** me this is still brutally loud. And mad. And dark. And grungy. And brilliant. The Likkor Men play full rock ‘n’ roll with a hint of some dirty blues thrown in. It’s as raw as the very early Stooges work. Slashing guitars, heavy bass, thumping drums, repetitive riffs. Singer Man Product certainly has that early Iggy voice as he screeches and chants vocals over a throbbing background noise. Indeed they knock out a superb cover of ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ towards the end of the night. Addictively mesmerising. Your brain and your ears tell you the sensible thing to do would be to move somewhere quieter. Your heart and your feet tell you to stay right where you are and see this out to the end. The noise really does pummel your whole being. But it’s a noise with tunes. ‘She Knows’ – almost 6 minutes of pounding rhythms that repeat and repeat whilst the overlying guitar riff drives straight into your head and stays right there. The crowd dwindles a little - I later find out that despite really liking The Likkor Men some left as it was just too loud. The Likkor Men really don’t care, continuing to hammer home their songs to those dedicated enough to stay. I’m convinced the energy and dedication to their cause would have continued if I’d been the only one left. Thankfully I wasn’t and those that stayed witnessed something special. A Likkor Men gig. Tonight they were promoting the release of new EP ‘’There Will Be Blood” ( available here. ) and all four of it’s tracks are played. ‘Sweet Talking Mamma’, ‘Young Blood’, ‘Hunter’ and ‘Black Widow’. Industrial grunge, feedback laden rock ‘n’ roll. Great stuff.

The Likkor Men

Moon Skull Records