buzzcocksfan: February 2018

27.2.18

Ratty and The Watchers, King Mojo, The Godfathers. Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough. 25.02.18.

Early Sunday evening and outside the Westgarth it’s freezing. Inside it’s hot and busy and there’s a real atmosphere of anticipation building for The Godfathers.

First up are Ratty and The Watchers who deliver a superb set of fast, punchy, pop-punk rock n roll. The addition of Neale Floyd, once of Penetration and tonight making his first public appearance for 38 years, on extra guitar duties makes this set of songs special. Powering through ‘Firefly’, ‘Bury My Heart’, ‘Tsantsa’ and more there’s plenty of buzzsaw guitar as well as nods to the Hot Rods, Chameleons and even Bowie with riffs aplenty to keep your hips swinging. Well worth arriving early to catch this lot.

Ratty and The Watchers

King Mojo never disappoint and it’s a good job really as they seem to pop up at a lot of gigs I go to. Indie new wave mod. A big Jam/Weller/60’s garage sound they deliver a set packed with guitar driven energy, great keyboards and tight rhythms. Powerful songs, appreciated by the swelling crowd, that continue to build the pervading mood developing before the headliners take their place.

King Mojo

It’s hard to describe just how good The Godfathers are. Opening with ‘This Is War’, a superb, snarling anti-establishment rant driven along with relentless bass and piercing guitars. From this opening number The Godfathers don’t let up for one second of this 22 song set. Career spanning pure, heavy, blues tinged, punk tinged full on rock n roll. ‘This Damn Nation’, ‘I Want You’, ‘I Want Everything’ and ‘I’m Unsatisfied’ drag us back to ‘85/’86 and classic debut album Hit By Hit. Six from the raw, storming rock of Birth School, Work, Death via classic cuts from Unreal World, Jukebox Fury and the masterpiece that is 2017’s Big Bad Beautiful Noise – huge tunes that bring The Godfathers smack bang into the 21^st Century with the non-stop beat of ‘Til My Heart Stops Beating’, the relentless pulse of it’s title track and the driving sonic assault that is ‘Defibrillator’.

Tonight The Godfathers can do no wrong. Twin guitar sounds from the never still Steve Crittall and Alex McBain, thumping rhythms from Tim James and Darren Birch together with the growling vocals, superb lyrics and piercing stare of Peter Coyne. Add in a blistering cover of Blitzkrieg Bop and once again this band leave us with a night that will live in gig memories for a hell of a long time.

The Godfathers

26.2.18

Toyah. Princess Alexandra Auditorium, Yarm. 17.02.18.

Toyah walks on stage to an enthusiastically warm welcome from the crowd in this rather plush venue. It’s a full electric show which means we’re treated to all those hits from the 80’s in all their original glory. Toyah is a master at playing to her audience. Tonight they’re seated, listening carefully and hanging on every word she says so we hear a little story about every song, we’re asked how many of us were punks ‘back then’ and we’re told about her role in Jubilee (then and now). Thankfully it’s not all anecdotes and those big, crowd pleasing, sing-a-long tunes that fill you with nostalgia are delivered with real passion and clear enjoyment. ‘Good Morning Universe’, ‘Rebel Run’, ‘Thunder In The Mountains’, ‘Brave New World’. These were huge songs back in the day and the crowd tonight love them. ‘Neon Womb’ – still full of anger and punk rock attitude, ‘Race Through Space’ and the superb ‘Danced’ all from 1979’s Sheep Farming In Barnet. Add in ‘It’s A Mystery’, ‘I Want To Be Free’, some decent album tracks and everyone’s going home happy. A pounding, full on, brilliant version of Billy Idol’s ‘Rebel Yell’ should have had the whole place standing and leaping around but, sadly, it isn’t until the promise of selfies at the front of the stage that the dedicated few leave their seats, loosen up and really start to enjoy themselves. Even then it’s only about 50 people but Toyah milks it making sure she’s immortalised on as many mobile phones as possible while I begin to wonder what’s more important to these people - the songs, the music, the nostalgia or that treasured selfie with a rock star. But does it really matter so long as they’re having a great time? And they are, as is Toyah who still delivers every song with that unique voice, who owns the stage with as much energy now as she had nearly 40 years ago and who delivers exactly what people want. A dreadful version of ‘Sweet Child Of Mine’ (but the original is just as awful) is thankfully forgotten about once ‘Ieya’ erupts, thunders along and closes the night on a real high.

17.2.18

Evil Blizzard + Nasty Little Lonely. Camden Underworld. 10.02.18.

Review and some superb photos by Paul Grace here.

A few pics by me below.

Evil Blizzard

Nasty Little Lonely

7.2.18

Max Bianco + James Leonard Hewitson + Danny Devon. The Forum Music Centre, Darlington. 04.02.18.

Independent Venue Week – a week-long celebration/awareness raising exercise focusing on those small venues run week in, week out by people dedicated to bringing live music by new, up and coming, and occasionally established bands to audiences around the country. Tonight is the last of these seven nights and I’m at The Forum Music Centre in Darlington, a fantastic place that not only promotes live music but has rehearsal and recording rooms, a café/bar, film nights, comedy nights and a music school.

First up is Danny Devon, the only artist tonight that I’ve seen before. Once described as a council estate Bob Dylan, Devon effortlessly blends acoustic guitar, gritty voice, a country/folky/bluesy sound with an attitude that can swing from positive and upbeat to despair and anger at modern day attitudes and situations. Not only is Danny Devon first on stage the majority of his songs tonight are new, most with just working titles, so it’s testament to Devon’s talent and ability that he creates an atmosphere that hooks you in and makes you want to listen.

Danny Devon Facebook.

Danny Devon

James Leonard Hewitson & The Relevant People deliver a short but perfect set of fuzzy guitar driven punky pop. Addictive, foot tapping tunes. A modern take on 80’s Britpop with clever, often witty lyrics. ‘Experience Song’ bounces along with that almost boppy, singalong Kings Of Leon beat and infectiously catchy chorus. ‘Shy Of Hard Work’ – faster, heavier, with jangly guitar riffs a constant background feature. ‘The Screen’ - full on hypnotic beat overlaid with Mark E Smith type vocals before erupting into a thrashy, heavy, monotonous (but far from boring) guitar driven chorus of “Just keep looking at the screen. Just keep looking at the screen”. Sadly it’s a seated venue because James Hewitson & The Relevant People play songs you should be bouncing around to. It’s impossible to stay still, feet are tapping and beats beaten out on tables and knees. ‘Care Less, Love Less’ – “Just because you care less, doesn’t mean that you are careless.” Perfect indie pop with hints of Mary Chain guitars. It’s a short, six song, set but it’s enough to make sure I’ll be there next time this lot play a local gig.

James Leonard Hewitson plays Stockton Calling on Saturday 31^st March

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James Leonard Hewitson

Original headliners The Jar Family couldn’t play tonight but thankfully lead singer Max Bianco is here to deliver a solo set. Unlike The Jar Family’s driving, roller coaster ride of often full on guitar, drums, bass driven electric mix of blues, rock and folk this is an altogether more sedate but no less passionate session. Some Jar Family songs feature – ‘God Is My Witness’, ‘Sadie’, ‘Where Did You Come From, Babe?’ suit a laid back acoustic approach perfectly. Solo Max Bianco gives the impression he might be slightly nervous, possibly a little surprised by the warm response he receives from the audience. He needn’t have been. His quiet, folk influenced songs speak loudly about challenging emotions, love, society. “Every time I stand up I’m shot back down” from the wonderful ‘North East Bay” gives a flavour of what moves him. ‘Superfluous’ touches on almost everything that is wrong with the world today – war, racism, the refugee crisis, police oppression. “We are a product of your oppression. And we don’t want to know about it no more.” “No more we will hide and no more you will control”. Superb stuff. Adding in a great duet with Hayley McKay and three full on songs delivered with James Hewitson and his band left this a night to be remembered.

Superfluous
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The Jar Family - Facebook.

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