buzzcocksfan

11.6.18

Long Division Festival. Wakefield. 02.06.18.

So after a week of almost constant sunshine Saturday decides to be wet, windy and miserable. Wakefield is damp and grey when we arrive but beginning to brighten up both weather-wise and event wise.

Long Division Festival started in 2011, is an annual event (although organisers took a break from duties in 2017) and over the years has played host to The Cribs, British Sea Power, The Fall, Gang of Four, Ash and a whole load of others. Spread over five days the festival features a diverse range of music, spoken word and exhibitions with the main events being Friday, Saturday, Sunday. The heart of the festival is Saturday which saw almost 100 performances and events taking place across the city many of which were free to see.

My focus was bands. Starting off in Warehouse 23 openers Cape Cub deliver an acoustic set of heartfelt, laid back songs full of powerful lyrics. Brilliant guitar picking and subtle keyboards produce a chilled out vibe, tunes for romantic summer evenings. Stand out songs included ‘Flowers’, ‘Keep Me In Mind’, ‘Closer’. Melodies that tug at your emotions with Chad Male’s deeply personal vocals driving home the importance of being there for those you love.

Mush provide a complete contrast. Artrock, post punk. Call them what you like. With influences such as The Fall, Sonic Youth, Pixies and Television the volume in Warehouse 23 shoots up. Mush bang out a superb, repetitive thumping beat. Verlaine influenced guitars and vocals that are not so much sung as spoken/yelped. They’re young, they’ve got attitude, they deserve to be going places. I’m hooked in from the word go and it’s a close call between staying for their whole set or a walk across town to see The Membranes. In the end the thought of seeing The Membranes, with a choir, in the cathedral drags us away.

Mush

Located right in the city centre people have been offering their prayers and praise in this holy place for 1000 years. The cathedral is a stunning building. Bright, beautifully lit, stained glass windows and superb acoustics. Whoever decided to bring The Membranes along with the BIMM choir to this venue deserves an award. What follows is nothing short of perfect. As always frontman John Robb darts around the stage, bass held high, staring at the audience, stopping to hold arms aloft but this time it’s in a perfect mirror image of the statue depicting the crucifixion of Christ high up behind him. The setting seems to add extra energy to what is already a powerful band as they deliver a set focused on 2015’s magnificent ‘Dark Matter / Dark Energy’. The slow, menacing bass and eerie guitar of ‘In The Graveyard’, the pounding, manic onslaught of ‘Do The Supernova’, the howling vocals of ‘21^st Century Man’. All are taken to another level by the presence of the choir whose ethereal, angelic and trained voices back up the incendiary noise being pushed out by The Membranes themselves. This was a special gig. Exhilarating. One that no one present will ever forget.

The Membranes

Back at Warehouse 23 we catch the last two songs from Wakefield/Leeds trio Drahla. Luciel Brown, Rob Riggs and Mike Ainsley spit out minimal, dark, post punk, with a heavy bass sound. ‘Fictional Decision’ shows a distinct nod to The Breeders / Pixies whilst ‘Circuit’ builds from quiet(ish) beginnings into an unrelenting wall of noise of thrashing guitars. Just two songs seen but wow they impressed. I’m just thankful The Membranes were as good as they were or I’d be having serious regrets about not seeing more of Drahla.

The dramatic, complex, alternative rock of Glass Mountain takes us through the next hour or so. Usually backed up with captivating projected visual displays the band today rely solely on their soaring guitars, subtle keyboards and sorrowful lyrics to hold the crowds attention. And hold it they do with those present clearly enjoying what Glass Mountain produce. But every band can’t please everybody and Glass Mountain just don’t do it for me.

Glass Mountain

Handing out plastic rings with LED bulbs to most of the audience we are introduced to Galaxians. With uplifting, disco, funky tunes Galaxians started life in 2012 as duo Jed Skinner (synths) and Matt Woodward (drums) and recorded a number of boogie dance instrumentals heavily influenced by the New York disco scene. Joined in 2016 by Emma Mason on vocals tonight they deliver a set that turns Warehouse 23 into a room full of dancing club goers. Plenty of programming goes into their music which means they deliver a lot from a minimal set up. Mason’s vocals are powerful and with some gentle swaying and a beaming smile she has the audience on her side within minutes.

Galaxians

The first stage invasion of the day, albeit a mini one lasting only a few seconds consisting of just 3 or 4 punters trying to clamber up for a bit of a dance and being rapidly removed by security, comes part way through the charming indie pop of Cud. Darlings of any indie disco of the late 80’s and early 90’s and much loved by the late John Peel, Cud’s guitar drenched, bass heavy sounds come with a distinct element of funk. Todays Cud consists of original members Carl Puttnam on vocals, guitarist Mike Dunphy and bassist William Potter. Joined in 2012 by drummer Gogs Byrn they deliver crowd pleasing classics that don’t just focus on singles. ‘Purple Love Balloon’, ‘Only (A Prawn in Whitby)’, ‘Hey! Wire’, ‘’Robinson Crusoe’ and ‘I’ve Had It With Blondes’ feature amongst a set that has the dedicated in the crowd lapping up every note and word and that I’m sure convinces a few more that Cud were, and still are, a band worth listening to and venturing out to see.

Cud

Evil Blizzard walk on stage to what is now customary boos and chants telling them how shit they are. As a live band they’ve built something of a legendary reputation. Four bass players and a drummer who sings. And a machete wielding pig. And a giant with head and face covered with a sack who gleefully wipes your own head and face with a mop before handing you a card telling you to seek medical attention. Except tonight it isn’t like this. Tonight there’s no pig. And no Mopman. But there are now five bass players which only serves to intensify the pounding introduction to ‘Sacrifice’. With a new album out this week we’re ‘treated’ to the minacious ‘Unleash The Misery’ – body pounding, rumbling, repetitive deep bass overlaid with some seriously high pitched noises and the sight of five bass wielding, horror masked characters from a nightmare you just want to forget clobbering around the stage with no regard for whether or not they slam into each other. New single ‘Hello’ is over 4 minutes of slashing guitar and wailing vocals but, as proved by it’s appearance this week on 6Music, with much more commercial appeal than some of their earlier material. The seriously sinister ‘Fast Forward Rewind’ builds from a perfectly danceable albeit malevolent beat to a cataclysmic climax. Add in ‘Slimy Creatures’, the always brilliant ‘Are You Evil?’ and finally the chaos of ‘Red Box’ during which bassist number five – Embrace’s Steve Firth – is loaded up with all five instruments. His masked face says it all, “WTF?” I know I’m supposed to say the last hour was utter shite, complete drivel. But I can’t. Because it wasn’t.

Evil Blizzard

The Lovely Eggs also have a new album out. ‘This Is Eggland’ delivers over half of tonight’s set and that’s no bad thing. Opening with ‘I’m With You’, a perfect blend of punk rock guitar, rhythmic drums from David Blackwell and Holly Ross’s wonderfully sweet vocals. The chugging guitar of ‘Witchcraft’, the chants, banging drums and full on guitar racket of lead single ‘I Shouldn’t Have Said That’. It’s hard to believe this is a duo from the sonic noise they produce. A duo celebrating their 11^th wedding anniversary tonight. A duo who, when singer Holly isn’t shaking her head, pulling off some leg movements most ballet dancers would be proud of or leaping round the stage, share some knowing looks, looks that emphasise that if all else fails in the world they’ve got each other. It’s not all new album promotion though. ‘Magic Onion’, ‘Goofin Around In Lancashire’ give us a taste of past tunes and, while much of their set sticks to that perfect combination of sonic guitar riffs over a repetitive beat topped with singalong lyrics, things slow down with crowd pleasers ‘People Are Twats’ and the genius that is ‘Fuck It’. There’s a lot of people here who clearly adore The Lovely Eggs and a decent mosh pit develops leading to a few becoming clearly agitated with the pushing, bouncing, joyous mass behind them. Rather than asking people to calm down Holly announces that she “fuckin’ loves them” and then ever so nicely invites those who feel uncomfortable to sit and watch from the photo pit. What a perfect solution and a perfect end to a great day.

The Lovely Eggs

23.5.18

Spear Of Destiny, Crazy Pink Revolvers. Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 18.05.18.

Crazy Pink Revolvers split the crowd. Some don’t like them. Some think they’re great. I’m with the latter. Formed by Stan Stammers in 1986 after his days with Theatre Of Hate and Spear Of Destiny, disbanding in 1989, reforming in late 2017 and featuring Chris Bell, current TOH gigging drummer, these are their first live shows for nearly 30 years. They released two albums back in the day although seven of tonight’s 10 song set come from second album ‘At The Rivers Edge’ with two more from 1987’s ‘Timeless Smile’ EP. Whilst it could be argued that Stammers is not a singer their songs stand the test of time – listen to the chilled beat of ‘Wednesday 19:45’ or the slashing guitar post punk rock of ‘The Driver’ and ‘Brixton Nights’ - with some great guitar work by Adam Bolton and wicked twin bass sounds from Stammers and Tris Reignier on rhythm bass. A great opening act.

As is always the case Spear Of Destiny are welcomed on Teesside like long lost friends. Tonight turns out to be a celebration of two fantastic albums. Recently released Tontine – superb both musically and lyrically, full of snarling lyrics, pounding rhythms, singalong chorus’s. “Muppets working the puppets, just for fun” - opening the set with ‘Brighton’ sets the tone. It’s heavy, menacing, full of rumbling bass from Craig Adams and piercing guitar work from Adrian Portas backed with solid drumming from Phil Martini and subtle keyboards curtesy of Steve Allan Jones. ‘MK Ultra’ with it’s chanting chorus and sinister content (CIA mind control), ‘Medievalists’ bounces along with a much more dance around friendly beat but listen to the lyrics and things haven’t changed much “Some people don’t mind dying, they just don’t wanna live / Sticks and stones will break my bones, bombs will really destroy me.” Add in ‘Second Life’, ‘Afrikan Proverb’, which sadly took some explaining for a few people, the beautiful, almost ballad that is ‘Second Life’ and single ‘Mr Livingston’ with it’s gentle acoustic guitar backing Brandon’s story about a friend whose life didn’t go so well, suddenly erupting into a powerful noise as Brandon yells out “Mr Livingstone I presume”.

Tontine is classic Spear Of Destiny and it would have been a great night if they’d simply hammered their way through the whole album. But 2018 also marks 35 years since the release of what many regard as one of Spear Of Destiny’s greatest albums. Their debut long player, Grapes Of Wrath, is full of clattering drums, thumping beats and perfect sax topped off with Kirk Brandon’s distinct vocals. Less raw than ‘Tontine’, more subtle but no less powerful even without the sax it’s a real treat to hear ‘The Preacher’, ‘Roof Of The World’, ‘Grapes Of Wrath’, ‘The Wheel’ and the brilliant guitar work of it’s B side - ‘The Hop’. Add in the perfect singalongs that are ‘World Service’ and ‘Comeback’ and an encore featuring the rousing ‘King Of Kings’ and ‘Liberator’ it’s little wonder many left tonight saying it was the best Spear performance they’d ever seen.

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages, Snakerattlers, The Milk Lizards, Oilbirds. Westgarth SC. 11.05.18.

It’s an early start and consequently I arrive at the tail end of Oilbirds set. I’m also slightly distracted when the speaker stack comes crashing down a couple of meters from where I’m stood. Thankfully nobody hurt but a nice chunk taken out of the table where Steve and Wendy are sitting. What I do see of Oilbirds impresses me a lot. Garage punky blues – Timothy Oxnard’s new outfit (they played their first gig in March) certainly sound like they’re going to make a decent mark on the music scene and I’ll make sure I see them again when they play.

Sunderland’s The Milk Lizards step up and keep us entertained with some superbly danceable surf rock. With a constant background sound of waves lapping on the shore The Milk Lizards play only instrumentals. Instrumentals that range from driving rhythms overlaid with reverb soaked guitar on tracks such as ‘Defcon 5’ to a much more laid back but heavier vibe on ‘Good Cop Bad Cop’. They don’t even speak between tunes but play a recorded “Thank you very much” after each track. This is music for hot summer nights sitting under a palm tree watching the sun go down. Even in the Westgarth with The Milk Lizards playing your mind wanders to sunnier climes.

Snakerattlers impress once again. Rock n roll with real attitude. Just one guitar, two drums and a cymbal and one hell of a snarling voice from Dan Oliver Gott. Combine them and you get a superb blend of rockabilly, country and punk. Powerful guitar riffs and thumping drum beats from Naomi Gott drive us through the manic ‘Let You Go’, ‘Rattlerock Rumble’ and more. With a stare that seems possessed DG stares at the crowd, and at his wife, occasionally right in your face as he takes his guitar and its savage riffs into the crowd leaving Naomi to knock out the beats alone on stage. It’s good to hear new songs and an indication there’s more to come from this intense, powerful duo.

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages deliver pure, good time R&B tinged rock ‘n’ roll. From opening song ‘Slowly Losing My Mind’ the Westgarth transforms into full on party mood. Barrence sings, shouts, wails through a set list that doesn’t let you go for even a second. New album ‘Soul Flowers Of Titan’ features heavily - ‘Pain’, ‘Lets Go To Mars’, ‘Adorable’, ‘Sunshine Don’t Make The Sun’ all thundering bursts of energy with superb sax, heavy blues guitar and energy that takes you completely out of yourself to a place where nothing matters except the beat driving through you. Things slow down with the sultry groove of ‘Tingling’ providing moments to catch your breath before ‘The Claw’, from 2015’s Under The Savage Sky raises the tempo and the temperature once again. But it’s not all about recent releases and with a significant back catalogue to draw from we’re treated to early classics ‘Bip Bop Bip’, ‘Walking With Barrence’, ‘Bloody Mary’, and more from way back in 1984 / 85. Songs that have stood the test of time, still sound great and still deliver hard hitting, infectious rhythms. It’s hot outside tonight. Inside it’s melting with sweat dripping from band and audience alike. The fact that the place is still bouncing after a set of more than 20 songs is testament to the energy and pure entertainment that seeps from every pore of Barrence Whitfield & The Savages. Surely another gig that will sit comfortably in my top 10 by the end of the year.

The Chords UK + Thee Strawberry Mynde + Sound Reaction. Georgian Theatre, Stockton. 13.04.18.

I’m not sure why but The Chords completely passed me by back in my teenage years despite me being a prolific buyer of punk/new wave/new mod records. More about them later.

First up are Sound Reaction. I’ve seen them once before over 12 months ago and, at the time, wasn’t over impressed. Tonight it’s a different story. Sound Reaction deliver set of garage rock tunes with a distinctly mod twist to them. Mark Duffy’s vocals are strong, Karl Steinberg’s guitar playing spot on as he knocks out some fairly heavy riffs and it’s all backed up by tight rhythms from bassist Chris Marner and drummer Chris Ashcroft. Last year my mind wandered and I wandered to the bar. Tonight I have no such inclination. Guitar heavy garage rock they are and they do it really well making me glad I made the effort to arrive early.

Thee Strawberry Mynde knock out great 60’s garage beats. Heavy bass and repetitive guitar strumming grab your attention and get your feet moving. ‘Know No more’, ‘She Sets The Scene’ – a song that despite being written 20 years ago sounds great today and ‘Hidden’ would have fitted perfectly into one of those music programmes such as Ready Steady Go. New(ish) drummer Stu has slotted in perfectly sounds as though he’s been with them for years. Thee Strawberry Mynde look good too. Tonight there’s no trademark striped t-shirts but instead Bazza’s smart suit, Paul Garner’s eye catching paisley shirt and Stu’s 100% mod haircut. Thee Strawberry Mynde are raw and tight and deliver 9 – 10 tunes that hook you right in and leave you wishing they could have played just a little bit longer.

Featuring only Chris Pope from the original Chords I did wonder what tonight would be like. I was reassured by a friend and Chords fan that all would be good and how right he was. The Chords UK were fantastic. Non-stop punky mod rock n roll. The Chords UK are in your face, fast, non-stop, energetic. Chris Pope leaps around like a 20 year old while Mic Stoner Kenny Cooper and Sandy Michie back him up with energy and enthusiasm to match. This band don’t stay still for a second and their enjoyment of what they’re doing shines through. Add in a crowd that’s 100% behind them from the opening note and you get a set of explosive sing-a-long tunes and an electric atmosphere. ‘Get Me To Saturday Night’, ‘Now It’s Gone’, ‘One More Minute’, ‘The British Way Of Life’, ‘Maybe Tomorrow’, new songs such as ‘I Can’t Let Go’ – every one of them, and the rest, has the crowd dancing, singing, forgetting the mundane trials of everyday. It’s a perfect Friday night gig and as I stroll back to my car I can’t help (i) regretting I didn’t pay serious attention to The Chords 38 years ago, although to be fair I was only 15, (ii) wondering if I can afford to start buying their back catalogue and (iii) hoping I get to see them again soon. Superb stuff.