Bowing
out of a hectic February with the third gig in 4 nights, and a trip down to the
South Coast for some irresistible harmony-driven chunky guitar powerpop from
Southsea’s The Stayawakes, the band currently filling the Gigolo Aunts-shaped
hole in my “Dance Card”. Following a recent hectic time, this was a late call
with my only booking tix this afternoon, but in all honesty I wasn’t really about
to miss the chance to catch up with these splendid gentlemen on their own home
turf…!
Hit
traffic on my way to a pre-departure chiropractor appointment and had to blow it
off; so, unmanipulated, I hit the road proper about 5ish for a tricky journey, squeezing
into a street parking space about 6 inches bigger than my motor just after 7.
Ran into Stayawakes drummer Steven outside the venue, being joined by
guitarists Peter and Andrew for some rock chat and catching up, and also being
introduced to their friend and former bassist K.O., apparently a long-time
follower of my blog! Woah! In out of the cold just after doors, and into the
smaller yet neat little venue front room, running into bassist Jimmy on the way.
Norm Archer took the corner stage at 7.45 – a pseudonym for solo electric guy
Will, this was allegedly an outlet for his more psych-pop material, but apart
from a Byrds-like “It’s Alright With Me”, his overt, impassioned delivery and
overt post-grungy popcore power chord guitar work reminded me more of the likes
of Superchunk, Bob Mould and even my mate Si Hall and his Raze*Rebuild boys. The
galloping Modern Baseball-esque emo of “The Seatbelt Won’t Release” was my pick
of a rocking set I’d like to hear with a full band…
Gosport
duo Rats! Rats! Rats! were next up in fairly short order, kicking into some
primitive, buzzsaw-fast proto punk redolent of second division 70’s punk acts
like The Models, Shapes, Last Words et al, although later numbers delved into
creepy proto goth, both in mood and subject matter. I liked the confrontational
“What Is The Point Of You?” and an almost jolly “All Of Your Friends Are Dead”,
which featured an unexpected whoop from the drummer! Completing the support
triumvirate were regular Stayawakes gig cohorts, Southampton’s Everyone Lies, again
assaulting the eardrums with their hooky yet in-your-face amphetamine-fast
pop-punk and introducing themselves as, “Everyone Lies from Andover – we
want our cars to be safe!” I found their power chord sonic assault a little
relentless and one-dimensional, although “Stuck Inside My Head” and “90’s Girl”
again featured some nice hooks and choral harmonies, and the beefy vocalist was
in good form, getting a Tuesday night singalong going for “Get Up”, so fair
play for that!
That
took us to 10 to 10, and The Stayawakes donned the usual pink polka dots, Peter
and Andrew trying to get their logo backdrop hooked up onto the wall as a
“sidedrop!” No hanging about either, they were soon on stage and straight into
action, with opener “Please Steve Just Drive” kicking off an energetic, ragged yet
committed set of amped-up, buoyant and thrillingly muscular powerpop
rock’n’roll, with those unfashionable staples of irresistible hooks and great
3-part harmonies, as usual from these boys, well to the fore. Also, the sound
for this venue was (finally!) spot-on, the mix perfectly balanced in this
impressive little space. Yay!
“This
turnout is proof that it’s cheaper to come to a Stayawakes gig than stay home
with the heating on!” deadpanned Peter before the undulating riff of an early,
90’s US-alt rock-esque “Slumbers”, which was dedicated to me by Andrew. Next
up, newie “Tell Kate Bush I Want My Bloody Shoes Back!” felt somewhat of a
departure for The Stayawakes, their trademark lush guitar noise underpinned
with an air of growling menace. The double whammy of an almost 50’s soda bar
doo-wop “Lovestruck” and the tremendous soaring gallop of “Pink Wave” were
mid-set highlights, and “This Town” prompted a debate about a forthcoming
video, Andrew persuading a local buddy to appear in it as a tailor! The
slower-burn, Pixies-ish off-kilter beat and dissonant riff of “Stepping Over
Cracks” capped a breathless and breathtaking set, although time was in our
favour for an unplanned and rather brilliant run-through of the undulating
luge-ride of “Little Explorer”, with the furiously riffing Jimmy joining us on
the floor for the song’s lengthy denouement. Great stuff again!
Cognisant
of time, I didn’t hang out for long afterwards, grabbing a list and pic before
saying my farewells to the boys and K.O., a 1 ½ hour drive home pitching me
back in the ‘don just before 12.30. Knackered in the office the next day, but
well worth it to see The Stayawakes on this form. Overall, an impressive home
win!
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