1,295 DESPERATE JOURNALIST, The Violent Hearts, Bristol Dareshack, Wednesday 4th October 2023

 

A hectic 3 in 4 nights kicks off with a potential cracker from the current standard bearers of UK Indie rock. For me, London’s Desperate Journalist have been pretty much the best band the UK has to offer since I first heard them back in 2017, their urgent and intensely rich mix of dark 80’s post-punk, pseudo gothy guitar licks and stark, confessional lyricism from rock’s resident Ice Queen Jo Bevan knocking me for six from the get-go. This, the first in a short gig run for the band for no reason whatsoever (no new material to bed in, no imminent releases, it just seemed they wanted to keep their hand in “live”!) took us to a brand new Bristol venue in the Dareshack, so this was pretty much a no-brainer…!

 My turn to drive, so I picked Stuart up just after 6 and, after dumping the motor in Nelson Street car park opposite the site of the sadly lamented Bierkeller, found the venue easily at the top of The Pithay! We grabbed drinks in the side bar and were joined in short order by “Shiiine On” buddy Matt, in need of a good rock night out. Methinks you’ve come to the right place! Heard noises emanating from the venue just on 8 so went in to the evocatively black-lined Fleece (ish?) sized room, grabbing house right spots a couple of rows back as support The Violent Hearts took the stage. Slightly out-of-place supports to cartoon punks The Dickies a couple of months ago (gig 1,290), here their muscular swaggering dark alt-rock, propelled in no small part by their strong-armed, hard-hitting drummer, made much more sense. Lots more nuances to their sound were evident than previously as well; “John I’m Only Speeding” had a twanging, Cure “In Between Days” feel, and the sweeping “Burning” gave more than a nod to “Free All Angels”-era Ash in its’ windswept melancholy. After the Ramones lyrical nod, however, “Porcelain” was my set highlight tonight, a splendidly hurtling punkish blast. “Who needs an “E” string anyway?” queried vocalist James Mattock as he undertook running guitar repairs before a Suede-ish, sleazoid “Hex On Me”, then the rambunctious rocker “Everything And Nothing” drew another impressive support set to a close, both Stu and Matt also commenting favourably. I might have to go see them in their own right before long…

 Spotted gig buddies Julian and Alfie down the front for a chat, before bumping into DJ bassist Simon on a quick pre-gig loo trip. Desperate Journalist themselves took the stage dead on at 9, Rob Hardy immediately coaxing hauntingly resonant textural noises from his guitar, and Jo delivering a rushed, “hello,” before the band plunged into the angular, dismissive opener “Nothing”, the black-clad, straw-haired singer immediately the focus with her wide-eyed, impassioned choral vocals. The undulating chimes and terrace chant snark of “Why Are You So Boring” followed, sounding brilliantly clear, and we knew we were in for a good ‘un…

 

Once again, Desperate Journalist were absolutely on fire tonight, delivering another consummate performance of insouciant and aloof elegance, controlled yet gut-punching power and brilliantly effortless Bunnymen-esque cool, the surprise being just how easy they made it look, how it always seemed they were playing within themselves, but still delivering an utterly superb showing. “Hollow”’s stripped back build to its’ pounding, strident chorus was an early highlight; “Jonatan” (“about someone called Casper,” according to Jo) was underpinned with a sinister guitar riff highly reminiscent of The Cult’s “She Sells Sanctuary”; and after a taut, funky bass-propelled “Fault” (Jo spitting out the hook with bilious intent), oldie “Cristina” was my highlight of the night, breakneck, breathless and passionate. Superb! 

“Are you enjoying it?” asked a loud punter (not me, for once) of Jo, the Ice Queen immediately firing back, “Absolutely not! Get out!” Another deep cut, the libidinous, meandering “Lacking In Your Love” ceded (pardon the pun) to “Cedars”, another brilliantly wallowing and melancholy run-through of their finest number. Tour guitarist, the excellent Charley Stone, excused herself briefly prior to this one, Jo subsequently deadpanning, “you need to rely on the singer to smooth these moments over – but you don’t get that from me!” A soaring, epic “Be Kind” and potent, punchy “All Over” rounded off the set, the Ice Queen making herself scarce so the band could take centre stage for the song’s lengthy and climactic denouement, before the stratospheric hook of a brilliant “Satellite” provided the punctuation to another typically stellar 1 hour 10 minute Desperate Journalist performance. Why this band aren’t absolutely massive utterly baffles me… Drummer Caz kindly handed me her list before we wandered back to the car park, bidding Matt farewell on the lower levels then heading off, home just after 11. Three in four under way, then, and I couldn’t ask for a better band than Desperate Journalist, to kick things off in their usual superb style!

1,290 THE DICKIES, Violent Hearts, The Human Error, Bristol Fleece, Tuesday 25th July 2023

 

Finally, the last of my pre-scheduled Covid-affected gigs to actually happen! Well, sort of… I’d booked tix in January 2020 for myself and Logan to see influential veteran US West Coast cartoon punks The Dickies at Bristol Fleece in July that year, only for the damn bug to get in the way, shunting the gig forward to July 2021, and then (given restrictions were still in place) to July 2022! I was rather hoping that that date would happen, but a month beforehand they cancelled their full UK tour, citing ongoing Covid effects and increasing touring costs. So I conceded defeat at this time and got tix refunds, reacting with skepticism at subsequent news that the tour was rescheduled a further year forward! However, the closer it got, the more it looked as if the dates would actually happen this time, so earlier this month I re-booked our tix, to further Logan’s musical education with some seminal goofy and thrashy helium-voiced old school punk!

Swindon’s own punk rock Queen Debby was also up for this one, so we picked her up at 6.30 for the usual entertaining chatty drive down the M4, squeezing into a parking spot just around the corner. Grabbed barrier spots house left, as is our wont, before openers The Human Error joined us early doors. A painfully young trio, this; the peroxide vocalist/ guitarist and baby Billie Joe Armstrong clone looked barely out of his teens, and his flailing, Animal from “The Muppets”-esque drummer little brother was actually still only 15! They tore through a set of embryonic and slightly unrehearsed yet entertaining pop-punk, with a smattering of aptly chosen covers (Buzzcocks’ “Fast Cars”, The Ramones’ “Chainsaw” and The Clash’s “Complete Control”) to pad it out. Awed at their situation (Billie Jr. inquiring, “how the fuck did we get on this bill?”), their youthful verve and enthusiasm carried them through. Here come the young men; decent job, boys!

 

Main support The Violent Hearts were however a different kettle of fish. Fronted by an angular, shape throwing vocalist resembling Brett from Suede and backed by a couple of strong-armed, black clad desperado guitar wielders, they were much more accomplished, with a sleazoid, riff heavy yet surprisingly hooky and melodic style somewhere between Goth-tinged post-punkers Flesh For Lulu and post-grunge Mojave Desert nomads Urge Overkill (!). “Burning” was a slower-burn yet hookily anthemic mid-set number and my favourite of the set, the subsequent amphetamine rocker “Porcelain” nicked an intro from The Ramones’ “You’re Gonna Kill That Girl”, and, by robust, air punching closer “Everything And Nothing” I was making plans to buy their CD at the merch stand afterwards. Shame I ultimately got there just as they ran out, but I found out, on discussion with vocalist James Mattock, that they’re supporting Desperate Journalist at Dareshack in October, a combination that makes much more sense. I’ll be there – as I’m there already!

The Dickies took the stage at 9 in front of the expectant gathering of punks both young and old. with bowl-haired preying mantis vocalist Leonard Graves Phillips joining us last, announcing the opener as, “the song I sang at my audition [for this band]… I thought I had the job anyway, I mean, look at me…!” before a surprisingly straight version of The Sex Pistols’ old school punk classic “Anarchy In The UK”. The subsequent opening salvo was relentless speed punk, featuring a breathless, yelping “Give It Back”, a tremendous “Nights In White Satin” (making much better sense at 1,000 mph!), a surprisingly tuneful and hooky “Fan Mail” and a soaring “Pretty Please Me”, featuring some impressive stick-work from smart, bow-tie wearing drummer Adam Gomez, before everyone paused for breath. Phillips then introduced a couple of newies which apparently tipped their hat to groundbreaking new wave all-girl act The Go-Go’s and disgraced ex glam rocker Gary Glitter! Typically perverse stuff from the good taste vacuum that is Mr. Phillips…!

 

That said, and despite the hurtling punk rock bullets blasting by, this seemed a slightly less full-on show than previous Dickies gigs; no “If Stuart Could Talk” so no penis puppet, so we made do with a brief outing for the blow-up doll during “Waterslide” and the good boy glove puppet for “Doggie Do”. Maybe their veteran status had a hand in this (Phillips quipping, “I’ll soon be 67 – this is what happens when you don’t die!”) but I’ve certainly seen them crazier, zanier, more unhinged. Don’t get me wrong, though, this was still a great cartoon punk rock gig, which was capped with set closer “Gigantor” and a brilliant encore of “Eve Of Destruction” before an inevitable “Banana Splits” brought a swift 50-minute performance to a close.

Burly guitarist Stan Lee handed me a list and I grabbed a pic with him before we headed off, home at an early 11. So, a couple of gears lower tonight, maybe, but the Dickies were nonetheless worth waiting for!