29/3/2023 Freya Beer @ The Old Blue Last

Heading out East for a change. Trendy indie kids hangout The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch looks like a nice old fashioned proper boozer from the outside.

However, once inside you find that like the Spice of Life in Soho it's had it's guts ripped out and it's character too. 😞 In fact it's a bit of a dump. A trendy with indie kids dump, but still a dump. If you are of a certain age and still live in the 1990's Britpop/Indie past then this might be your sort of musical nostalgia as you walk in and find it's like a club night from those days. Everything might be painted black, but this is no rocker's haunt. Also, no real ales - so straight away no reason for me to want to return. 😬 But I'm not here for the beer - well actually I am. Sort of. I'm here for the music. This takes place upstairs...

The first act I see is an indie sounding band who's name escapes me. Nothing wrong with them if you like that kind of thing - and I sometimes do, but there is nothing here to make them stand out from all the other bands doing the same thing.

I have been aware of Freya Beer for a while. Punk legend John Robb kept mentioning her on his Twitter page, so I thought she must be worth checking out. After all the hype from Mr Robb and also on his Louder Than War website I was expecting this small Shoreditch venue to be packed, but actually it was quite the opposite with only a handful of people watching the headline act. I think there were actually more people watching the previous band who I'd never even heard of. Freya puts herself out there as being a bit of a Goth, and I thought if Membranes and Goldblade singer John Robb likes her she must have at least a bit of a punk edge too. However, things aren't always what they seem. 'Goth' is something that is very much open to individual interpretation, but if I had walked into the room 'cold' and not knowing what to expect it would never have occurred to me that this was 'Goth' in any way. 🦇 Freya isn't dressed in black, there is no 'Hammer Horror' look or vibe, and the music doesn't sound 'Goth' either. I guess I am missing the point, and her interpretation of 'Goth' is very different from mine.

Personally, I don't think Freya Beer looks or sounds the slightest bit Goth and nor does her band. This all seems very indie to me, albeit with a darker edge. The guitarist looks more like a refugee from a 1980's pop/rock band, and I suspect the bass player wants to be Mark King from Level 42. They are all good musicians, but this really isn't what I was expecting. To be honest I feel a little like I have been lured here under false pretenses.

Freya sings and plays well enough, but her songs don't really grab me. She looks good and has obviously put some effort into her image, but there isn't enough of a musical edge to really keep my attention.

The band play well and sound good, but it all seems rather lightweight compared to what I was somehow expecting. I stay for the full set from Freya Beer but leave feeling rather underwhelmed by the evening. It's good to get out and see different things and discover new music, but sometimes it just doesn't go as well as you hope. Oh well.

17/3/2023 Heavy Metal Kids + The Phobics + Vicious Love + The Chord Buddies @ The New Cross Inn

My first gig (as a punter 😉) back south of the river in a long time, but worth it. Opening the show are The Chord Buddies - all the way from Norway and playing their first ever UK show. Playing in London is a big deal for these guys - they are pretty excited about it and determined to have a good time!

The Chord Buddies play punk fueled raw rock 'n' roll like they absolutely mean it. Catchy tunes played totally from the heart. If you like basic punk 'n' roll then this band are well worth your time when they are next in the UK - and that might be sooner than you think...

Next up are Vicious Love. Decent musicians - like the previous band they have a punk attitude to their rock 'n' roll and turn in a lively and energetic performance.

Local South London punk heroes from just down the road in Deptford The Phobics are always fun!

Local legend and Phobics singer Tom Crossley is a mainstay and supporter of the London punk community. In fact he is so legendary on our scene that top rock 'n' roll band the Witchdoktors have written a song about Tom and his famous white shoes and the much missed 12 Bar Club.

The Phobics keep the punk 'n' roll flag flying and can be seen in South London and also even north of the river on a fairly regular basis - well worth a punt for a T-shirt or CD on their merch stand.

The Heavy Metal Kids like the Hollywood Brats are one one those 1970's British pre-punk bands that should have been big stars, but for a variety of reasons (some self inflicted) never quite made it. But they both had a big effect on what followed - especially in the emerging UK punk scene - many of those bands would cite them as an influence.

Today's Heavy Metal Kids may only contain two original members - in fact every member has been in and out of the band at least once. Drummer Keith Boyce has spent more time in the band than anyone else, with guitarist Cosmo close behind. The original singer was the legendary Gary Holton - later becoming well known as the cheeky Cockney chippie Wayne in 1980's British sitcom Auf Weidersehen Pet. In a later version of the band his place was taken by another actor John Altman AKA 'Nasty Nick' in UK soap Eastenders. The two were actually mates in real life, and ironically Auf Weidersehen Pet was filmed on the same (rebuilt) set at Borehamwood studios as Eastenders is to this day. With Altman as the singer the single 'Uncontrolable' was released. Another singer of note (no pun intended!) among various others to pass through the band is Phil Lewis previously of Girl and later to find fame with LA Guns. These days the frontman role is taken by Simon Gordon - who does a decent job by being himself and not trying to copy any of the previous occupants of the role.

The Heavy Metal Kids originated in the 1970's Glam Rock era, and although that genre had an inevitable influence on the band they were more of a straight up rock band. And definitely not a 'heavy metal' band in spite of their name - which was actually taken from a street gang in a novel by William S. Burroughs. If anything, original singer Gary Holton's image and rough & ready stage persona had quite a punk edge to it - before punk was even a thing. The whole 'from the streets' thing was particularly evident in old live favourite 'The Cops Are Coming' which got them banned by the BBC and like some of their other songs contained lyrics which were 'of their time' and you wouldn't get away with today... These days the 'Kids' are more of a straight ahead rock band. The early version(s) of the band only recorded 3 albums - now available in a box set which I highly recommend. These days the band play 'the hits' from their early albums as well as a few cuts from their mid to later period, but you can be sure you will hear early classics like 'She's No Angel' and 'Delirious'.

One thing that struck me that doesn't happen very often: Just sometimes, you will go and see a band who you aren't very familiar with and know very little of their material - and you will watch them and listen to them play. And you will think 'This is a really good band!'. Not just good musicians - there are loads of bands out there who are great musicians - but that doesn't make them great bands. This is a really good band. A really really good one. They just seem to gel and blend together so perfectly and tightly that without playing particularly hard, or loud, or fast they really hit you and make you feel something. Even if you don't know the songs you can still really enjoy it - and even dance!