So here we have it the first show report of the new year! It was a Friday night and I was back at The Crown in Littlehampton ready to see what the LARS Promotions crew had in store for the first gig of the year.
Being January, and the first Friday after New Years eve, I was expecting a quieter evening, boy was I wrong! The crew had planned a Punk-A-Palooza event and had drawn in a crowd. With the addition of a proper stage in the venue things were certainly looking like we were in for a good one!
First up to launch us into 2019 we had Murderers Row.
This female fronted, Southampton based punk band were returning to action after a short break while the Lead vocalist and bassist recovered from a thumb injury.
That being said they were truly on form and kicked off their set with the track 'Rosie'.
Starting off with a fast paced guitar riff, a pounding drum beat and bass riff, the vocals then come in with a gritty raw sound to them keeping up the fast pace.
The track had people moving from the start, what a great way to open a set!
The track 'Psycho' starts off with a high energy drum beat and funky bass riff, the vocals are passionate but still have that raw edge to them throughout the track.
You find yourself singing along with this one whilst rocking out with the band.
The whole set was full of energy and catchy beats and they even threw in a cover of 'Techtonic' from the drummers other band Watch You Drown which was a nice addition.
Although the vocalist said she felt a bit rusty due to the thumb operation, it certainly didn't show on stage, and the set flowed nicely.
If punk is your thing, definitely check out these guys now they're back on the scene!
Next up we had Who Killed Nancy Johnson?.
These guys hail from Reading and describe themselves as a punk band, sometimes leaning into post-punk, sometimes a bit hardcore, sometimes a bit post-hardcore. Occasionally a bit of goth creeps in.
Kicking off the set with a fast paced, punchy track called 'Strip' they had the crowds attention immediately. The track had a darker feel to it with the guitar riffs and smooth vocals.
Flowing straight into the next track 'Alien' effortlessly you can tell these guys are well rehearsed.
'They Reap' kicked off with a low, driving bass beat and haunting guitar screech before the politically charged lyrics kick in, written about how people under 40 generally can't afford to get on the property ladder due to the government. The track continues with the driving beat throughout the song with the passionate vocals making you move to the music.
The guys energy on stage was amazing, the guitarist didn't stay in one spot the entire time whilst the lead singer came down from the stage to join the crowd even right up to the back of the bar!
At one point the drummer donned a well known face mask... Very orange... But fitting for the track playing at the time.
The set was full of high energy, darker vibe tracks and you can see where they get their punk/post-punk description from. If these guys are playing near you absolutely get down and see them!
Headlining the evening we had Negative Measures.
From Brighton, the band describe themselves as Chaotic Hardcore Punk.
These guys are no strangers to us but not having performed here since May 2017 we were glad to have them back as headliners.
Starting off their set with an intro of a chunky guitar riff, deep bass line and thumping drum beat, the vocals then explode into the track ramping up the energy with raw heavy growls.
They then kicked off into the track 'Anatomy'. This one starts with the bass riff, but then launches into a brutal, aggressive track with fast paced vocals, heavy guitar riffs and a pounding drum beat.
The track 'Rhythm' has a toe tapping, punky intro to it before leading into a heavy, faster pace guitar riff with a driving beat behind it. The heavy, vicious vocals take a break into more melodic just before launching back into the heavy near the end of the track.
The whole set is aggressive, hard and fast. The guys on stage kept up their frantic energy through it all , the lead singer regularly joining in the crowd while the others jumped around the stage (nearly losing the drummer down the back of the stage near the end!) They have a tight set and an amazing live performance. Well worth catching them if they're playing near you.
So when it was all over, we kicked back to Metal Meyhems tunes to chill out after that frenzied performance.
Thanks to LARS Promotions for setting the bar high for the first gig of the year,
Thanks to The Crown for hosting,
Thanks to Crimson Craft Audio for equipment hire,
Thanks to all the bands for their Epic performances.
And lastly thanks to Metal Meyhem Radio for allowing me to chat with these amazing people and to write this blog.
Don't forget to join us at the next event in Littlehampton on February 1st 2019, 8.30pm.
Keep rockin',
Squirrel x
Comments