For the launch party for the Bermondsey Joyriders' third album 'Flamboyant Thugs' they've put together a top notch bill of 3 bands in a great venue that even when we arrived fairly early was already busy.
I had intended on trying to sit down out the way due to my broken shoulder but it took less than a song by The WitchDoktors to have changed it to my sitting down between bands as all three bands are near impossible to sit down and watch. As with every other WitchDoktors set we've seen they played with an infectious joy for the punkabilly pub rock that is there specialty opening with a song about being like a Movie Star that swiftly went into them singing about being Tied Up In Chains and giving some excellent advice that there is No Pain No Gain.
They had the room with them and plenty of people yelling "You'r Sick!" back at them only motivated them to ramping up the energy and sounding a bit more psycho as they started to sing about Big Black Jack which, halfway through, broke down and morphed into Guns Of Brixton.
Well after about 3 minutes of skanking they had to rev things up again on Hypocritical. Then as they were winding their set up things got a bit messy. I think it was on I Love You that Athletico Spizz Oil 2014 hijacked the Bass for a good little rumble and then as they closed (singing about 25 Years) they had plenty of Hi-jinks on stage and off. They departed leaving us all wanting more and The Phobics with the problem of how to follow them.
The Phobics chose to slow things down a little bit; lowering the energy levels. Even as they opened with Punk Rock Show, it was obvious they would be up against it to stand out on this bill, for no matter how skilled Tom Crossley and the rest of The Phobics are they lacked a bit of intensity. They dedicated Midnight Milkshake to Roky Erickson and as good as it sounded it wasn't quite off-kilter enough to really evoke Roky in all his madness.
Won't Let Go and In My Street both did their best to be Heartbreakers-style, no nonsense street punk anthems and almost got there had they not have had their edge taken off them by Jeff The Guitarist being a touch slacker than was required. His backing vocals were a touch off too. Split Personality went down well as did Boy Band: one of their songs that always sticks in my head and was probably the highspot of there set.
Die Slowly was, well, a touch slow but held together by Moyni's bass playing as Jeff seemed to need someone to anchor him to the tune he was meant to be playing. No Faith followed and was more together than Die Slowly but to be honest they were just about holding onto the audience's attention by this point. Thankfully One Girl and Down and Out in Deptford saw them getting back to the guttural punk they are best known for and at least holding us all.
They finished with When Your Dead and Lipstick: the latter finding Tom pulling Jeff's microphone cord out of his microphone to save us having to hear any more of his backing vocals, even if it didn't stop Jeff from thinking we could hear him sing them.
After a brief interlude with an odd all male dance troupe called The Action Men (who did a sort of Pans People on Mandrax routine to The Silver Apples) it was time for the arrival of tonight's main attraction the Flamboyant Thugs we love to know as The Bermondsey Joyriders.
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They were all revved up and ready for a wheel spin getaway. Opening with Just Like Me Brother, Gary Lammin grabbed the 100 Club by the scruff of the neck and didn't let go. In his super glam silver sequinned shirt tartan Slade trousers and spangly guitar we were his. As Martin Stacy's wicked square Bass rumbled into the Shaking Leaves most of us were shaking with them.
Here Come The People was flat out, torn through at a 100MPH with Chris Musto's drums building in intensity to help build the atmosphere as they added more high Octane fuel into the tank In time for them to pay tribute to a legend who tore up the 100 club back in the 1960's: Brian Jones, The Real True Leader Of The Rolling Stones; one side of their last 7".
From Flamboyant Brian it was straight to the three Flamboyant Thugs duking it out onstage to give us there glammed up manifesto and title track of the band's new album. Damn it sounded great.
Did we all feel like members of The Sonic Underground in this legendary basement? Of course we did as they careened through Sonic Underground, the opening song on Flamboyant Thugs. The bonhomie was infectious and a certain satisfaction guaranteed that the band is playing to a room of believers who understood the message of the White Panthers, so it was high time we had a testimonial from the band's regular guest star. Brother John Sinclair who was helped up on stage to deliver one of his rabble rousing raps that seemed like a compilation of some of his parts on Noise And Revolution, but could easily have been a piece off of his new album Mowhawk that came out in March.
They then raced back to the first album for All The Darkness which sent us out if our minds in time for an eruption of terrace chanting madness for Who Are Ya? That always gets the reply of "You Wot?" from everyone present: a proper riot of a song. They closed this ram raid of a set with the other side of the recent 7" Johnny Thunders Was A Human Being: a great paean to Chris Musto's old boss and habitue of the 100 club back in the late 70's. It had the full Heartbreakers fury to it and guaranteed they left the stage as the venerated thugs they surely are.
They came back for a quick spin of an encore with Genuine as if to prove they really are the genuine article. They are a must see live experience that will shaking the foundations of Mount Fuji in the very near future.
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