This show was in aid of https://www.myeloma.org.uk/ and the memory of Darrell from the Feckin' Latchicos. With a packed bill they started early, By the time I got in The Phobics had according to the setlist already covered the Soup Dragons Hang Ten and a few other songs, they were already at the Punk Rock Show and going a 100mph as I got my beer, then Moyni led them rumbling into Gimme Cyanide it was good and bouncy with Jeff and Tom dancing about a good bit during the solos. Tom got all secretive on I Can Tell despite the blistering guitar solo from Tyrone on the red guitar.
Tom took a good look round the 100 Club to see if he could see the Nearly Man wandering about, he might have noticed a few wandering about the audience, the pit had at least a few kids bouncing about to it. Path Of Love is the one we need to insist everyone is on, rather than the path of war, this had a louche dynamism before they took us out and down to the mean streets of Deptford for In My Streets that is a great vignette they rampaged through, before revving up the wheels and high tailing it off the stage after Burnt Rubber had made sure to get all the early arrivals going.
After the break it was the first time this year I've seen Healthy Junkies, who opened with No Control with Nina making it clear that no one is telling her what to do ever, while Phil's guitar was gritty and glammy in equal measure. One thing you never expect of a super hard-working band like Healthy Junkies is for anyone to feel Self Conscious, but of course we all have some of the insecurities Nina tackles in the song, while pulling some great broken doll poses. One of the bands oldest songs Sound Of My Guitar had a good section of the 100 Club singing along while Phil really let rip.
Nina may love Joan Jett but has her own Bad Reputation to sing about, while the bass drove it along and Nina really howled the words at us. This Is not a Suicide has always been a live favourite, this had plenty of bite, while making clear it might be a cry for help, but they are sticking around, unlike dear old Danny Trash, he had to relocate to the Philippines which allowed them to write about him in the most gloriously trashy rock way they can. Oh La La had plenty of sass and glam to the crunchy guitar before Nina made clear she still feels like A Lion In A Circus playing live, before they thanked us all for supporting the fight against Myeloma tonight before they finished with Theft that saw Nina steal Phil's guitar and wring al the feedback she could get out of it, while he stole her microphone and sang, a great suitably messy ending.
Next up were Latchicos who were playing the bands first gig with this line-up, they had formerly been The Feckin' Latchicos before cancer intervened. The bands leader Ian OPG was finding it rather emotional just being on stage, trying to nail the opening to I Wanna Be Your Dog it was scruffy and rough around the edges, but had loads of energy, that speeded up a touch for Blitzkrieg Bop with I think it was Muzz doing all sorts on guitar. Ian was a little fragile about introducing 20th Century Boy it had a good, jammed edge to it, we all sang long. Boredom was something no one suffered from during Latchicos set, it was too much bouncy fun. They did a great version of Another Girl Another Planet even if Ian's singing is nothing like Peter Perrett's his bass certainly sounded good, What Do I Get was the biggest pit of the night, pretty much along with almost everyone singing along.
I guess the next song was I Don't Wanna Believe You? it was the only song they played I didn't know all the words too, it still had they essential punk trick of sounding loose and sort of tight at the same time. Shot By Both Sides was a bit faster than the Magazine original but has more than enough tension, with all the danger of 2026 making it sound very now. They closed with a couple of Clash classics by ripping though Janie Jones and just about getting all the words right, before a sing along romp through White Riot that left everyone smiling at the end of a great fun set of covers.
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Which brought us to the nights headline act the Sex Pistols Expose who were raising money for a cancer charity, exactly a year to the week that the current real Sex Pistols did the same for Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall, sadly this was not as joyous as that performance, from the opening Lazy Sod the Expose are in love with the Sid years, the mockney Sid was doing his best to be moronic while clearly being more than capable as a bassist, once they have sworn at us they blasted through Liar with Johnny Rotting doing all the right poses. EMI was one of the best things they played with all the bile being spat in the right ways. Sid was necking his Capt Morgan and Irn-Bru, before they did Submission with a great Steve Jonesish guitar solo and proper gurning.
Pretty Vacant was a proper sing along and was spiky enough, New York as it always does, sounds like a pale imitation compared to the Heartbreakers reply London Boy. Problems they had a few, including, the between song banter, of swearing at the audience getting tiresome when you know it's all an act, although the song sounded damn good. No Feelings was taut and angry enough. Out Of My Head had of course loads of swigging from bottles before they attempted it with a certain swagger, before the low point of any set it appears in, Belsen it wasn't funny in the 70's and it still ain't funny.
God Save The Queen almost seems more on point now than in 77, when I had my God save the Queen badge on my school blazer, it should have closed the set, the Pistols never played much longer sets than this.
Instead Johnny Rotting left the stage to go and sniff glue in the dressing room, while Mockney Sid took over for Substitute well at least he could sing better than the real Sid, C'mon Everybody was saved by Steve Jonesish and Cookie Dough really nailing it. Silly Thing was ok before the travesty that was My Way, they played both verses fast, which misses all the fun of switching from slow to fast and the mass mosh pit chaos it creates.
Johnny Rotting returned for Holidays In The Sun that was ok but this set had gone on too long by this point, so no matter how energetic Bodies was, it still felt a bit baggy before they closed with Anarchy In The UK and the end of the set almost felt like a relief sadly.
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