Live
Dead! + others
Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, Brighton
August 18 2017
Words/Pictures: Steve Willcox
A windy night in Brighton brings a large gig at Sticky Mike's, just off the seafront, with four supports and the main headliner, Dead! The venue is pretty empty, bar a few fans of the first act Heavy Sugar. A recently launched four-piece local outfit, they are a mix of ex-members of Bad For Lazarus and members of Hanz Rollo and Dirty White Fever. Their sound is reminiscent of Bad Seeds, coupled with the stage antics of Fuck Art Let's Dance. The songs are fierce, yet affecting with ‘Haggletooth’ being a standout.
Pussyliquor - also from Brighton - whose name may have conjured up a number of connotations amongst some, are a strong feminist glam-punk band, who look the part but are also a fun band that you can rock out to. They provide plenty of great tunes, thrashing guitars and Ari Black a force at the vocal front. It seems word is on the street for these girls. 'Get Out', 'Heard', 'Hate You (Wanna Castrate You)' were my favourites of the set, and not just mine it seemed, as they draw both a baying crowd and an encore.
Little Indie first introduced Londoners SAP two years ago, and they should by rights be a lot better known. They look the part of an indie rock band in the form of The Libertines and The Blinders, a three-piece with an enigmatic frontman in Angus McGuinness, who turns up on stage in the brightest red coat this side of the county. They soon got going and bashed out songs like 'Sucker' and 'Paint It Red All Over' which are worth hunting out online for a listen.
The fourth act were not in keeping with this large gig but were equally amazing. Hot Dreams from Twickenham introduced themselves last year with the twanging guitar sound of 'Plungepool'. The cool, effective voice of Kai Fennell is the kind you can easily melt into. There are touches of Eliza and the Bear and Yes We Are Mystic here. 'Grow’, and ‘Wall' - the latter jointly sung with drummer Cam Fyall - were highlights of thr set. A tight band and one I will be looking look out for in the future.
Finally up were the night's main draw, Dead! Bringing in a swarm of fans that packed the venue, their pop-punk-grunge-laced sound has seen them whip up a storm around the country on this current tour, and the punks-with-attitude soon get down to business with high energy spirits; Alex Mountford lashing out lyrics at a frenetic pace, like Connar ‘FREAK' Ridd on speed. It's not long before front row moshing fans have demolished the poorly constructed metal barriers like a flimsy toy frame. 'Jessica', 'You're So Cheap', 'Enough', the longest version of Blur's 20-year-old 'Song 2' I've ever heard, and 'Up For Ran$om' - their latest balls-in-yer-face single which sums up the explosive raw force they have built their name on - all come out, full on, in a set that never lets up. Mountford at one points tells the sweaty crowd that over tye course of their three-week tour, Brighton has been "the mental-ist!" And that it certainly was.
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