Live
GURU
The Prince Albert, Brighton
February 8 2020
Words/Pictures: Steve Willcox
To paraphrase the old saying, if GURU won't come to the reviewer, the reviewer must come to GURU. And so it was that I, and a hundred or so others (including Slaves drummer Isaac Holman, checking out the scheduled support for their own, postponed, Brighton show last December), packed into the confined space of the upstairs room of The Prince Albert to catch local hot punks GURU's sold out hometown show.
“Let’s fuckin 'ave you, Brighton!” rasps lead singer Tommy Cherrill in his, erm, not quite so dulcet tones as the party kicks off with their 2018 debut single ‘Consumer Helpline’. It is apparent that it is not going to take much to get this crowd going, and with guitar driving riffs and deep bass grooves filling the room, they surge forward to be closer to the Adidas tracksuited singer, clearly out to give us a good time.
‘Daddy's Date’ has bassist Ferg Belfrage holding his instrument like a machine-gun facedinto the crowd, with Tommy’s staccato bark belting out the sharp lyrics - “It’s not resonating / it’s not levitating / it’s at the bottom of the bottle that the daddy’s dating" - which reverberate around the room, as he runs across the floor asking Ferg (“his dance partner”) to join him in amongst the raucous fray.
GURU are loud, proud and in your face, and last year’s release, the barbed four-minute ‘Suntrap’, sounds even more visceral and tight live, with some great beats of new-boy drummer Oliver Tcherno-Ivanenko who displays some real skills in timing, while ‘Hoarse’ sees Tommy really getting down to business, stripping down to his boxers and putting the pecs out on show. It's a hot one all right.
‘Roses’ and ‘Better Days’ both allow guitarist Kieran Hunter to put in overtime with some intricate guitar riffs, as Tommy sits down on the stage edge and gives a quick shout out to three of their most loyal fans who’ve been following them since the beginning when they sounded like “a mix between Steps and Black Sabbath”.
During ‘In For a Penny’ and ‘T5’ - where a few band t-shirts get thrown into the heaving mosh pit and soon sorts the men from the boys as they all pile in together - and latest single 'Don't Talk', proto-punk vibes ensue with Fergusson during the latter playing bass balanced on top of the crowd members' heads, bumping into the mirror balls on the ceiling. Closer ‘LTD’ climaxes the set with most of the band riding on their fans' shoulders, signing off the night like the last days of Rome. What an end to the party. Same again next week, guys?
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