By DJ Astrocreep

Poster for Bokassa 2019 tourMy latest gigging adventure sees me journey back across to Manchester, where I catch an early chat with Jorn, the vocalist and guitarist of Norwegian stoner punks Bokassa ahead of some pretty long journeys in the few days ahead. One support act awaits in the form of Puppy, promising an evening of contrasting rock sensibilities. 

Our openers are Puppy, who I caught just over two years ago for the first time, and it’s pleasantly busy and a very receptive crowd. Both sides are up for it right from the start, with heads banging from the first song, with a mosh pit even opening up a couple of times, despite the heavily melodic approach that Puppy take. The sound is very much early ‘90s alt-rock style, with a slight touch of almost prog-like off beats, which work exceptionally well in tandem and a clear indication of why they have already played the likes of Download, despite being relatively early in this career still.

The veer between heavier rock at times and the softer, highly melodic side is very reminiscent of the earlier Smashing Pumpkins releases, maybe with a nod towards Weezer at times, whilst Jock is quite self-deprecating on the rare occasion they actually stop between songs and need to retune, as often they merge the songs into each other to create an almost constant noise. Their newer tracks seem to attract almost as much appreciation as their bolder, better known tracks, which is a testament to both their song writing and set curating abilities. An excellent opener and very much a headline act in their own right.

Our headliners now take to the stage and Bokassa do not want to take any prisoners from the very off. Whilst the crowd seem initially reticent during the first song, they quickly break down the barriers, with bodies moving and heads nodding pretty quickly into the second. Jorn continues the self-deprecation that Jock started earlier, making plenty of people laugh with a sense of humour that translates well in the retuning gaps and it’s noticeable that despite the heavier edge that Bokassa have, it is as well received as the generally quite different openers, which is pleasant to see, as similar differences have proven a step too much for some bands in the past.

The likes of ‘Impending Doom’ go down as well as ‘Hellbilly Handfishin’ and newer tracks like ‘Mouthbreathers Inc’, showing that once warmed back up after an extended between band break the crowd are really up for anything! We actually get to just before the end of the main body of the set before I even realise it, with a similar reaction from those around me in the venue as the set flies by, such is the prowess of the three-piece, with the differences in their writing and own sound providing a good variety to their set. While it errs generally more on the hardcore punk side overall – a side which actually comes across as almost crossover at times – the more stoner-oriented tracks they have go down equally as well, even if the pace is not quite so frenetic on these as their counterparts. It’s a tight and very well played set, taking the baton from Puppy well and carrying it on into the night. No fake endings, no encores, just good old-fashioned hardcore punk ‘n’ roll the way it should be.

  • The tour continues at Audio in Glasgow tonight (Sunday 8 December), the Watrerfront Studio in Norwich on Tuesday (10 December) and The Fleece in Bristol on Wednesday (11 December).
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