By DJ Astrocreep
Another warm Friday evening jaunt across to Manchester sees me take in Geordie troublemakers PIGSx7 once again, this time with support from Tyne and Wear punks Irked. Apart from broken toilets on the train delaying the journey, it’s a fairly smooth trip across. I get to the venue, take to my seat and await our evening’s support act.
Irked are a fun garage punk band, with a similar approach to the likes of Be Your Own Pet, albeit with a slightly more north eastern twang than you’d associate with their counterparts. With one of the guitarists making some quite tongue in cheek comments between songs, keeping us entertained while the vocalist gives her throat a brief rest between songs, they come across quite fun. With tracks like latest single ‘Hardest Man in Billingham’, apparently about the bassist mistaking Viagra for a pill, their music is brash, loud and just genuinely good fun.
No fucking around, just raw, in your face punk which goes down well with the busy room. Despite being so raw, there’s still a definite tightness to their set that belies their sound and does them great credit. A very worthy opening act.
I’ve caught PIGS x7 live on multiple occasions now. From what felt around 50 people in the Star and Garter, through selling out the same venue. From selling out the Ritz through to New Century Hall these evening. It feels almost like a coming of age for the band now, having trodden on many stages in the interim. It’s kind of hard to say they have matured, especially with singer Mathew Baty still parading about like a manic Freddie Mercury in shorts and tank top, prowling the stage whenever free of the confines of his keys duties, but they definitely have from a performance point of view.
The band are tight as all hell, with every bit, right down to the sound and lights, being spot on. Baty is on form as ever in the few brief periods he takes to the mic whilst people retune their various instruments, his usual self deprecating wit keeping people entertained as we await the next audio assault. With the music veering between Black Sabbath worship and something a little more akin to Hawkwind, there are a few shifts between which makes me personally very happy and seems to appeal to the masses gathered around me, too.
We get a mere 12 songs from their ever increasing catalogue, though they take up a whopping 90 mins doing so. The time absolutely rushes past, almost breathlessly, with the exception of judging the competition, which gives the lucky winner a free hat – I won’t spoil what the competition is, though!
Almost before we realize it, we’re at the end of the set, with perennial favourite ‘A66’ blasting out across the hall. It’s been a great night of music, an absolute wall of noise from start to finish. So much noise and brash sounds that is probably would the more pop orientated person thinks is anything heavy metal sounds like, but so much pleasure for the slightly more discerning listener.
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