By Jase Walker
I’m rarely one to ever pass up the chance at a random gig when it’s offered and tonight is one of those shows! For a Tuesday evening, it’s time for some queer feminist punk rock in the form of The Oozes and supported by Taurine who if I recall correctly were the ones that inadvertently covered me in whipped cream at The Peer Hat a short while ago! So in this instance, I’m staying a safe distance away in case of any further dairy related incidents (not because my legs are killing me, honest guv). It’ll be interesting to see how Taurine steps up with the bigger stage and sound system in Deaf Institute!
After a particularly fun sing along to Talking Heads’s ‘Psycho Killer’, Taurine get themselves ready on stage to get this show started! Opening with a song that’s very reminiscent of System Of A Down’s ‘Spiders’, with its sombre and hypnotic arpeggios at the start before breaking into a much more raw and aggressive punk sound with riding drums and noisy riffage. Other influences bleed in that seem to take their leads from the likes of The Distillers and The Gossip with their strong lead vocals dead centre while the guitars dance between hammering out riffs and bending multiple strings to absurd levels.
The intersectionality of feminism and punk works to great effect with the music being a rallying cry for anti-government sentiment and fighting back against bigotry in all forms and Taurine does anything but tiptoe around these subjects. The sound system in this venue helps deliver what was already a pretty damn good performance, it sounds thick, heavy and energetic which is just what you want from a punk show eh? Great seeing them smashing it again and I do appreciate not being covered in questionable white substances this time.
The Oozes opting to use a hardstyle song as an intro that mixed in some of the Coronation Street intro isn’t quite what I expected but hey, this is queer culture, expect the unexpected. Their incredibly flamboyant stage aesthetic doesn’t go unnoticed either, it’s bloody fantastic to say the least. Ensuring as many possible facets of queer culture are here in some form, it’s time for a bit of fun while raging against societal pressures and norms. Even with some callbacks to the style of Sex Pistols at times with an unmistakably British punk take about not being someone’s cup of tea. Also making light of raging against capitalism while also trying to sell a bit of merch but need to play the game to some extent if you want to smash it ultimately as well eh?
One moment you’re bouncing around while shouting about tearing oppressive systems down and the next about how much you don’t want to do house chores. Again on the list of unexpected things, I didn’t think I’d hear a cover of Abba’s ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’ either, but here we are and The Oozes are absolutely bloody smashing it as well; they’ve done fantastic job of converting it to a punk song while keeping a lot of the songs original melodies! I can’t shake off how much their lead singer’s look reminds me so much of David Bowie’s earlier years, the mix of flowing garments, vivid colours and a level of androgyny mixed with the fierce stage presence is magnetic and keeps the focus on them throughout the show.
Relentlessly they press through their set with short, punchy songs and barely a moment to catch breath between them. Not only that but their ability to stop for some brief theatrics and then start without even slight hesitation in almost perfect synchronicity is something I’m in awe of. It’s also the first time I’ve seen a dildo thrown into the audience at a gig, and it’s not like I’ve not been to a lot of shows so it’s probably more puzzling that I’ve not seen this happen sooner.
The Oozes have been exceptionally fun to watch tonight: quirky, sometimes silly but massively energetic and a ton of fun.
The tour continues:
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