By David O’Neill
There is something gloriously unhinged about a Wednesday 13 show. It is part horror movie, part punk-rock cabaret and part sweaty bar-room exorcism—and at Newport’s Corn Exchange, the former Murderdolls man delivered precisely the kind of beautifully deranged entertainment the occasion demanded.
Opening the evening, Gypsy Pistoleros arrived in full glam-punk-goth ’n’ roll outlaw mode.
Their current ‘Dark Faerie Tales’ material provided the backbone, showcasing a band that understands the value of spectacle without sacrificing the songs.
Their sound remains an intoxicating collision of sleaze-rock swagger, theatrical gothic melodrama and punk attitude, while the band’s visual presentation ensured that even the darker corners of the Corn Exchange felt suitably dangerous.
‘Take My Hand To Nightmare Land’ and ‘I’m The Prince Of The Damned’ were particularly effective, the former lurching between sinister atmosphere and irresistible chorus, the latter allowing the group’s flamboyant persona to take centre stage.
There is no shortage of ambition here: Gypsy Pistoleros do not simply play songs, they build a crooked little universe around them. Their ‘Dark Faerie Tales’ tour is designed for precisely this sort of venue—close, loud and populated by people willing to embrace the theatricality. The complete curveball at the end of Dexys’ ‘Come on Eileen’ is well known to fans of the band, but for first timers it really hit the spot.
Then came the main event. Wednesday 13’s set drew heavily from the compact, hit-packed format evident in his latest *Dark Winter Tour* shows: ‘When The Devil Commands’, ‘Too Fast For Blood’, ‘Rotting Away’ and ‘I Want You Dead’ gave the heavily made up audience exactly what they wanted.
The theatricality and goth shock rock continued with ‘Bat Dragged In’ and the Murderdolls cover of ‘Summertime Suicide’ really encouraged the audience to stay involved.
I’m fairly sure many of the audience were there following the Steelhouse festival appearance last year when the band was being talked about all over the festival site. ‘Good Day To Be A Bad Guy’ and ‘In Misery’ rapidly followed.
‘I Walked With A Zombie’ had the audience joining in prior to the encore of ‘Bad Things’ and the inevitable ‘I Love To Say Fuck’, and the umbrella appearance. It is a setlist built for immediate impact, moving from sinister menace to sleazy mischief without ever allowing the energy to dip.
Wednesday 13 remains an expert ringmaster. ‘197666’ and ‘Summertime Suicide’ hit with the force of glam-metal anthems dragged through a crypt, while ‘I Walked With A Zombie’ brought the crowd fully into the performance. ‘Bad Things’ offered a darker, more melodic edge, before ‘I Love To Say Fuck’ provided the kind of gloriously juvenile finale that nobody had come to resist.
The Newport crowd knew exactly what it wanted, and Wednesday 13 gave it to them: horror, humour, hooks and enough attitude to rattle the cemetery gates.
A wickedly entertaining night from two bands who understand that rock’n’roll is always better when it has a little dirt under its fingernails.
- All photos © BandTogs/Über Röck 2026.