It's a pretty good sign when you have to queue to get in to a punk show full of young, up and coming talent. The crowds were out in force for the first of DIY's 'Hello 2018' shows at East London's famous Old Blue Last. Unfortunately the queue's downstairs meant that we missed spoken-word, grunge-punk heroes Hotel Lux. Maybe next time eh lads?
First up were Crewel Intentions who's online presence is barely even a thing. Fronted by Chilli Jesson of Palma Violets fame and with no music to be found anywhere, we didn't particularly know what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised. The band were brilliantly tight with the bass and drums locking in perfectly. The addition of the keyboards added a 70s rock influence to each track whilst Jesson's energy and wild eccentricity had the audience in the palm of his hands; it was hard to count how many times he jumped into the crowd. For a band shrouded in secrecy and relying purely on word of mouth, Crewel Intentions made a massive statement of intent.
Leeds trio Drahla didn't let a little sound malfunction at the start dampen their set. Their raw and noisy sound showed elements of darkness throughout. Luciel Brown's vocals were relaxed and contrasted well with the hectic instrumentation from the rest of the band. After the release of their brilliant new EP titled 'Third Article' in November of 2017, Drahla backed their buzz with a brilliant live performance.
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| YOWL causing chaos |
Finally, YOWL took to the stage. The Peckham based five-piece instantly made a good impression. Their erratic stage presence coupled with melodic instrumentation and a charming sloppiness was fantastic. YOWL blasted through a set full of crowd favourites such as 'My Headache Likes to Speak' where front man Gub showed brilliant vocal range transitioning from falsetto to gruff shouting with ease. The highlight came when the lads played the incredible 'Saturday Drag'; one of the songs of 2017. The tune captured the hearts of the crowd as every single person sang along word for word. Gub's two broken arms didn't hinder him as he proceeded to perform the tune with great passion whilst perched on a crowd members shoulders. Crowd surfing and mayhem followed as The Old Blue Last lost their minds to a brilliantly well oiled set from one of the best bands on the scene at the moment.
It was incredible to see such a turnout on a miserable Tuesday night in January. There's something special bubbling away at the moment with the London punk scene and it's only a matter of time before everyone else starts to notice.
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Thank you for Great Article!!
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