THE DICKIES + SLACKRR + THE HIDDN – THE ARCH, BRIGHTON 23.7.23
It’s almost been a whole decade since The Dickies last thrilled us here in Brighton. Their last visit was on 22nd August 2014, when they played The Haunt (now Chalk). Their last visit to Sussex, however, was at the popular Lewes Con Club on 4th August 2018 (Review HERE).
This time we’re treated to the gothic ambience of The Arch in Brighton. Once the Zap Club, The Arch remains a jewel of a venue, sufficiently shadowy for punk rock but boasting a sublime balcony for the more laid-back spectators.
In 1977, The Dickies sprang into existence following a potent experience by Stan Lee and Billy Club at a gig by The Damned. Trailblazers in their own right, The Dickies were the first punk outfit from sunny California to infiltrate network television in the U.S. and the first to score a major record deal with A&M Records.
Their debut album in 1978, ‘The Incredible Shrinking Dickies’, shook the scene with a smashing cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ and their turbo-charged version of Barry McGuire’s ‘Eve Of Destruction.’ The year following, they uncaged ‘Dawn Of The Dickies,’ showcasing their high-octane interpretation of The Moody Blues classic ‘Nights In White Satin’, squashed masterfully into less than 180 seconds.
Notorious for their theatrical live shows, The Dickies carry an air of the Ramones about them, who they opened for on several occasions.
Being a school night, the evening starts early with local band The Hiddn (stylized as THE HIDDN) setting the mood with a hard rock and grunge-infused set. A few sound glitches and a restart later, they were back on course. Although they didn’t resonate with me, they were warmly received by the early crowd.
Slackrr, on the other hand, shoot straight out of the gates and rip through a joyous hook-laden 90s-inspired pop-punk set, bringing to mind Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World and Sum 41. I’d seen this trio earlier in the year at the ‘Takedown Festival’ at Portsmouth Guildhall and thought they were fun then, and tonight’s no different. There’s Plenty of energy from the get-go as they hammer through a handful of 3-minute bangers, including opener ‘Reflections’ and ‘The Current’ ; this one will actually be on the soundtrack of V.R. Skater on the PlayStation in a few days and reminds me of kicking back with Tony Hawks back in the 90s and the cracking punk soundtracks they had on those games.
Right on cue at 9pm, The Dickies storm the stage with the not-so-secret cover (thanks to the internet) of ‘Anarchy In The U.K.’. According to frontman Leonard Graves Phillips this was the song that got him the part in the band when singing this in the audition. Their set brims with classics, enriched by Stan Lee’s incredible guitar work. Tracks like ‘Give It Back’, the groovy ‘Fan Mail’ and ‘Doggie Do’ (complete with a dog puppet courtesy of Philips) were some of my favourites of the night.
The audience size was decent for a very wet Wednesday night, but the absence of a few familiar local punks was noticeable. Nonetheless, The Dickies delivered a show for the books. With their lead singer on the cusp of 67, it’s uncertain if we’ll see them in the U.K. again. Standouts like ‘You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)’ and a finale with ‘Paranoid’ at 100 mph and ‘Gigantor’ rounded off the main set. But they weren’t finished yet. Returning for an encore, they wrapped up with ‘Rosemary’, ‘Eve Of Destruction’ and a sing-a-long with everyone’s favourite the ‘Tra La La Song’, the theme tune to ‘The Banana Splits’.
Seeing The Dickies again was a thrill. I hope to experience this in the future, so let’s hope there’s still another tour in them yet. The Arch was an excellent venue, delivering stellar sound and stage lighting to complement the punk rock show.
The Dickies setlist:
‘Anarchy In The U.K.’ (Sex Pistols cover)
‘I’m OK, You’re OK’
‘Give It Back’
‘Nights In White Satin’ (The Moody Blues cover)
‘Fan Mail’
‘Pretty Please Me’ (The Quick cover)
‘(I’m Stuck In A Pagoda With) Tricia Toyota’
‘I Really Hate Punk Rock’
‘Got It At The Store’
‘A Gary Glitter Getaway’
‘Golden Boys’ (Darby Crash cover)
‘The Dreaded Pigasaurus’
‘Waterslide’
‘Manny, Moe And Jack’
‘Doggie Do’
‘Curb Job’
‘You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)’
‘Paranoid’ (Black Sabbath cover)
‘Gigantor’
(encore)
‘Rosemary’
‘Eve Of Destruction’ (P.F. Sloan cover)
‘The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana)’ (The Banana Splits cover) (Released as ‘Banana Splits (The Tra La La Song’))
