SNAYX + SHELF LIVES + MONAKIS – PATTERNS, BRIGHTON 19.10.23
I’ve seen Snayx (stylized as SNAYX) a few times now. They’ve always been good, but since the addition of drummer Lainey they definitely seem to have gone up a gear. Perhaps bassist Ollie, who has always been very much a lead bassist, needed a live drummer to match his powerful sound.
This is their first headlining UK tour, and quite frankly it’s not before time. They have yet to release an album, but they have a few EPs under their belt, and have just released a new single entitled ‘Better Days’. They have a wildly enthusiastic fanbase, and there are quite a few here tonight who know the words to every song. It makes me feel as if I haven’t done my homework…..
Unsurprisingly they soon have a mosh pit in excelsis. A Snayx gig is effectively a communion between band and audience. I’m pretty sure that if there was no mosh pit vocalist Charlie in particular would consider the gig to be a failure. They have a new EP coming out in February, and they play every song from it tonight. They dedicate one song to Rishi Sunak. It isn’t complimentary…..
Throughout the set, Ollie performs some awesome bass solos. Indeed, his playing in general has been superb. I suspect that he may have been listening to Royal Blood, and I equally suspect that he wouldn’t like the comparison. They perform an off the cuff song entitled ‘Badge Song’ which they dedicate to Larry The Badgemaker. Let it not be said that they lack a sense of humour.
At one point mid-set they play ‘We Like To Party! (The Vengabus)’ by The Vengaboys over the PA. It’s their only misstep of the gig. Thankfully they soon get back to the proper music. Vocalist Charlie starts asking people what they do as a job. He asks if there are any bankers in the house. Apparently there aren’t. What a surprise!!! This precedes old(ish) favourite ‘Work’.
Towards the end of the set Charlie invites both of the support bands (more of whom later) onstage. They perform ‘Fayx’ with the band, and stay onstage for the encore ‘Breathe’, which is a cover by The Prodigy. I think that this tour is the beginning of a new era for Snayx. More power to their collective elbows. If you were unfortunate enough to miss the tour, they play the ‘Rockaway Beach’ festival at Butlins in Bognor Regis in early January. Further details of that can be located HERE.
SNAYX:
Charlie Herridge – vocals
Ollie Horner – guitar
Lainey Nix-Watson – drums
SNAYX setlist:
‘Boys In Blue’
‘Concrete’
‘Cigarette’
‘I’m Deranged’
‘Body Language’
‘H.A.N.G’
‘King’
‘False Friends’
‘Badge Song’
‘Better Days’
‘Drill’
‘Work’
‘Sink Or Swim’
‘Fayx’
(encore)
‘Breathe’ (Prodigy cover)
There are two support acts tonight at Patterns: Monakis and Shelf Lives. Monakis are from Brighton and sound like an unholy marriage between the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) and grunge. They’ve driven down from Glasgow via Nottingham today, which demonstrates a very high level of dedication to the cause indeed. Singer James Porter has an unmistakable vocal similarity to Kurt Cobain. He sounds like he must literally shred his vocal cords every night.
The band are incredibly tight. They have a single called ‘Long Tall Sally’ (no, not that one) being released in February. It’s quite driving and I can see the classic rock stations loving it. They cover ‘Zero’ by The Smashing Pumpkins and it’s a really good version. It should be noted though that their own material compares favourably with such a classic. However, good though the band and their material are, I can’t help feeling that I’ve heard it all before. I am very old though. I think that my twenty year old self would absolutely love them!
Monakis:
James Porter – bass, vocals
Aaron Butler – guitar, vocals
Joe McTaggart – drums
Deri – guitar
Monakis setlist:
‘DripTease’
‘War’
‘Screw Loose’
‘Long Tall Sally’
‘Zero’ (The Smashing Pumpkins cover)
‘Ride’
‘White Rabbit’
‘Say What You Want’
I must confess that I have somewhat mixed feelings about Shelf Lives. They are a two piece comprising Sabrina on vocals and Jonny on guitar and backing vocals. Beats, bass, synth and sound effects are on the backing track. Sabrina’s vocals are sung-spoken. Jonny plays punkily enthusiastic distorted rhythm guitar with the odd bit of lead playing thrown in. Their lyrics are fairly witty, but at their worst they remind me of a Fisher Price Ting-Tings. However, at their best they are reminiscent of a wave of punk rock energy breaking on the shores of Ibiza.
Sabrina takes the p*ss out of a guy at the front who is “checking his emails”. They manage to run out of time and have to abandon two songs that they were going to play. Their performance is a bit of a curate’s egg to be honest. If they ditch the glaringly ordinary Ting-Ting’s similarities and concentrate on their dance/punk energy I really think they could get somewhere. Otherwise, I remain unconvinced that their shelf life will be particularly long.
Shelf Lives:
Sabrina Di Giulio – vocals
Jonny Hillyard – guitar, bass, keyboards
Shelf Lives setlist:
‘Intro’
‘I Don’t Like Me You’
‘Shock Horror’
‘Shelf Life’
‘Off The Rails’
‘Skirts & Salads’
‘All The Problems’
‘Mark Twain’
‘I Don’t Think I’ll Go Out Today’
‘All Grown Up’
‘Kids’
‘Bite’
www.instagram.com/shelflivesbaby
(More photos from this concert can be found HERE).
Vengaboys is just a little fun twist. Not to be taken to seriously. The regular fans have come to expect thus and it wouldn’t be a snayx gig without it