HAGAR THE WOMB + MERE DEAD MEN (M.D.M) + DAFFODILDOS – THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON 12.11.23
The wind was cold and the rain was wet on this November Sunday afternoon, but that didn’t stop a big group of people turning up, eager to inject some Punk Rock into their lives. Sunday roasts and Brighton & Hove Albion games were sacrificed in order to witness the delights that Andy Cavendish and his ‘An Alternative Gathering’ promotions were putting on for them today. I must say, it was a cracking lineup and I even booked a day off work in order to fully let my hair down (or bristles, in cruel reality). I had already endured an epic fail in The Prince Albert toilets as I went into a cubicle and realised there was no loo paper left at the point of no return. I rang Andy Cavendish in the front bar, who went beyond the call of duty and ordered me a fresh roll from the bar post haste (now that’s what I call a promoter). Surely things could only get better….
We had already enjoyed great sets from Mere Dead Men and the Daffodildos (more of that later) but it was now time to watch the headliners, Hagar The Womb who are no strangers to this venue and perform here almost annually. Hagar The Womb are originally from London and famously formed in 1980 from within the Wapping Anarchy Centre toilets (I bet they’re sick of hearing that). Well, that’s enough about toilets….They are a band born out of the Anarcho punk scene who have enjoyed releases on Conflict’s ‘Mortarhate’ label as well as more recently the excellent ‘Grow Your Own Records’. They even had the honour of recording a Peel Session way back in 1984. Various band members went on to form indie bands like ‘Melt’ and ‘We Are Going To Eat You’ but since reforming Hagar The Womb over a decade ago, they have played all over the UK and parts of Europe and even played a gig in the States. Most notably in recent times, they played a gig in Belgium with Pussy Riot too.
There is no party like a Hagar party and this afternoon was no exception to that rule. They kicked off with one of their newer numbers (‘Showing Off’) and followed that with the classic ‘Idolisation’ (which is their ‘When Doves Cry’). The room was packed at this point and the crowd were more than up for it by the time they played the opening chords to another newbie, ‘Visible Woman’ which was dedicated to all the menopausal women out there (cue big cheer from the audience).
One of my favourites was up next by the name of ‘What’s Your Flag’ and then they hit the Ska button and launched into the catchy ‘Hated By The Daily Mail’. It was good to see Chris (aka Chris Liberator) back on the drum throne today and Paul Harding was playing some great lead guitar licks. Ruth and Karen were as raucous as ever too. My last gig was Beverley Knight at The Dome (Review HERE) and I can safely say that Beverley has nothing on these women (Bananarama take note!).
They also played a brand new song tonight which had a bit of a false start, but that all adds to the fun in my mind. Mitch on the bass guitar was looking resplendent in his marvellous technicolour dreamcoat, complete with multi coloured pipe cleaners in his hair. He wandered through the crowd whilst playing the bass and ordered himself a trademark mid-song pint which got a titter from the audience.
It was nearing the end of Hagar The Womb’s set, but not before they treated us to the classic ‘Dressed To Kill’ and ‘Song Of Deep Hate’ which encouraged the crowd to get their dancing shoes on. Their last song was another new one in the form of an hilarious singalong called ‘Mekons Rider’ which was accompanied by placards held aloft by Ruth and Karen (three beers and a lemon). This was a great end to a fun set by Hagar The Womb and I wouldn’t expect anything less. As the final chords were ringing in our ears, the smiling masses wandered out of the room and down the stairs, to suddenly realise that it was still the afternoon and not the evening as the sunlight stung our eyes.
Hagar The Womb:
Ruth – vocals
Karen – vocals
Lorna – guitar
Mitch – bass
Paul – guitar
Chris – drums
Hagar The Womb setlist:
‘Showing Off’
‘Idolisation’
‘Visible Woman’
‘What’s Your Flag’
‘Perfect Life’
‘Hated By The Daily Mail’
‘Life Of Lies’
‘Song For Those We Lost’
‘Song Of Deep Hate’
‘Dressed To Kill’
‘Mekons Rider’
hagarthewomb.bandcamp.com
www.instagram.com/hagar_the_womb
Before all that though, We watched the excellent ‘Mere Dead Men’ (aka M.D.M) who originally formed in Liverpool way back in 1986. It had been over a decade since me and my wife had seen them and we were thoroughly looking forward to it. We put them on at our own gigs in the mid 90’s (Wisbech in Cambridgeshire) so you could say we were no strangers to them and it was great to catch up. Over the years, they have released various albums and EP’s and have played all over the UK and parts of Europe. They also used to be a common staple at Rebellion/Wasted/H.I.T.S festivals and have recently reformed.
Once the band had assumed their positions on the stage, it was all systems go with the Punk Rock ‘n’ Roll number ‘Stacks, Stilettos, Make-Up & Mohicans’. They followed that with ‘Own Worst Enemy’ which warmed the crowd up to good effect. It was great to hear Mandy singing again as she has a truly great melodic punk rock vocal. Rob was rocking out on the guitar and tripping up over his boots and Dom did a sterling job on bass duties. Marc did a grand job of battering the drums too, I might add. ‘Centre Of Attention’ was a catchy little number and ‘The RaRa Song’ got the crowd singing along. Mandy had good interaction with the crowd and especially with a young lad who was having a whale of a time at the front of the stage. The last three songs were blistering up tempo ones that I know and love M.D.M for. ‘Get Up And Fight’ is a great song ‘Take What You Can’ was a head nodder too. They ended their set with the classic ‘Laced Up Mary’ and left the stage to a big cheer from the crowd who were still wondering what time it was. An excellent set from ‘Mere Dead Men’ and I hope to see them treading the boards again sometime soon (let’s not leave it a decade this time).
Mere Dead Men:
Mandy – vocals
Rob – guitar
Dom – bass
Marc –drums
M.D.M setlist:
‘Stacks, Stilettos, Make-Up & Mohicans’
‘Own Worst Enemy’
‘Designer’
‘Centre Of Attention’
‘Mr Angry’
‘Whatcha’
‘The Ra Ra Song’
‘You Make Me’
‘1984’
‘Little Cars’
‘Get Up & Fight’
‘Take What You Can’
‘Laced Up Mary’
Mere Dead Men are on Spotify.
First up this afternoon was local band the ‘Daffodildos’ fronted by Emily Flea who was previously in a band called ‘The Fleas’ funnily enough. ‘The Fleas’ had a record out on ‘Grow Your Own Records’ and I had seen them play a few times, but I was looking forward to seeing this relatively new band today. They began their set with the statement “We are The Daffodildos….and you’re not!” and I couldn’t argue with that. Their first ditty was called ‘No Room’ and they then played ‘Heartbreaker’ which was very catchy to these ears. They play melodic old school punk rock with up to date lyrics and are definitely fun to watch. ‘Park Bench Creep’ came shortly afterwards and I already know that this is my favourite song by them after my first listen. They followed this banger with ‘Mirror Mirror’ and ‘Gender Agenda’ which really hit a note with the crowd who let out a big cheer. ‘What’s Your Excuse’ was a great Animal Rights song (you unfortunately don’t hear many songs like this nowadays). Before we knew it, their set was nearly over so they ended it with ‘Not A Girl’ and ‘No Pride’ which is a song about Pride Festival and how they think it’s lost its true meaning over the years. An enjoyable set from this bunch of Daffodildos and I look forward to seeing them again in the future.
