PHAT PROBLEM + THE DAMN SHEBANG + FAMILY OF STRANGERS + THE MEANTIME COLLECTIVE + THEE DERELIQUE – THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON 14.9.24
Rats With Wings Records is a vinyl record label championing the Brighton DIY punk scene. Dreamt up by guitarist Del Ford in early 2020, the name is a jokey reference to our local seagull population. The first release, appropriately titled ‘Dive Bombing For Chips’, came out in July 2022. Described as “a compilation of punk and punk ska from the mean streets of Brighton”, it featured ten local bands including Pussyliquor and Dakka Skanks. Two years on, it’s time for Volume 2, this time with sixteen local acts, and the launch show is upstairs at The Prince Albert, near the railway station. There’s no real hierarchy in this sort of scene, so we’ll take you through the performers in the order that they play.
First on tonight, shortly after 7:30pm, are Thee Derelique, a five-piece playing something akin to American 1960s garage rock, with a retro sound similar to many bands found on Lenny Kaye’s classic ‘Nuggets’ compilation. There’s no shortage of punky energy to drive it along, with drummer Will dispatching brisk fills around the kit with considerable gusto. House left, guitarist Jim is wailing on a semi-acoustic, whilst across the stage, keyboard player Andy is making good use of the vintage organ sounds afforded by his Nord Electro. Bassist Ian plays seated, wrangling a satisfyingly punchy low-end from his instrument. Lead vocalist Spex is a stylish and engaging presence, with bright red hair topped off with a veiled fascinator hat, and a voice with powerful sustain.
The bass-driven ‘Conspiracy’ moves very nicely indeed, with a soaring chorus vocal and swirls of organ entwined around a section of tasty guitar crunches. I’m reminded a little of early Stranglers, an impression bolstered by a ‘Hanging Around’ style stabbed ending. ‘Feeling Inside’ is Thee Derelique’s track on the latest compilation, and it’s another absolute cracker. A strident “Don’t make any noise” hook is answered by chanted backing vocals over a wall of thundering toms, punctuated by nifty stops. The guitar motif and vocal line of ‘Happy Now’ do a sort of call-and-response with a catchy bass riff, and a two-chord jangle takes us into the jolting rhythm of ‘Doorbell’, whose instrumental section of swelling organ and howling guitar is a proper garage-psych freak out. ‘See The Light’ opens with a “ba ba” vocal that Julian Cope would be proud of, mimicking the horn section of some imaginary soul revue. It’s another great song, propelled by a snare-on-every-beat pushed groove. The semi-spoken ‘Annabel’ builds to snarled invective with a classic new wave feel, and this excellent set concludes with the urgent garage punk of ‘Action’, featuring more superb interplay between guitar and keyboard. It’s been a hugely impressive start to the evening.
Thee Derelique:
Spex – vocals
Jim – guitar, vocals
Andy – keyboards, vocals
Ian – bass
Will – drums
Thee Derelique setlist:
‘Summertime’
‘Conspiracy’
‘Feeling Inside’
‘Happy Now’
‘Doorbell’
‘See The Light’
‘Annabel’
‘Action’
www.facebook.com/p/Thee-Derelique
Next on are The Meantime Collective, a high-velocity and impressively energetic three-piece, playing lively punk with occasional forays into dubby reggae and all-out knees-up ska. They seem to be popular, and I’ve noticed that the room has become very full. Josh is house left, on lead vocals and guitar, a shock of long curly hair beneath his baseball cap. Drummer James favours similar headgear, and bassist Bill sports kitsch-but-cool sunglasses with orange plastic frames.
The eponymously titled opener is punchy and urgent. “Don’t Cross The Meantime Collective,” warns the lyric. ‘Can’t See’ takes the urgency up a few gears to a hurtling hardcore. ‘Alterchrist’ is introduced as “about being schizophrenic” and features a wonderfully infectious and dancey groove of bass and stabbing guitar. ‘Daily Routine’ goes full reggae, with offbeat guitar skank over bubbling bass. “We’re all stuck in the same system as you. F*ck your daily routine!” admonishes the snarled vocal. ‘Thank The Skank Man’, featured on the first compilation, has lively ska-punk verses alternating with a heavier chorus, whilst ‘Spitting Blood’, track one on the current collection, is an all-out punk assault on the senses. It’s impossible to resist dancing to ‘Ska On My Brain’, built on a glorious high-speed bass run.
There’s a touching moment when bassist Bill gives a dedication to his dad Derek, who passed away very recently, handing a bottle of whiskey around so the crowd can have a drink in his memory. “He helped me buy my first bass…” Bill recalls, “and just so you all know, he f*cking hated us.”
We’re back into a reggae groove with ‘Blue Ties, Red Hands’, introduced as being about “working class Tories”, while ‘Blackout’ is urgent, brain-rattling thrash. ‘Comedown’ has a half-speed breakdown that reminds me slightly of the “Now it is 1984” section in ‘California Über Alles’by The Dead Kennedys, and this varied and enjoyable set concludes with the thumping toms of bouncy drinking song ‘McSorelys’.
The Meantime Collective:
Josh Meantime – vocals, guitar
Bill Laken – bass, vocals
James Poole – drums
The Meantime Collective setlist:
‘The Meantime Collective’
‘Can’t See’
‘Alterchrist’
‘Daily Routine’
‘Thank The Skank Man’
‘Spitting Blood’
‘Working’
‘Ska On My Brain’
‘Blue Ties, Red Hands’
‘Blackout’
‘Comedown’
‘McSorelys’
soundcloud.com/meantime-collective
Third on tonight are Family Of Strangers, a relatively new band with a wealth of punk experience, including Rats With Wings founder Del on guitar. They don’t actually feature on the current compilation, but have recently recorded four tracks at Broadoak Park Studios in Bexhill for a forthcoming EP on the label. Del’s previous outfit Soho Bombshell, who are included on both volumes, have been on hiatus since last September. Family Of Strangers play classic old-school punk with strong tunes and loads of energy, and I like them a lot. Lou Moon is on lead vocals, sometimes strident, sometimes charmingly self-effecting, but unfailingly charismatic, wearing punk fashion topped off with a shock of spiky blue hair. Del is house left, sporting a mohawk and digging into his guitar with an urgent barre chord chug. House right, Red plays an Explorer bass finger-style, and has gone vivid with a striking punky look of hi-rise hair and distinctive clown makeup. Behind the kit, Jono is quick around the toms, with fills that are simultaneously super-fast and super-fluid.
Opener ‘Dressed To Kill’ lollops along at a brisk pace, with a brief instrumental break of gloriously ascending pushed riffs. An epic snare roll ushers us back into the next verse. ‘Dead People Sell’ is a naggingly catchy garagey 12-bar with plenty of razor-sharp lyrical observation: “The younger they die, the more they sell…” The playout is a wittily recited list of famously dead people, concluding cheekily with “Keith Richards? Well, nearly…” There’s a jaunty offbeat section in ‘Politic Personal’ and I particularly like ‘Survivor’, the lyric of which seems to draw on Lou’s personal experience. Guitar and bass drop out on a madly infectious drum break, and I’m flinging myself around the dance floor in a frenzied manner better suited to someone younger and fitter. ‘Superhero’ is another brilliantly written song, its tragicomic lyric detailing the disastrous outcomes of young fans’ attempts to mimic their hero’s daring exploits. Lou jokes that ‘Disintegration Nation’ usually disintegrates, and her prophecy proves eerily accurate when a middle section goes amusingly awry. Conversely, the performance of ‘Not It Yet’ is absolutely on the money, its powerful groove accentuated with superbly executed stops and fills. Swooshes of phased guitar and tripping bass flourishes introduce final number ‘Killer’ to complete a wonderfully entertaining set.
Family Of Strangers:
Lou Moon – vocals
Del Ford – guitar and vocals
Red Friday – bass and vocals
Jono Hanson – drums
Family Of Strangers setlist:
‘Dressed To Kill’
‘Dead People Sell’
‘Politic Personal’
‘Survivor’
‘Superhero’
‘Disintegration Nation’
‘Not It Yet’
‘Killer’
The Damn Shebang are the only band playing tonight that I haven’t previously seen, and I’m immediately glad I’ve rectified that omission. They are a four-piece playing a moody but manic sort of dark, Cramps-style psychobilly. Lead vocalist Seany is dynamic and very mobile, covering plenty of the stage when not turned sideways to coax shrieking notes from a tiny keyboard. Trading licks with him is guitarist JJ, getting plenty of twang from a retro-looking Burns and emphasising his lead breaks by thrusting his headstock skywards. Bassist Lyn riffs hard, shaking a massive shock of dark hair, and drummer Dan is giving the floor tom a thorough pounding.
‘Molly’ is particularly vibey and rather exciting, with Seany channelling Lux Interior’s deep warbling vocal mannerisms whilst testing the range limits of his mic cable with forays around the room. The guitar really wails over a thunderous wall of bass and thumping toms. ‘Black Slack Ripper’ has an unrelentingly insistent groove, and ‘Let’s Get Pleathered’, the band’s contribution to the current compilation, has a big chanted backing vocal. I’m rather taken with the amusing lyrical conceit of ‘Goths On The Beach’, a comparison list of equally unlikely “things you won’t believe” with another big chant-along hook. ‘Make Me Feel Sick’ is introduced as “a love song” and the title track of a forthcoming EP, and it’s another cracker. I like the busy riff and descending tom thumps. “I’ve got to find a cubicle to die in’’ warns the lyric. The only reasonable response to ‘Black Boots’ is to dance vigorously, so I do just that. Guitar and keyboards mesh brilliantly in ‘Zodiac Advice Line’, and we’re back at full tilt for ‘Be Your Baby’ and ‘Sweet Pretty Thing’. This has been a performance of mesmeric intensity, and I’m very glad I caught it.
The Damn Shebang:
Dead Seany – vocals, keyboards
JJ Symon – guitar, vocals
Lyn Gasper – bass, vocals
Dan Brown – drums
The Damn Shebang setlist:
‘Put Me Out’
‘Molly’
‘Black Slack Ripper’
‘Let’s Get Pleathered’
‘Beat It’
‘Goths On The Beach’
‘Make Me Feel Sick’
‘Black Boots’
‘Zodiac Advice Line’
‘Be Your Baby’
‘Sweet Pretty Thing’
‘Slave’
Closing tonight’s show are Phat Problem, who are vociferous champions of equality and inclusion in a loud and lively way. A four-piece, they are visually striking in their enthusiasm for neon and bright fluorescent colours. All players have been liberally daubed in UV glow paint, and I imagine there are ultra violet lamps somewhere in their set up. However it’s achieved, it’s a great look. Frankie is on lead vocals, with hair, makeup and leg wear all glowing brightly, as are Niick’s left-handed bass and green shorts. Guitarist Blakey is house left, his made-up face lit up eerily, and behind the kit is Oscar, a drummer of amazing speed and dexterity. Oscar deserves a special mention for putting in a double shift as tonight’s sound engineer too, and making a great job of it. The sound has been excellent for all of tonight’s bands.
Phat Problem have recently released an album, cleverly titled ‘Cistem Failure’ and on the ‘F*ck The Cis-tem’ label, which should give you an idea of where they’re at lyrically. ‘Busy Bee’ is as fast and furious as is reasonably imaginable, a short sharp burst of manic intensity. Oscar seems to manage triplet fills with both hands and his double kick pedal simultaneously. There’s a hint of ska punk and a rabble rousing chanted backing vocal on ‘F*cking Pray’, and some effective riffing on the anti-police ‘Blood On Your Hands’. The vocal line on ‘King Or Begga’ is a brisk singsong lilt, and the incendiary ‘Eat The Rich’ is played with sufficient intensity to topple Oscar’s cymbal stand. The introduction to ‘Neon Glow’ confirms the band’s love of their visual theme, and there’s a brief change of pace to a comparatively leisurely skank for ‘Solar Chavs’, alternating with bursts of extreme noise. ‘We Shall Not Be Moved’ is dedicated to a trans friend for whom travel abroad is problematic, and ‘No Means No’ is another burst of fury driven by jolting stabbed guitar. It ends with a section of screamed call-and-response vocal that works particularly well. ‘Predatwat’ rails against predatory behaviour over a bouncy rhythm guitar, and there’s some heavy riffing to open ‘Broken Heart’. The final number of the set and the night is ‘Cheap Shot’, which features on the current compilation and is as lively and powerful a conclusion as you might expect from the brightly lit and brightly burning Phat Problem.
Phat Problem:
Frankie Pink – vocals
Oscar Simpson – drums
Blakey Batterbomb – guitar, vocals
Niick West – bass, vocals
Phat Problem setlist:
‘Busy Bee
‘F*cking Pray’
‘Blood On Your Hands’
‘King or Begga’
‘Eat The Rich’
‘Neon Glow’
‘Solar Chavs’
‘We Shall Not Be Moved’
‘No Means No’
‘Predatwat’
‘Sofi’
‘Broken Heart’
‘Cheap Shot’
As a celebration of Brighton’s thriving DIY punk scene, and as a trailer for the second volume of ‘Dive Bombing For Chips’, tonight’s show has been an absolute triumph. Much credit is due to Del Ford for having the initial idea, and the tenacity to see it to fruition. If you’d like to get hold of a copy of the new album, they are generally on sale at Brighton punk shows, or you can contact Rats With Wings Records via their Facebook page HERE.
