999 + SINFUL MAGGIE + PENNY BLOOD – THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON 20.10.24 (two shows)
Instantly recognisable as the UK’s emergency telephone number, 999 is equally familiar in punk rock circles as the name of one of the longest lasting first wave bands. Formed at the end of 1976 by brothers Nick Cash and Guy Days, they initially established themselves on the London live circuit. The success of self-financed single ‘I’m Alive’ led to a deal with United Artists Records, and two albums released in 1978 cemented their reputation. Singles from that era, such as ‘Homicide’, which reached the UK Top 40, and ‘Emergency’ are widely regarded as classics of the genre.
The band’s strength lay in powerful melodies and sharp lyrics, which they tended to favour over the all-out speed and noise often associated with punk. A move to Polydor Records and a more mainstream approach brought some success in America, but the band’s popularity began to decline during the 1980s, and they split up twice. Back together since 1993, they continue to tour and play live, and have released a total of ten studio albums, the most recent being ‘Bish! Bash! Bosh!’ from 2020. The current lineup features Arturo Bassick of The Lurkers on bass, and Stuart Meadows, who also plays with anarcho-punks Conflict, on drums.
Today’s sold out matinee show at The Prince Albert near Brighton railway station is courtesy of promoter Andy Cavendish of An Alternative Gathering, and there was sufficient demand to add a second performance this evening. I’ve seen 999 many times since I first caught them in early 1980, and like everyone else heading up the stairs to the first floor live room, I’m very much looking forward to the show. We’re treated to excellent sets from support acts Sinful Maggie and Penny Blood, which are described below, and now it’s time for the headline act.
The relatively intimate space is absolutely packed, and there’s a huge cheer as the members of 999 make their way through the crowd and take their places on stage. Nick Cash is front and centre, wielding a Telecaster guitar and wearing a bright red shirt badged with the band’s familiar logo in the style of a raffle ticket. The logo is prominently featured on guitars and clothing, and also on a large banner hanging behind the drum kit. Guy is house right, clad in black and playing a Gordon Smith guitar in a similar shape to a Les Paul Junior. Across the stage is the tall figure of Arturo, his green and red Jazz bass appropriately stickered, and drummer Stuart, behind a Gretsch kit, exudes punk style with a fine head of spiky hair, tastefully dyed half white and half black.
“Get a load of this!” yells Nick, and we’re underway with the howling guitars and clattering drums of ‘The Biggest Prize In Sport’. From where I’m standing, the lead vocals are a little lower in the mix than I would personally prefer, but it all looks and sounds great, and there’s plenty of energy onstage, with Nick pulling some cool shapes during the brief instrumental break. The number concludes with a thumping barrage of pushed stabs. A chant of “Nine nine nine” opens ‘Hit Me’ from the debut album, with its familiar clanging chords, busy bass runs and nifty stops, one of which is embellished with a delightful flurry of hammer-ons from Guy.
Nick tells us it’s good to be in Brighton again, revealing that he used to live in Seaford when he was fifteen, “about a hundred years ago”. A slight exaggeration there, but he goes on to say that it’s the 47th year of 999, which is genuinely impressive. There’s some vibey guitar work, from Nick this time, on the garagey ‘Inside Out’, before his Telecaster is discarded for ‘Feelin’ Alright With The Crew’ from the classic ‘Separates’ album. The vocalist reminisces about early gigs in Brighton and explains that “our crew” is the band’s term for their following. Arturo gets busy on the bassline that I personally regard as iconic, and Nick is particularly animated, holding the mic out for the audience to sing along. Guy contributes some tasty lead bends and scratchy clipped treble, and gets a big cheer when acknowledged by Nick, who concludes the number by firing off a leg kick and swinging the microphone around by its cable. There’s a lot of love for the band in the room, and a big cheer for three original members of the Southall Crew that Nick introduces.
‘Shoot’, from the most recent album, features a great call-and-response chant in the chorus, and the microphone takes another tour of the front rows for a shout-along to the chugged ‘Boys In The Gang’. ‘Titanic (My Over) Reaction’ is another number from the debut album indelibly seared into my brain as part of the soundtrack of my youth: “Thinking aloud may hurt, I’m on the alert”. It sure is warm in the room now. “Let’s sweat together”, invites Nick, introducing the rollocking stomp of ‘L’il Red Riding Hood’, and the brisk pace of the naggingly catchy ‘Really Like You’ cranks the heat up a little further.
The intriguingly titled ‘My Dad Trashed My Submarine’, from the last album, is introduced as being about PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), and there are insistent stabs and a big “la la” chant on the steadier-paced ‘Last Breath’. Arturo gets drawn into the stage banter introducing ‘Lie Lie Lie’, with Nick mischievously suggesting he might pontificate on the state of the current economic climate. Something tells me this might not be the bassist’s area of expertise. The number itself has a great chorus, the hook chanted over a nicely descending chord progression, and there’s an absolutely blistering solo from Guy. ‘Let’s Face It’ is another absolute classic from ‘Separates’, and there’s plenty of singing along, not least from me.
We’re firmly back to the early days as we approach the show’s conclusion. The rapid-fire vocal of ‘No Pity’ leads to the cherished classic ‘Emergency’, and there’s a vigorous mosh underway, its energy all the more impressive for being on a Sunday afternoon. The mic stand is again thrust into the crowd for more singing along. Early single ‘Nasty Nasty’ continues in a similar vein, with more lively dancing and a big chant-along to the “What the hell is wrong with you?” hook. There’s not much doubt which number will close the set, and unsurprisingly it’s the majestic sweep of ‘Homicide’, the band’s most successful single. Needless to say, it inspires much enthusiastic singing from the ecstatic audience. If you’re not familiar, the piece is relatively sparse and steady paced, its power drawn from the glowering menace of the progression, as wailing sustained lead notes hang over moodily pumping bass. It sounded great in 1978 when it was strikingly novel and fresh, and it still sounds great today, as a cherished classic of the punk canon.
The audience response brooks no argument about whether an encore is required. The route to the dressing room is through the crowd, so the band members wisely stay on stage, with Nick making a token descent of the two steps down to the dance floor. He returns to a huge cheer and we’re treated to ‘My Street Stinks’, the B-side (remember them?) of ‘Emergency’, and ‘I’m Alive’, that debut single that landed them their first record deal. Forty seven years is a long time in the fickle and faddy world of music, especially in a genre that was initially so focused on youth and energy, but 999 can still turn in a brilliant show, and I very much hope they continue to do so.
999:
Nick Cash – vocals, guitar
Guy Days – guitar, vocals
Arturo Bassick – bass, vocals
Stuart Meadows – drums
999 setlist:
‘The Biggest Prize In Sport’ (from 1980 ‘The Biggest Prize In Sport’ album)
‘Hit Me’ (from 1978 ‘999’ album)
‘Inside Out’ (from 1980 ‘The Biggest Prize In Sport’ album)
‘Feelin’ Alright With The Crew’ (from 1978 ‘Separates’ album)
‘Shoot’ (from 2020 ‘Bish! Bash! Bosh!’ album)
‘Boys In The Gang’ (from 1980 ‘The Biggest Prize In Sport’ album)
‘Titanic (My Over) Reaction’ (from 1978 ‘999’ album)
‘L’il Red Riding Hood’ (from 1981 ‘Concrete’ album)
‘Really Like You’ (from 1998 ‘Takeover’ album)
‘My Dad Trashed My Submarine’ (from 2020 ‘Bish! Bash! Bosh!’ album)
‘Last Breath’ (from 2007 ‘Death In Soho’ album)
‘Lie Lie Lie’ (from 1980 ‘The Biggest Prize In Sport’ album)
‘Let’s Face It’ (from 1978 ‘Separates’ album)
‘No Pity’ (from 1978 ‘999’ album)
‘Emergency’ (from 1978 ‘999’ album)
‘Nasty Nasty’ (a 1977 single)
‘Homicide’ (from 1978 ‘Separates’ album)
(encore)
‘My Street Stinks’ (a 1978 B-side of ‘Emergency’ single)
‘I’m Alive’ (from 1978 ‘999’ album)
Support today comes from Sinful Maggie, a Dorset-based 4-piece who have self-released two albums, and gig tirelessly around the country to promote them. I’ve seen them plenty of times before and it’s high energy stuff with great tunes. The band’s most distinctive feature is the inclusion of an accordion, though they are at pains to stress that they are “punk rock with accordion” rather than Celtic folk punk. Vocals are shared amongst the front row players, with bassist Russ house left, Briony on accordion in the centre, and guitarist Charlie house right. Drummer Si completes the lineup.
“We’re Sinful Maggie and we’re not that good!” is the introduction they immediately contradict by launching the brilliant ‘Blame The Parents’. It sets off at a blistering pace that only lets up for a brief chugged breakdown underpinning a powerful “Hey! Hey!” chant. The melody is an absolute cracker, with a slight hint of, dare I say, folk punk. There’s barely a pause before we’re straight into ‘Better Off Dead’, an insistent four chord motif pierced by nifty stops and thudding kick drum. There’s more chanting, a rather pleasing ascending section, and a tasty bass run from Russ.
“Is anyone drinking? Anyone getting f*cking hammered?” Charlie enquires, introducing ‘Sh*tfaced’. “Have you seen how old we are?” some wag in the audience retorts, to a general chuckle. The song is a high velocity chug embellished with nice swoops of accordion, and there’s a big chant-along chorus prominently featuring the title. Briony gets busy on ‘We Are Wolves’, fingers flying across the keys, and there’s a very effective pushed section. Si’s floor tom gets a proper pounding in the urgently punky ‘Calamityville’, which features a notably strident dual vocal.
We get a brief respite from the set’s white knuckle ride during the more sedate opening to ‘Psycho’, with Briony singing over gentle arpeggios and rim shots. It doesn’t last though, the pace soon reverting to warp speed in a storm of manic guitar. Bass opens ‘American Catastrophe’, and I rather like its breakdown of scratchy guitar and swirling carnivalesque accordion which we exit via a massive snare roll. ‘Zyklon B’ somehow manages to be relentlessly fast and atmospherically vibey all at once, and there’s clever interplay between the two lead instruments. ‘Nature Of Man’, from the band’s 2018 debut album, tops off a hugely impressive set delivered with fierce passion and admirable energy.
Sinful Maggie:
Charlie Draper – vocals, guitar
Russ Draper – vocals, bass
Briony Ireland – vocals, accordion
Si Dew – drums
Sinful Maggie setlist:
‘Blame The Parents’ (from 2022 ‘Psychos And Sycophants’ album)
‘Better Off Dead’ (from 2022 ‘Psychos And Sycophants’ album)
‘Shitfaced’ (from 2018 ‘Sinful Maggie’ album)
‘We Are Wolves’ (from 2022 ‘Psychos And Sycophants’ album)
‘Calamityville’ (from 2022 ‘Psychos And Sycophants’ album)
‘Psycho’ (from 2022 ‘Psychos And Sycophants’ album)
‘American Catastrophe’ (from 2022 ‘Psychos And Sycophants’ album)
‘Zyklon B’ (from 2018 ‘Sinful Maggie’ album)
‘Nature Of Man’ (from 2018 ‘Sinful Maggie’ album)
Opening the show today we have Penny Blood, a local three-piece who have stepped in at fairly short notice. I’ve seen them before and enjoyed their material. They play classic old-school punk with emphasis on the tunes, which is just how I like it. Vocals are shared between guitarist Jim Phelan and drummer Dave O’Brien, with Jim taking most of the lead parts, and Dom Smith is on bass.
Opener ‘Feeding Time’ motors by at a brisk pace with a backing vocal on the chorus that works well. Clanging chords introduce ‘Everything’, another lively number with some neat stops and staccato stabs, and ‘Don’t Give Me Shelter’ ups the pace still further, with scurrying bass runs and busy double beats on the snare. Dave was previously in Peter And The Test Tube Babies. I like his drumming style and he’s entertaining to watch.
‘Dear John’ romps through an enormously satisfying descending progression, with a lovely bit of vocal interplay and a cracking chorus hook. It’s definitely a standout number for me. ‘Shadowplay’ is lively and atmospheric at the same time, with a bit of a post-punk feel, its riffing riding over scudding kick drum and bounding bass octaves. There’s more punchy bass and a great lead break on ‘Slanderous’, and the hooks just keep on coming with the urgent ‘Do It Again’. ‘Alice’ is a Sisters Of Mercy cover, although it’s executed in the Penny Blood style, and I doubt I would have noticed if Jim hadn’t told us. “I told him to use a f*cking drum machine,” quips Dave, which raises a laugh. Final number ‘Revolution’ ups the pace to properly manic, and is a fine end to an enjoyable set.
Penny Blood:
Jim Phelan – vocals, guitar
Dom Smith – bass
Dave O’Brien – drums, vocals
Penny Blood setlist:
‘Feeding Time’
‘Everything’
‘Don’t Give Me Shelter’
‘Dear John’
‘Shadowplay’
‘Slanderous’
‘Do It Again’
‘Alice’ (Sisters Of Mercy cover)
‘Revolution’
