DOG RACE + Y + JEANIE AND THE WHITE BOYS + BANDE A PART – HELLO 2026, OLD BLUE LAST, SHOREDITCH, LONDON 20.1.26
Promoters DIY have a knack of putting bills together featuring artists with a particular ‘wow!’ factor for their annual “Hello!” series of gigs each January. A prime example is when Heartworms appeared fourth on the bill at Hello 2022!
Tonight’s openers Bande á Part are similarly jaw-dropping. They have the feel of early PJ Harvey, especially on opener ‘How To Feel’. Frontwoman Sabina Hellstrom meanwhile has the style of a young Patti Smith. ‘Swan Song’ is slower than the opener, and has an elastic bass line that increases the song’s tension. There are some unexpected tempo changes which lead to the song speeding up and then slowing down. Sabina and guitarist Pedro Soler share the lead guitar duties. Sabina discards her guitar for ‘Teething’. She is much more of a frontwoman for this one. She sings kneeling down, then she’s at the front of the stage with her foot on a monitor. There are some rock poses that just never get old!
‘Eye’ is slow and ponderous, yet powerful. Sabina tunes her guitar mid-song whilst still playing which is most impressive. From where I’m standing Billy Rubin’s keyboards are inaudible throughout, whilst Sebastian Bloom’s drums are on occasion utterly cataclysmic! Sabine ditches her guitar again for ‘Reeling’. The song has a heavy Bo Diddley riff and is a pummelling set closer. Bande á Part are definitely a band to watch out for, and Sabine Hellstrom is a star already. The band play Daltons in Brighton on 11th February supporting Stella Rose. A date for your diaries!!! Grab your tickets HERE.
Bande á Part:
Stella Hellstrom – vocals and guitar
Milo Stapleton – bass
Billy Rubin – keyboard & percussion
Pedro Soler – guitar
Sebastian Bloom – drums
Bande á Part setlist:
‘How To Feel’
‘Swan Song’
‘Teething’
‘Eye’
‘Eileen’
‘Reeling’
I was going to finish my Bande á Part review with “follow that!” However, I’m pretty certain that Jeanie And The White Boys could follow anyone, no matter how good the preceding artist was! I saw Jeanie And The White Boys playing at Brighton’s Hope & Ruin as part of the Mutations Festival in November, and was comprehensively blown away by them, despite their lack of a bass player. I should point out, I play bass and am often mildly affronted when a band opts not to have a bassist!
Much of tonight’s set is familiar from when I saw them at The Hope & Ruin. ‘Queen Bee’ and ‘Big Udder Blues’ are already beginning to feel like oldies. I realise during ‘Psycho Killer’ (no, not that one) that I am no longer noticing that there is no bass player. At the Hope & Ruin the sound appeared to be noticeably thin. That is no longer the case. Apparently ‘Psycho Killer’ is about Jeanie’s ex. They sound like someone that I wouldn’t want to meet! The band will support Hotwax at Camden Underworld next month. Apparently they are going to “make Camden great again”. Now that’s something that I wouldn’t want to miss! They are also playing at Chalk in Brighton with HotWax on 13th February – Purchase your tickets HERE.
Jeanie And The White Boys:
Jeanie Crystal on vocals, plus two guitarists and a drummer. Their identities seem to be a secret…..
Jeanie And The White Boys setlist:
‘Queen Bee’
‘Big Udder Blues’
‘Psycho Killer’
‘Don’t Look Now’
‘Why Do You Want To Be Me Bitch?’
‘Boo Hoo Girls’
‘I’m A Man’
‘Wire’
www.instagram.com/jeanieandthewhiteboys
When I first saw Y at Brighton’s Patterns as part of The Great Escape Festival in May last year I must confess that I wasn’t overly impressed. However, I saw them at the Rockaway Beach Festival in Bognor Regis at the beginning of this month and they played an excellent set. That quality has not dropped any tonight. The band variously describe their music as “wonk rock” and “gameboy thrash”. I would be a bit more formal and describe it as art rock. There are elements of mid 1970s David Bowie and Roxy Music (without the suave overtones) together with Black Country, New Road. Guitarist Adam Brennan and drummer Fells are also members of Fat White Family, but there is surprisingly little influence from that band. Meanwhile bassist Dan FM is also a member of Meatraffle.
One of the key elements of the sound of Y is saxophonist Harry McHale, whose instrument is very much pushed to the fore. Much of their music is chunky and energetic, yet with an undeniable groove. There’s always something musically interesting going on. The Old Blue Last is particularly rammed tonight, but especially so for this band. If you thought this venue was too small to have a mosh pit – think again!!! Y are one of the more interesting newer bands that I’ve seen recently. If you get the chance to see them – do it!!!
Y:
Sophie Coppin – vocals & synth
Adam Brennan – guitar
Dan GB – bass
Harry McHale – saxophone
Fells – drums
I have seen headliners Dog Race once before: two-and-a-half years ago at Oslo Hackney as part of the Visions Festival. I have no memory of them whatsoever which isn’t a good sign. It’s also spectacularly surprising as in singer Katie Healy they have one extraordinarily individual sounding vocalist. Her voice swoops like Lene Lovich (ask yer grandparents) and could be described as a controlled shriek, although it is far more tuneful than that description might suggest.
Opener ‘Walk Sprint’ features spiky post-punk guitar and strong synth without being overpoweringly electro. There’s a definite hint of early OMD. The synth is more dominant on ‘Return The Day (Colours)’, contributing to what is overall a very early 1980s sound. ‘40 Winks To Wyoming’ begins with Katie accompanying herself on synth, somehow managing to sound incredibly bleak. When the rest of the band come in however, they’re impressively powerful.
I have to say that Dog Race are a little too derivative for me. They seem a little too in thrall to their influences. That’s not to say that they’re not good at what they do. Indeed, in 1981 they’d probably fill arenas. However, it’s not 1981, and after the preceding bands tonight Dog Race feel a little like an anticlimax. It has been an interesting bill tonight, but if there was one band that I would expect to progress much further of the four that we’ve seen, it would be Bande á Part.
Dog Race:
Katie Healy – vocals & synth
Jed Healy – drums
James Kelly – guitar
Will McNab – bass
Dillon Willis – keyboards
Dog Race setlist:
‘Walk Sprint’
‘Terror’
‘Return The Day (Colours)’
‘40 Winks To Wyoming’
‘Lambing Season’
‘Where The Barrel Meets The Badger’
‘The Leader’
‘It’s The Squeeze’
