Yes, that is their name, and no, they aren't a joke band!
Ah, live music, the universal panacea. Not to bore you with the little details of my life, but suffice to say that, this evening, I arrive at the New Cross Inn in a filthy temper and leave feeling completely reborn – and without the help of alcohol, to boot. Great people, great music, and a great venue – together they are transformative.
Fatberg’s bassist struggles with a few technical gremlins, and it’s just as well that they’re quickly resolved, because he and the drummer are arguably the ones keeping the band musically anchored, so to speak. The guitarists, meanwhile, constantly teeter on the verge of sonic warfare with their instruments. There’s a whole lotta Sonic Youth in there, and they also bring to mind the frenzied aural assault of early Idlewild. Even the slower ‘TV Crisis’ sounds delightfully sinister; don’t try to pet the sleepy tiger, kids, because it could still pounce at any minute. A superb start.
A couple of years have passed since we last saw Middleman, and we certainly won’t let that happen again, because in that time, they’ve released the excellent ‘John Dillinger Died For You’ EP – and it contains the best songs they’ve written to date, with the likes of ‘Virginia Bell’ and ‘Falls Apart’ sounding especially formidable this evening. They’ve never looked so comfortable and confident onstage, either, and on this kind of form, we’ll be keeping our fingers firmly crossed that greater things lie ahead for them. In the meantime, if bands like Dinosaur Jr, Superchunk and – yep! – Thurston Moore’s old crew float your boat, you owe it to yourself to check out that aforementioned EP.
With their keyboard and sax players, Alien Nosejob certainly stand out from my usual New Cross Inn diet of feral hardcore punk. That said, these guys can rage with the best of them; as en early romp through the minute-long ‘Bond Clean’ shows. Essentially the project of ridiculously prolific Australian singer/guitarist Jake Robertson, they keep us guessing throughout their set, with supremely groovy garage rock, AC/DC-esque riffing, more hardcore and even a great closing cover of the X-Ray Spex classic ‘Identity’ all given their opportunity to shine – and shine they do.
Shame there aren’t more folks here to witness it all, but the enthusiasm of band and crowd alike can’t be faulted, and if Alien Nosejob never rise above cult-following status, then we couldn’t be happier to be in on the secret. Cheers to promoters Real Life Presents for having us along!
All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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