The indigenous-fronted quintet triumph at a packed show in London!
If you think music and politics shouldn’t mix, then (a) you’re an idiot, and (b) be thankful that you very probably weren’t at the Underworld tonight. Both of this evening’s bands advocate for highly worthwhile causes such as indigenous people’s rights, women’s rights and opposition to foreign meddling in other countries’ affairs, and it’s heartening to see an independent book stall getting almost as much attention as the bands’ merchandise stalls.
It’s also heartening to see the Underworld already close to packed by the time openers Yakkie kick off their set with the venomous slice of Fugazi-meets-Suicidal–Tendencies that is ‘Kill The Cop Inside Your Head’ – the title track of their excellent debut album. Frontwoman Janey Starling has a truly magnetic presence, and whether the band are dispensing sinewy bass grooves on ‘He Sleeps Alone’ or razor-sharp riffing on ‘Right Of Reply’ (which shines a much-needed light on this country’s depressing femicide rates), nothing falls flat tonight.
Quite simply, Yakkie are the real deal – great songs, tight as hell, and with plenty important to say, and the level of crowd participation during the closing ‘Under The Pavement Is The Beach’ speaks volumes. They’re playing again in London at the Dalston Victoria on the 21st March – go see them, and prepare to meet your new favourite band.
Speaking of magnetic presence, as Dead Pioneers take the stage to an almost sold-out crowd, it all starts to feel less like just another gig and more like a special occasion. Following a vitriolic ‘Post American’, frontman Gregg Deal, who is of Native American descent, introduces the band in his native tongue before thanking us all for coming out to support them. Two things are immediately apparent – first, that the crowd are 100% behind them, forsaking mindless mosh action in favour of actually taking in the band’s message. Second, that the unique Dead Pioneers mix of barbed-wire guitars, hardcore rage and spoken-word style delivery sounds even more potent in the live setting.
Compelling? That ain’t the half of it. Even when the band strip things down to little more than a monologue from Gregg, the rage channelled into the likes of ‘The Caucasity’ results in an experience no less intense than the handful of classic US hardcore covers (including Circle Jerks and Black Flag) that they rip through in the latter half of the set. A major highlight is when Ren Aldridge (the vocalist of Petrol Girls) is invited onstage for the second time this evening to join the band on their excoriating new single ‘Nazi Teeth’, and by the time they close with the brace of ‘Bad Indian’ and their eponymous song, we’re all buoyed with both a sense of righteous anger and of the power of community. A community, incidentally, that feels a hell of a lot larger than the confines of the Underworld tonight.
Oh, and how could we forget the crowd granting Gregg’s request to record a video of them singing happy birthday to one of his kids? Yes, among the rage, there is love, and it serves as a reminder that, ultimately, the personal and political are deeply entwined. Dead Pioneers are clearly as grateful to us as we are to them, and with shows as incendiary as these, the venues can surely only get bigger and the band’s important message spread wider. Quite right, too.
All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
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