The Yorkshire quartet return to the legendary London punk venue after 41 years!
Ah, the 100 Club, it’s been quite some time! The legendary punk venue must feel a bit lonely at times, what with the demise of several nearby central London live music hotspots over the years, but it hasn’t lost its charm. Plus, with three quality bands on offer this evening, we’re more than happy to get reacquainted with its red walls and great acoustics.
Hmm, this is the third time we’re seeing (and reviewing) Quick Romance in less than a month, so what more can we say about them? Having watched them completely own the stages of Harrow’s Triinity Bar and London’s Water Rats, we’re delighted to see them look equally at ease on the 100 Club’s bigger stage.
Most of the cameras are on vocalist Matilda and guitarist Haydn, so let’s give some love to drummer Oliver and bassist Gabe – the engine room of the band, and without whom Quick Romance couldn’t dazzle as much as they do today. The Bath quartet seem to get louder and more confident with every gig, and trust us when we say that you need them in your life. Superb.
We haven’t seen Fantazmaz in a while, so we’re relieved to find out that they still go straight in for the kill and don’t let up throughout their frenzied half-hour set. It’s impossible to take your eyes off frontwoman Thami as she criss-crosses the stage, leaning in towards the crowd as if she wants to jump down and rip us all to shreds.
The likes of ‘Does God Know Misery’ and ‘Pobreze É Violencia’ are blasted out with almost hardcore-level fury, and a rip-snorting cover of Zeke’s ‘Telepath Boy’ is a welcome bonus. Tonight, the Britzilian (British/Brazilian, in case you were wondering) quartet reclaim the street-level punk rock crown for themselves, not that they ever let it slip in the first place. A triumph.
As ever, headliners Instigators are an unfussy bunch, announcing their arrival onstage with little more than a loud power chord, before tearing into the first of a whopping twenty-one songs. Compared with their set at Signature Brew Blackhorse Road earlier this year, vocalist Andy moves about more on the larger stage, and the band as a whole seem a bit more energised and fired-up (and they weren’t exactly slouches in the first place).
Andy has long since perfected the 1000-yard stare, and when paired with his sometimes Jaz Coleman-esque delivery, it’s as if he’s warning us about something really bad that’s been going to happen. Indeed, the scratchy post-punk of ‘Computerage’ was eerily prophetic for its time, and this evening the breakneck-speed ‘Dine Upon The Dead’ and the spidery riffing of ‘Tricked & Abused’ are also highly impressive.
In true Instigators style, there’s no encore – just scorching renditions of ‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ and ‘The Fix’ to ensure tha the band’s long-overdue return to the 100 Club will be remembered fondly. Thanks to Vive Le Rock for having us along for the ride, and for putting such a great bill together in the first place! Keep up with them via the link.
All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
Follow Instigators on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Live review: Chelsea / Desperate Measures / Rage DC at Facebar, Reading 28/08/26
Tonight, the indomitable Mannie of Shake Some Acton heads west to bring together local, national and international Punk bands to entertain us; Rage DC, Desperate
Shake Some Acton gig #172, London Hope & Anchor, 2nd Sept 2026
Putting on small-scale gigs mid-week can be a somewhat daunting task, but Shake Some Acton seem to have it down to a fine art. Ok,
Album review: Slaughter and the Dogs are on ‘White Heat’ in this long-awaited return!
Guitarist Mick Rossi and his cohort of punk rock veterans have a new album coming out, ‘White Heat’, the first under the Slaughter and the
EP review: BE N!CE reveal ‘It’s Getting Harder’
London four-piece BE N!CE return with ‘It’s Getting Harder’, a six-track, fan-funded and independently released second EP. BE N!CE sound like a band finding strength
Album review: Southpaw (UK) map out their ‘Longitude’
Norwich DIY Punks Southpaw are back with their seventh album, ‘Longitude’. Sharper and more direct, the new songs mark a small but significant gearshift yet
Bad Wolves honour Dolly Parton with their version of ‘Jolene’
Joining millions of fans around the world mourning the sudden passing of the Queen of Nashville, this is the perfect rock tribute from Bad Wolves
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.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
