Rocking the foundations of the legendary Hope & Anchor, Islington to the core!
We always love a Shake Some Acton gig, and their first of 2026 is set to be a special one. The best way to celebrate Mannie and Roger of Morgellons’ birthdays, the band are making one of their very rare live appearances, alongside a truly superb lineup of The Phobics, Desperate Measures NZ, and incendiary headliners Deaf Devils!
To add to the party mood, this show is sold out, and the upstairs bar is packed with people long before the first note is played. Most of them make their way downstairs by 7.15pm so The Phobics open to a gratifyingly large and rightfully enthusiastic crowd!
It’s clear that new guitarist Tyrone Thomas has settled in well – the Deptford punks are sounding tighter than ever. Paying tribute to the recently departed Petesy Burns from Belfast punk legends The Outcasts, vocalist Tom Crossley dedicates the opener ‘My Best Friend Has Died’ to him. Wild-haired bassist Tony Moynihan is on fire tonight, and along with bandmates Jeff Wallace on rhythm guitar and Charlie Gurney on drums the band ensure we forget it’s a cold January evening with their hot rocking set.
Thank you, Tom, for your shoutout to the Punktuation Magazine team – we appreciate it! Tom dedicates ‘Punk Rock Show’ to SSA and all the bands playing tonight, wishes the birthday boys a happy one, then launches into ‘Gimme Cyanide’, title track of their excellent (now not so recent) album. We couldn’t ask for a better start to the evening!
The mood remains jubilant as London’s Morgellons take to the stage. Looking sharp in his black suit and shirt with white tie, singer Vincent Mahon opens with the appropriately titled ‘Monochrome Soul’. Behind him, birthday boy and gig organiser Mannie Zerafa grins as he keeps a fine beat on the drums, while birthday boy Roger Millington stage left reminds us what an excellent bass player he truly is.
Stage right, guitarist Joshua Pinto’s fingers fly across the frets, and we dance along to his dynamic sounds. ‘Last Train To Clicheville’ has feet moving on and off stage, then a dramatic swipe from Mannie sends one of his cymbals flying! Seeing a cymbal stand held together with copious quantities of gaffer tape is very rock’n’roll… Their set concludes with a great cover of Adam Ant’s ‘Red Scab’ before the band exit to loud cheers and applause.
Tonight is Desperate Measures guitarist Mauro Venegas’ last gig with the band, and it’s clear that they (and we!) are going to miss him. Of course, being the stalwart musician he is, Mauro puts in his customary 110%, ripping out solos and riffs that sing to our souls! Frontman Eugene Butcher is always ready to rock out, expressing his lyrics with his whole being, not just his voice. Never afraid to tell it like it is, Eugene makes mention of the lamppost flag-hanging morons before playing ‘Thinking of England’, and the very scary turn the world has taken due to the machinations of the billionaire ‘elite’, as conveyed in ‘The Rich-Tual’.
Drummer James Sherry is his usual enthusiastic whirl of limbs – and he’s made sure to secure the cymbal before playing, so there’s no more UFO action from the kit! Phil ‘Roadkill’ Able on bass adds his voice in addition to his terrific playing to keep the set trucking, the brilliant Kit Swing joins the band to lend her vocals to ‘Enjoy The Ride’, then all too soon the set ends with the band’s rip-roaring cover of ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’, accompanied by the whole audience! Here’s the title track of their superb 2024 album ‘Sublime Destruction‘:
Flying over from their hometown of València, Spain, Deaf Devils are playing two gigs for SSA – this one and another in Brighton the next day. Still on a high from the very successful release of their self-titled debut album, the band are ready to take the roof off the place! There’s chatter amongst the crowd about who’s seen them before, and how many times – and we delightedly tell those who haven’t what an experience they’re in for..! Eric Von attacks the drum kit like a wild animal, a satanic gleam in his eyes, while Kuba lays down bass riffs like a runaway train contorting on its tracks. Guitarist Pipe Dead and lead singer Lucyfer have both changed their look – gone are their vivid orange locks, now both sport blonde hairdos – but their delivery is as fiery as ever!
We stand in awe at this masterclass in breakneck rock’n’roll as the band rip through ‘Point and Shoot’, ‘Tonite’ and ‘Dancing with the Devil’, scarcely pausing for breath. There’s little space on the H&A stage, and these Devils expand to fill it, overspilling into the crowd whenever the mood takes them.. Lucyfer tips the stage front sound wedge off its beer crate supports onto its side to use as a platform, before writhing on her back from the stage onto the floor. Pipe grabs a bloke’s beer glass from his hand, takes a large swig, then returns it without missing a note or a beat! His antics tonight include stretching the chewing gum from his mouth in a long string to stick upon the low ceiling above the stage – returning for it a few songs later to chomp upon once more..
The microphone cable gets stretched too, Lucyfer heading as deep into the audience as she can! Pipe and Kuba’s guitars are untethered, giving them freedom to roam and leap. A mid-set costume change for Lucyfer sees Pipe take lead vocals for ‘Nightstalker’, before the She-Devil returns for her namesake song ‘Lucyfer’. We’re treated to an unreleased song ‘Teenage Dream’, the phenomenal ‘Deaf’, and my favourite ‘Boom’, before the Devils decamp to the middle of the room for their finale.
Pipe burns the set list, Lucyfer scales the kick drum, Kuba carves out space to strut his bass, and Eric smashes out the beats as they play a stellar cover of The Who’s ‘My Generation’, cheered on by those of us who have jumped up on the now empty stage for a better view of the chaos! Deaf Devils are strong contenders for the best live band in Europe right now – isn’t it time for you to go and dance with the Devils when they play a town near you?
Main Photo Credit / All Photos: RUTH RAE
All live HD Videos: RUTH RAE
Follow Deaf Devils on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Album review: The Glorias return with full ‘Brute Force and Impudence’!
You can’t keep a good old Pompey (aka Portsmouth, UK) band down.. garage punk rockers The Glorias have just released their fourth album ‘Brute Force
Teenage Bottlerocket and DeeCRACKS energise Arena, Vienna on 20th Jan 2026!
The sold-out former slaughterhouse, Arena in Vienna, is buzzing with anticipation long before the bands are ready to take to the stage – which confirms
Album review: The Molotovs debut – ‘Wasted On Youth’ – is anything but!
The Molotovs’ eagerly anticipated debut album ‘Wasted On Youth’ is a bold mix of new wave punk, indie, and garage rock, showcasing the band’s raw
Resolution Festival: Steve Ignorant Band / Sleaford Mods 11th Jan at London’s 100 Club
It’s the annual Resolution Festival at the iconic 100 Club on London’s Oxford Street. A special Sunday matinee show billed as ‘A Day for Raye’
Resolution Festival: Menace / The Outcasts 4th & Conflict / Rubella Ballet / Bones of the City 7th Jan at London’s 100 Club
Your Punktuation Editor resolved to see several top bands at the annual Resolution Festival at the 100 Club in London. Joint headliners Menace and The
Album Review : Self Torque’s debut album is about to land, and is all set for some heavy rotation
Self Torque have influences that spread fairly far and wide, including the likes of Weezer, Buzzcocks, Stiff Little Fingers, Hot Snakes, Young Livers and The
Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
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!
