Going out with a bang, the Nottingham rockers' final London show was a scorcher!
Damn, The Hip Priests, you too? It feels like the last couple of years have been especially rough when it comes to our favourite bands either splitting up or going on hiatus, and now, after 18 years of service, it’s time for the Nottingham rock n’ roll quintet to “sail off into the scumset”, as they might put it. They deserved better (i.e. more recognition), of course, but tonight is not for bitterness and rancour; after all, this is their last ever London show, it’s completely sold out, and they’ve put together an amazing bill for it. Let’s see them out in style.
It’s fair to say that no-one present was expecting anything quite like what New Saints have in store for us. Imagine two punk rockers trying their hand at industrial music; the result is a feast of pounding techno beats, scratchy guitar riffs and plenty of snotty attitude. Initial crowd confusion soon gives way to applause and amusement, not least at vocalist Harry Darling’s leopard-print hotpants, and the duo can chalk tonight up as a victory.
Local crew Flash House show us how to make the most of a 20-minute set, by playing loud, hard, dirty and – most importantly – fast. Theirs is an onslaught of 100mph drumming, squalling solos and raw-throated vocals, kinda like Motörhead wrestling Zeke for the last can of Special Brew in the fridge. Oh, and the whole band-as-gang aesthetic is definitely there, too. It’s all superb stuff, but that crunchy mid-section riffing in ‘Three Wise Monkeys’ really hits the spot dead-centre. Awesome.
The fabulously-named Scumbag Millionaire hail from Sweden, and follow in the grand Swedish tradition of playing really great rock n’ roll. They hit the ground running with ‘A-Bomb’ – all gloriously fuzzed-up guitars and vocals -and rarely let up the frenetic pace from then on, leaning on their recent (and excellent) ‘All Time Low’ album for much of their set. They’ve been together well over a decade, but they’ve clearly still got that inner fire, and have a wicked sense of humour (‘Strung Out On Cash’, anybody?) to boot. The crowd love them, and so they should.
“What’s the name of the band?!” That’s The Hip Priests vocalist Nathan Von Cruz, who’s circled his eyes with black face paint, and thus looks rather like a rock n’ roll raccoon. Granted, THP were never going to fail tonight, but we weren’t expecting to get quite as blown away as we are, with an absolute belter of a set. A searing opening brace of ‘The Best Revenge’ and ‘Instant Delinquent’ gets things moving down the front, but clearly not quite enough for Mr Von Cruz, who soon jumps into the crowd to show us all how it’s done. Needless to say, energy levels go through the roof – and stay there for the rest of the set.
The Hip Priests are a band who have got better with time – and they weren’t exactly sub-par when they started out all those years ago. Most recent LP ‘Roden House Blues’ could easily go toe to toe with the best efforts from the likes of the Supersuckers, Zeke, Turbonegro, and countless other greats that have influenced the Priests. Unsurprisingly, it gets a substantial airing tonight, along with cuts from their excellent final EP ‘We Become Nothing’ – indeed, the crowd almost drown out the band on the chorus of ‘I Wanna Live (Like I’m Gonna Die)’.
Here’s a video from the following night at their final show in Nottingham, which captures the essence of the occasion brilliantly:
An encore romp through ‘Home Is Where The Hate Is’ (tonight dedicated to a certain orange-faced moron), ‘Sonic Reproducer’ and ‘Juiced Up N’ Loose’ is the perfect way to simultaneously bring the house down and remind us all just how much we’re going to miss this band. Showmen to the end, and they’ve left one hell of a sonic legacy. Rest In Priest, indeed.
Main Photo Credit / 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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