Transport woes be damned, there's rock n' roll fun to be had!
Troopers. That’s probably the best word to describe everyone involved in putting on tonight’s gig. Even a great rock n’ roll show can struggle to draw a mid-week crowd, but this week’s tube strike has brought the capital to a near standstill, and the usual colourful Shake Some Acton crowd is a bit, shall we say, depleted. But the shared view tonight seems to be that the show must go on, & the vibe at the Hope & Anchor is as upbeat and friendly as ever.
Jonny Moses And The Electric Motherfuckers play with all the verve of a band headlining their own sold-out show, and as the opening notes of ‘No Satisfaction’ burst into life, we’re instantly convinced we made the right decision to show up. Like all the best bands, they make playing gut-level punk rock n’ roll look a hell of a lot easier than it actually is, and the reality hits home during a bass and guitar mini-duel on ‘Where We Come From’. These guys have certainly got the chops to be tediously self-indulgent prog rock merchants, but they’ve also got the good taste to keep things taut, concise and gloriously catchy. A great (and sharply-dressed!) start to the evening.
Dealing With Damage are soon going to need a bigger stage. Not just because of the way vocalist/guitarist Ed and bassist Owen bounce around (keep an eye on each other’s headstocks, guys!), but because if the couple of new songs aired tonight are anything to go by, their forthcoming third album is going to be the definitive DWD record. In particular, new single ‘Wrong Sometimes’ is shot through with punk rock fury and a sense of urgency; middle-aged complacency is very much not on the horizon, it seems. The London quintet seem to get ever more fired-up and agitated with every show they play, so take our advice, and go see them before they do themselves an injury and decide to reinvent themselves as an acoustic folk-pop act. Or something like that, anyway.
Teo Wise and his band have come all the way from Italy, and from the start, it’s clear that they’re having a ball, with the main man brandishing his Flying V guitar like some kind of rock n roll rifle. Self-described as ‘spaghetti rock n’ roll’, he blends elements of punk, rock n’ roll and new wave with Italian-language lyrics, plus a generous helping of cowbell to boot. If the likes of ‘Morto Di Caldo’ and ‘Confusionale’ don’t lift your spirits and get you dancing along, we fear there’s not much hope for you; goodness knows we’re having fun, and it all feels more like a gathering of friends than a gig in the traditional sense. Teo, London loves you, and we promise we’ll be out in force to show it next time.
A triumph for music over transport-related adversity, then! Cheers to Shake Some Acton for having us, and check out details of their future gigs on the links below.
Main Photo Credit: CLARE DOWSE
Follow Shake Some Acton on Their Socials:
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Album review: Peesh illustrates another year with ‘The Perennial Effect II: Seasons’
Singer-songwriter-guitarist-drummer Peesh returns with another fascinatingly creative album, filled with 12 songs from his ongoing annual solo music project, exploring the creative workings & noises
Live review – Deaf Devils / Desperate Measures / Morgellons / The Phobics at SSA#130, London, 23rd Jan 2026
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
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’
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!
