Original Generation X drummer Mark Laff puts together a post-punk party, with a little help from his friends..
The November temperature in London town has dropped sharply, but there is always a warm welcome at the legendary 100 Club! Tonight we’re witnessing the long-awaited XGENERATIONX headline show, put together by Generation X drummer Mark Laff – the man behind those familiar beats of songs such as ‘Ready, Steady, Go‘ and ‘King Rocker‘.
Ahead of the tour, Mark assured us of a great show; “For those who kept the faith, I promise not to disappoint with this new exciting line up. I feel it’s important that XGENERATIONX bring new life to the iconic songs from the 1st and 2nd Generation X albums.”
A surprisingly youthful crowd has gathered early; the reasons become clear as we watch the two supporting acts, Herbie May from The Lounge Society and teenage Merseyside band Pareidolls.
Guitarist Herbie May and friends’ Hebden Bridge-based band The Lounge Society, formed in 2018, carving themselves a musical path from their mid-teens upon stages across the country. In the last 18 months, Herbie has taken a solitary journey, setting up his own record label – Red Licorice – and releasing his first solo single, the double A-side ‘Bleeding / Shoelaces‘ earlier this month.
Taking to the stage quite unobtrusively, the singer-songwriter starts to strum the opening chords to ‘Uphill‘, as the venue begins to fill with people. Joking that his band “didn’t turn up” for the show, May bravely plays and sings his way through a short set of his own material, concluding with the two songs on his single. He’s certainly soulful, but to me, the lack of a rhythm section detracts from his overall performance tonight.
Hailing from The Wirral, young all-female rock band Pareidolls are a wonderful breath of fresh air! Their current single ‘Jessie‘ has received radio airplay on the BBC amongst others, and they regularly play Liverpool venues including EBGBS, Zanzibar and the O2 Academy. They have supported significant acts including The Lounge Society, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) and the late Clem Burke (Blondie). Remarkably, they are all only 17 years old, and currently studying for their A-levels!
The five-piece are: Georgia Attwood (vocals), Freya Wilcox (drums), Bethan Sheldrick (bass), Tabitha Law (lead guitar) and Biba Russell (rhythm guitar). They have brought some of their fans along, which helps with first-time nerves as they take to the iconic 100 Club stage, and by the end of their set they have clearly earned many more supporters – including Punktaution photographer Per-Åke and me!
Pareidolls‘ sound is superb – bluesy rock with solid and lively rhythms – and Tabitha pulls off several spectacular solos on lead guitar! Here’s a video of their newest song, ‘Mr Tax-Evader‘, written very recently in response to the disgusting way the rich try to avoid their responsibilities:
Georgia’s fine voice soars across an impressive range throughout the set, from older songs such as ‘Roses‘ up to recent release ‘Jessie‘, which sees the singer don a cowboy hat mid-song, plonking it on drummer Freya’s head near the end! The girls are grinning, as the crowd enthusiastically laps up their varied musical styles, played to an exceptionally high standard by a band as tight as you’d expect from one that had been playing 10 times longer than Pareidolls‘ mere 18 months together. Ending with a bit of audience participation in ‘Give and Take‘, the band are as thrilled with their London reception as the crowd are with their performance. Pareidolls are most definitely a band to watch!
The room is now rammed, older punters replacing the younger ones near the front, as we await the headliners. There is much speculation about how they will sound, with only two Generation X / Gen X musicians in the lineup – original drummer Mark Laff and Gen X guitarist James Stevenson. Mark has recruited singer Elizabeth Westwood (from 80s band Westworld – remember ‘Sonic Boom Boy‘ folks?) plus Spandau Ballet’s guitarist / saxophonist Steve Norman, and bassist Michael Giaquinto from Vice Squad, for this November tour:
Laff wasn’t kidding about giving it all he’s got – he’s as hard-hitting as ever, ably backed by a highly energetic band! Westwood’s vocals are accompanied by frequent high kicks, as she points into the air and the audience, moving all around the stage, getting down low to connect with the crowd. She may not have 1979 Billy Idol‘s bad boy swagger and extensive vocal range, but as a frontwoman she has the chops, and engages with both the material and the audience with equal enthusiasm.
The main set is chock-full of Generation X numbers; ‘Ready Steady Go‘, ‘Day By Day‘, ‘From The Heart‘, ‘Trying For Kicks‘, ‘Promises Promises‘ and the loud and lively ‘One Hundred Punks‘, played to many cheers and much pogoing! Elizabeth gets her maraca out as the distinctive drum beats of Generation X‘s biggest chart hit ‘King Rocker‘ pound through the 100 Club, still sounding as good as it did back in ’79!
Following up with ‘Kleenex‘ and the calmer ‘Valley Of The Dolls‘, from the 1979 album of the same name, Stevenson gently plucks his Gibson as the crowd get involved, singing along audibly with ‘Kiss Me Deadly‘. The pace picks up again with another ferocious song from Generation X album #1 – ‘Wild Youth‘:
Closing the set with a triple whammy of ‘Gimme Some Truth‘, ‘Rock On’ and an exuberant ‘Your Generation‘, the band take a well-earned breather before Mark returns alone to the stage to profusely thank everyone who helped to make this tour happen, including the audiences. He’s sincere, which along with his killer drumming, raises him very highly in my estimation!
“Now for some pop!” declares Elizabeth, as the rest of the band return to the stage. It’s encore time, and first up is of course Westworld‘s ‘Sonic Boom Boy‘, which we joyfully bop and sing along to! Steve takes lead vocals for Spandau Ballet‘s ‘To Cut A Long Story Short‘, then the party culminates with the bubbly Gen X hit ‘Dancing With Myself‘ – what a fun show it’s been! Leaving to huge applause, the five musicians are sweaty but deliriously happy – as well they should be. Catch XGENERATIONX if you can at two more shows on this tour (details below):
Main Photo Credit / All Photos: PER-ÅKE WÄRN
All Videos: RUTH RAE
November 22nd – The Flapper, Birmingham
November 23rd – Colchester Arts Centre, Essex
Follow XGENERATIONX on Their Socials:
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