Review of 29/2/16 date at Think Tank, Newcastle. Photos by Rich Broome from 3/3/16 performance at The Forum, Tunbridge Wells (Max Raptor had to cancel due to health issues).
The UK rock/ metal scene is a little under rated it seems, so much talent gets over looked until a tour like this one comes along. The revolving triple-headline of Allusondrugs, Press To MECO and Max Raptor (plus a support act – tonight was Bears) showcases all the bands you SHOULD be seeing live, but may never have had the chance to. Of course these bands have been around a while and played venues like Newcastle’s Think Tank many times, so why now? In 2016 seeing a band live is more important than buying their records, but when hasn’t that been the case? Since rock n’ roll began, bands had to be seen to be fully appreciated. More so now as these hard working bands will make the most money from ticket sales and merch. Music can be accessed legally for free. So to purchase a ticket to one of these shows really means a lot to the artists. Even if it is in a smallish bar.
Hats off to Scuzz for showcasing these amazing bands in various venues across the UK and not following trends like some sponsored tours would. All different bands, all great talents. And as promised a support act in the shape of Bears. No, not the kind that attack Leo Dicaprio on The Revenant, the rock kind. Like a lot of modern bands, they owe a lot to Nirvana, with a hint of hardcore for good measure. Certainly a band to keep an eye on.
Speaking of grunge-inspired bands, Leeds-based psychadellics Allusondrugs are the first of our three headline acts. When you think of ‘new and exciting’ rock band Allusondrugs isn’t the kind that come to mind. Yes they are exciting, and well they have been around since 2012…not so new… frontman Jason Moules has a quiet kind of charisma somewhere between Robert Plant and Kurt Cobain. I can imagine they hate the comparison to Nirvana (or maybe they don’t), and it could be considered lazy journalism, but that is a pretty close fit. Although a relatively short set, it really shows what Allusondrugs can do live. Dirty, fuzzy, feedback-laden riffs, accompanied by retro style vocals and drums on point sum-up the Leeds rockers in a nutshell. ‘Should’ve Gone To Uni’ and ‘Stir’ are great examples of this. We are even treated to an untitled new song (now known as ‘Good People’)to top it off. In all a great way to ease us in to this tour and the music of Moules and co.
Next up are Crawley boys Press To MECO. A band that present a full deck of interesting influences on the table. Hearing them live you can detect Enter Shikari, The King Blues, Funeral For A Friend, The Streets and even a hint of The Futureheads. Not your everyday modern rock band but with modern sensibilities. Vocalist and guitarist Luke Caley knows how to hold the crowds attention and brings the band together with vocal harmonies with drummer Lewis Williams and bassist Adam Roffey. Songs such as ‘Diffusion of Responsibility’ are excellently constructed and show real understanding of song writing in 2016.
Front-man Luke asks us to sing along with ‘Means To An End’ to ‘make them feel better’ and make them ‘feel like they have big willies’ apparently. The cheeky ‘boys in the band’ image has disappeared from the rock scene lately so it’s good to hear great musicians still have some humour in their performance. Ending with ‘Affinity’ – you can see why PTM have played as headline on this tour and have been asked to head festivals. They are possibly the future of British rock n roll and I’d say it’s safe in their hands. Along with Allusondrugs, this set is a great introduction to their style and their tunes. There is probably much more to come from PTM in the future.
Lastly we have tonight’s headliners -Max Raptor. A politically charged punk rock outfit hailing from the Midlands. It’s hard to pinpoint Max Raptor’s sound – if you haven’t heard them before. The best place to start is say they supported The Stranglers on tour. Kind of like The Stranglers … but not. ‘Punk rock’ but not in the same way as The Sex Pistols but punk-rock in the same way as Frank Carter-era Gallows or Million Dead. Starting with anthemic single ‘Damage Appreciation’ vocalist Wil Ray grabs the attention of tonight’s audience. Somtimes literally. Ray leaves the stage behind to get amongst the crowd, mic in hand. It’s great to see bands still breaking the boundaries of live performance.
Bassist Matt Stephenson, guitarist Ben Winnington and drummer Pete Reisner provide piercing backing vocals to ‘Patron Saint (Of Nothing)’, ‘Blue on Red’ and pretty much the whole set, bringing the band together as one unit. Winding down with their signature tune ‘England Breathes’ leading to their slight change of style with ‘Old Romantics’ this is almost a ‘best of’ set on many levels, although they are still a rather young band. They have been in the business since 2007, and the experience certainly comes through. There’s a vibe that says: this band would be on ‘The Young Ones’ if it was made in 2016.
Max Raptor prove themselves worthy headliners of what has been a phenomenal triple-header of a tour. All three bands have proven themselves tonight and are sure to go on and pull in more and more crowds if tonight is anything to go by.
