TV FACE | Whinge | Avid Fan | Thee Rag & Bone Man
The Peer Hat, Manchester – Friday 3 October
Another wild and wet night in the City Centre awaits with the arrival of an Abbatoir Blues Records showcase with a lot to offer looking at the bill that could match Storm Amy in the bluster stakes. Wayne AF Carey checks it out…
Talking of storms, one man band Thee Rag & Bone Man is a riotous start with his arsenal of weapons being battered to fuck. Described as ‘anarcho brutal punk blues’ it’s definitely all that, a fuzzed up riot of dirty blues guitars, scrunchy effects pedals and drum pummelling throughout. He announces he’s driven through the storm through Scotland to get here. Sounds like he’s brought it with him!
Avid Fan have been lurking on the underground recently and I’m not surprised when I find
out it’s Stephen Wilson Jr and co. If he’s not arsing around with the psychedelic mix of fun tunes with SWJ Group he’s always up to something around town in one way or another. In this latest installment with Avid Fan, teamed up with Dawn Acton (bass) and Beau Townsey (drums) they kick up a great indie rock noise similar in sound to Pixies with the raucous guitar chugging from Wilson and some great tunes including the hilarious fashion bating Shame Shoe MF aimed at someone near the front, plus a tribute to his friend the great Edweena Banger, covering Euphanasia. An exciting set.
Whinge are just crazy as fuck. Last time I saw them in February was their album launch
which was an insane riot and they’ve not changed one bit. They kick off with the krautrock humming Six Years which builds and starts to let frontman Aaron off his leash into the audience once the adrenaline rush of spiky guitars ramp up. Throughout the set he’s more in the audience than onstage. Lying on the floor for the caustic I Think I Found A Lump, thrashing around to Welcome To Coketown and even attempting to climb upstairs at one point as long as his microphone lead will allow. Cracking fun from a crazy crew who don’t give a fuck.
Where label mates Whinge are unhinged mayhem to me, TV FACE are looking at a bigger
picture. Two albums in (both scoring LTW Albums Of The Week) and honing their craft, they are sounding massive. A tremendous power trio in Steve, Brigit and Dave they launch into Get What We’re Given which is a juggernaut live and the sound in here is ear burning. Stev and Brigit are a perfect double act on vocals and you could compare them to the likes of Deal and Francis or Thurston and Gordon in their prime. We get a lot of stuff off the latest album including the excellent Millipede and Happy New Year, yet for me a highlight is a favourite of mine from Tide Of Men – Mannequin which they did live at The Ferret earlier this year and has blown me away yet again. Like early Sonic Youth with a chorus that could be your cherished earworm. More highlights are in the air with a headfucking White Noise and a scorching Scottish Kisses with the comedic cryptic lyrics.
Another sweaty night at The Ferret, again producing some quality groups that you know will be drifting towards the bigger venues next year. Tv Face are the leaders of the pack. Watch this space…
TV FACE
BANDCAMP ● SPOTIFY ● INSTA ● FACEBOOK ● TIKTOK ● BLUESKY ●
BANDS IN TOWN ● LINKTREE ● WEBSITE
WHINGE
AVID FAN
THEE RAG & BONE MAN
Words by Wayne Carey, Reviews Editor for Louder Than War. His author profile is here
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