Sleaford Mods @ UEA, Norwich - November 8, 2017

Janey turned me onto TCR about a year ago and I was immediately hooked. I don't get crazy excited about many bands these days, but I am so impressed and obsessed with Sleaford Mods. They are proof music can still deeply effect me. It seems fitting that the duo are about my age, and so was a large part of the crowd at tonight's show. But this isn't sad old people music. This is punk and vibrant and angry as fuck. Even if Jason Williamson denies being punk; this is the very definition in 2017.

Openers Nachthexen are a female quartet with a keyboard replacing the guitar in the usual expected line-up. They don't have a full album released yet, just a couple of EPs (if that's what they're still called). Their sound is very reminiscent of X-Ray Spex, particularly the female screamy lyrics. I'm sure their sound will grow and diversify before much longer, but what they have right now is still pretty good and appealing. All four have a disinterested stage presence; too cool or too focused on their instruments to do much else.

Jason Williamson has the polar opposite of a disinterested stage presence! He is mesmerizing to watch. His physicality is irrepressible, full of posturing, twitching, and tics and marching around with the mic stand. The lighting set up and plain backdrop silhouettes clouds of dispersing spit as he raps his vitriolic lyrics. Andrew Fearn, the music producer as it were, seemed to be loving the night, frequently grinning as he vigourously bops his head along to the beats he's created.

The setlist is very English Tapas heavy. My pre-show research showed that they don't vary the setlist, so I knew not to expect some of my favourite tracks from their earlier albums. But, as this is my first time seeing them, I didn't mind at all. It helps that I love just about everything they do. Out of the 15 songs pre-encore, the SMs played 11 of the 12 tracks on their recent album. We got TCR mid-set which fired everyone up, and then an absolute cracker of an encore, which a group of young men couldn't resist, rushing down front to start up a moshpit. Perfect.

As fits the age of the band and the crowd, the volume wasn't deafening and the sound was incredibly clean and clear. The only tiny downside was the lights on the crowd that messed with taking a decent photo, but I did my best. Next time they play nearby, I'm going! With their current output of new material, it shouldn't be long before they're on the road with a new batch of songs. Top!

Setlist:
I Feel So Wrong
Army Nights
Just Like We Do
Snout
Moptop
Dull
Carlton Touts
I Can Tell
TCR
Time Sands
Routine Dean
Jolly Fucker
Drayton Manored
Cuddly
BHS
Encore:
Jobseeker
Tied Up in Nottz
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Levellers @ UEA, Norwich - December 7, 2016

This was the 25th Anniversary tour for the Levelling the Land album. I saw that original tour in Toronto in 1992, after having LOVED that album and listened to it over and over. So when my concert pal invited me, I had to go.

We tried to get there to see the opener Gaz Brookfield, as I'd seen him in a pub in Camden after a London Faith No More Gig and he was very impressive. Unfortunately we only caught one song, but it was nice to see something more of his. He seemed full of energy and audience interaction, and I will try and see him again. The second openers, Ferocious Dog, I didn't know, but seemed suited to the slot, being folk punk with a touch of hippie (dreads galore).

The Levellers played their album in track order and I found myself singing along with almost all of it, transported back 25 years. Damn if those songs don't hold up! Still such a good album. The band were full of energy and gave their all. Following up the album were a bunch of songs that I'm unfamiliar with, having not kept up with their music. Glad I didn't miss this one.

Setlist:
One Way
The Game
Fifteen Years
The Boatman
Liberty Song
Far From Home
Sell Out
Another Man's Cause
The Road
The Riverflow
Battle of the Beanfield

This Garden
Men-an-Tol
Truth Is
Carry Me
The Cholera Well

Encore:
Julie
Beautiful Day

2nd Encore:
What You Know (with Ferocious Dog members)