Project Description
POP WILL EAT ITSELF
+ Jim Bob + Caligula
@ Factory Theatre
10/03/18
(Live Review)
Reviewer: Dan Turner
Photographer: Joshua Pike
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Pop Will Eat Itself were pioneers when they released their first record way back in the mid to late eighties. Their use of samples, pop culture references & politically charged lyrics were groundbreaking at the time & they had more in common with acts on the other side of the pond such as Public Enemy & The Beastie Boys rather than their UK peers. They also paved the way for many other artists to follow and it is a testament to their creativity & innovation that they are still around today. Founding members Graham Crabb & Richard March are still in the current incarnation of Pop Will Eat Itself and as I had never seen their live show before I was curious to see how their songs would hold up 30 years later in a live environment.
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Kicking off the evening were 90’s indie veterans Caligula, who played a fantastic tight set with Ash Rothschild prowling the stage like a rockstar and it felt like the entire audience had been instantly transported back to 1990. Rothschild commanded a diligent yet playful interaction with the crowd & by the time they played Tears of a Clown the band had easily won their hometown over and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was impressed by how good they sounded.
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Next up was Jim Bob – one half of 90’s grebo outfit Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine. It was surprising seeing him take to the stage with an acoustic guitar & red sunglasses as he proceeded to play a medley of Carter tracks interspersed with some dry banter – more reminiscent of punk poet John Cooper Clarke. It was interesting to hear these songs in a different light, however the highlight for me was his stunning cover of Inspiral Carpets seminal track This is How It Feels.
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The main act hit the stage running (literally) opening with The Incredible PWEI vs The Moral Majority from their 1990 LP Cure for Sanity. Co-vocalist Crabb’s unabated blistering delivery did not let up as the band carved their way through the gems of their back catalogue, firing on all cylinders for Can U Dig It? & Wise Up! Sucker – with an appreciative crowd heaving on the beer can laden floor of the Factory theatre. Charismatic Bass player Davey Bennett played up for the audience with lunges across the stage & it felt like they were actually having fun.
From there the hits kept coming with the sweaty forty something crowd pogoing along to Everything’s Cool, They Can’t Take (What You Won’t Let ‘Em Have) & Bulletproof. The samples that Pop Will Eat Itself are renowned for sounded as punchy as they were decades ago and the politically explosive Ich Bin Ein Auslander resonates even stronger now than it did in 1994. The dual vocal assault of Crabb & Apollo 440 member Mary Byker was unleashed to full effect during the encore on The Prodigy/Pop Will Eat Itself collaboration Their Law and a fitting end to a fantastic show.
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You can check out Joshua Pike‘s photo gallery of the show here
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