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.BUZZCOCKS
+ Modern English
@ The Gov, Adelaide,
26th October, 2024
(Live Review)Review by Colin Reid
Photos by Elise De Simoni (@elisedphoto)
Last night Adelaide was treated to a double header combing the post punk and new wave sounds of Modern English with the power pop punk rock of The Buzzcocks. Between them they generated a fabulous atmosphere at The Gov full of audience participation with both bands genuinely having a great time on stage and loving every minute as they delivered a night of stella older hits and barnstorming new material. What a great show it was!
First up was Modern English. If all you know of them is their hit single ‘I Melt with You’, which sold more than half a million copies in the early 1980s, then you don’t really know what the band is all about. There is so much more to them and although as the support act they only had time for 9 songs they really show cased their material and left many in the crowd wanting to see more of them.
They certainly are an eclectic looking bunch. The heavily tattooed guitarist Gary McDowell resplendent in a top hat and baggy stripped pants is offset by lead singer Robbie Grey in suit pants and jacket coupled with a neckerchief. Grey is a great frontman and natural extrovert. First counting in the beat as he beckons the crowd forward to fill the gaps in front of the stage that all support bands inevitably have to contend with and then grabbing an extra drum stick to beat out additional percussion on the Ric Chandler’s drum kit. He is such a showman, not afraid to ham up his stage performance by making faces, mock strangling himself with the neckerchief, waiving to those in the crowd who were really getting into the set and even leaning into the crowd at one point to rub a fans bald head! “It’s taken us over 45 fuckin’ years to finally get to Australia” he confesses “so let’s make it a good one!”
Modern English sound great. They are a tight outfit with a driving rhythm section forcing the pace as McDowell and fellow guitarist Gabriel Sullivan’s guitar whip up the crowd. After a terrific rendition of ‘Someone’s Calling’ they showcase a couple of tracks from their most recent album ‘1 2 3 4’ ‘Long in the Tooth’ and ‘Not My Leader’ which stood up well against the original material and suggest that the album is well worth checking out. Next comes ‘Carry Me Down’ the track swirling, bruising and hypnotizing in a never-ending wall of sound. As might have been expected they close out their all to short set with the big hit ‘I Melt with You’. It seems to go for ever and no one wants it to stop as Robbie encourages the crowd to sing the refrain back to him. As they left the stage it was a really nice touch to see Sullivan call a young fan forward to get his guitar pic. Good parenting to bring your kids along and educate them in good music and the band appreciated it too.
As good as Modern English had been, tonight’s drawcard is undoubtably the Buzzcocks. The room, whilst not completely full, has filled up nicely and there is a building sense of expectation. One by one the band enter the stage with the biggest cheer being reserved for Steve Diggle who looks so happy to be back, waiving his white Telecaster aloft as he greets the audience. They crash head on into ‘What Do I Get?’. If anyone had any fears about how they might sound without Pete Shelley they were immediately calmed. The band are on fire and Steve sings every song like they were his own. A blistering opening of four classic power pop punk tunes in a row culminates with ‘Promises’ before Steve gives himself time to acknowledge the crowd “Hello Adelaide, its great to be back”. They are loving being up there and we are loving being able to experience it with them. Next comes recent single ‘Senses Out of Control’ which fits in nicely with the aural aesthetic and is sure to become a staple of their live shows.
The crowd volume goes up a notch for ‘Fast Cars’ and carries on through ‘Autonomy’. Steve is everywhere on that stage; laughing, smiling, hands into the crowd, fist bumping and generally having the best time possible. The band clearly feeding on the crowd’s reaction. Pausing for a swig of champagne he asks “Are you ready to rock?” He asked it three times, we were ready the first time but he wanted to be sure and so we assured him it was true! and in response they delivered big time before they closed out the regular set with the fabulous ‘Manchester Rain’ which, for me, is probably the pick of the newer material from 2022 album ‘Sonics in the Soul’. Topping up his pint glass of champagne. He gave us a wave and promised they would be back soon. The only fault I could find in the whole gig was in my own hearing; I really needed a Mancunian translator to help me understand the accent when Steve spoke to the crowd!
Returning to the stage following a shirt change, both outfits very cool Mod styled tops, Steve was back solo on an acoustic guitar to kick off ‘Love is Lies’. What an encore it was powering out a noisy conclusion, not the standard two or three songs but an incredible six songs! Culminating first with ‘Ever Fallen in Love’ (with someone you shouldn’t have) before ending the show with Steve’s own ‘Harmony in my head’. He asked us to take the roof off and we did our best to oblige!
The tour continues at various venues across NSW and Victoria until November 4 before they head to New Zealand, catch them if you can get a ticket.
Check out Elise De Simoni’s (@elisedphoto) full gallery of this event HERE
Check out Adrian Thomson’s (@_awii_) full gallery of the Fremantle Perth event HERE
Check out Tam Schilling’s (@tamcamimages_) full gallery of the Brisbane event HERE
Follow BUZZCOCKS
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Press Release 4th March 2024 (below) HERE
BUZZCOCKS
are coming
October 2024
.AMNPLIFY – DB
