Bruise Control, live from The Victoria, Dalston.
- 12 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Words by Miles Milton-Jefferies
You like your music loud and angry? You’ve come to the right place – Pussyliquor and Bruise Control playing at the same time gives you a terrific, rip-roaring energy from two of the best bands on the punk scene.
(Credit: Gisela Szlatoszlavek)
Pussyliquor are up first and the Brighton five-piece bring plenty of fun to the table, the riotgirrl group get the noise going and the mosh is chaos from the off – circle pits, dancing, good energy. It’s a warm-up, but what a warm-up – having last seen them in Boomtown ’24 to get the chance to see them in the big smoke again is always welcome, especially now post It’s PUSSYLIQUOR, Not Rocket Science! EP launch that let you know what you’re in for from the word go. It’s music that gives a feeling of empowerment, a statement at being angry at the world and embracing who you want to be.
They get a run through of ten songs and they’re short, sharp and snappy. Apathy, Kitty Kitty , an older song and Silver Spoon are intense, raw and get the crowd going, frontwoman Ari brings a tour de-force to the table that is incredibly unmatched and the messages each make the songs hit harder with Victoria’s thundering drums really getting the set going. It’s pure unfiltered riot grrl music, the obvious comparisons are Bikini Kill, Cosey Fanni Tutti, L7, and the Runaways but updated for a new generation: think Lambrini Girls for a similar vibe, except rawer and louder. We get a run through with Buy More Shit embracing the consumerism nature of capitalist society and buying things just to feel something, so there’s touches of the Trainspotting-style rip away at nostalgia there presenting it as a facade. Aqua’s Barbie Girl gets a run out here – thrust into a novelty fusion of Buy More Shit as they tear down society around them. This gets a lot of the crowd moving and You can swipe my plastic, spending is fantastic is such a fucking tune it’s hard not to dance to. The moshers are all in ridiculously good-natured spirits throughout the whole set.
It wouldn’t be a band called Pussyliquor if they didn’t end on a song called C.U.N.T. and the 2018 track taps into the band’s nature of combatting female taboos with politically charged anthems. Their energy is electric, full with passion as a band and display a no-nonsense in your face approach that’s impossible to resist. It’s a cause for a celebration whilst also raising awareness and does both with energy few bands struggle to match.
Bruise Control are the headliners and they come storming in to kick the barn down and raise the roof. Triple Dipper, Useless and Nostalgia get us into gear and we get 13 songs as frontman Jim Taylor taps into the 80s hardcore scene – Nostalgia and Left Behind as a concept is a direct-callout to that loss of community spaces and a rallying cry for the disenfranchised, there are so; so precious few third spaces in today’s society that don’t force you to spend money just to exist in them that it again, is important to counter that need to drive us apart.
The band are explosive and give zero fucks in how they come across as an outfit and that’s what makes them incredibly fun to watch. You couldn’t have asked for a better pairing of bands and talent, with this technically being an EP launch for Bruise Control themselves they are able to tap into Useless for Something, as well as their new self-titled EP. It’s almost an even split: five for the first record, four for the new one – Gone to Ground, If You’re Not Mine, Jumping Ship and No More get a runout before their gig in Kingston-Upon-Thames the following day at the Fighting Cocks, one of the area’s most iconic venues. With Gone to Ground finishing the set get the band spares no expense at taking shots at the frustrations of daily life and the grind, showing us all how frustrating it is. It means something: to the band, to the punters – when the guitar kicks in it absolutely goes nuts and the hook is something else.
In short: a good evening. A loud evening. A fucking great evening. There are few better ones. In Pussyliquor and Bruise Control you have the perfect pairing of support and lead act so they’re firing on all cylinders – for under £15 you’d be hard pressed to find more bang for your buck. Few bands are better at just giving zero fucks than this one and they capture that real early Amyl and the Sniffers energy, back when they were a pub band just starting out. Here it’s full of biting rhythm and fearless excitement – not holding anything back and leaving it all on stage. They dare you to not embrace the pent up angst and emotion that you have coming into this gig and it really does shine in this regard. Get your tickets to 2000 Trees while they’re still going and come see Bruise Control again the band only be getting bigger.
More from BRUISE CONTROL
Comments