Music > Live Reviews
Washing Machine 10TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
05/11/21
Today (30:10:21) marks the 10th birthday of Washing Machine so it is time for a road trip to BSE Rock City (© John Peel). Washing Machine is, for want of a better term, a “club night” featuring four (or more) live acts. Founded and helmed by Seymour Quigley (of Miss Black America and Horse Party), Washing Machine is “dedicated to bringing awesome nights of alternative / rock / indie / punk / dance music to the good people of BSE and beyond!” From experience, the WM nights feature (mostly) excellent music performed to an audience devoted to being excellent to each other.
Today’s celebration features 32 acts in eleven hours playing on three stages in two rooms. Inevitably, timings meaning I don’t get to see everybody. Of those that I do get to see, some don’t float my boat but, hey, music is a personal thing and, in an attempt to avoid negativity, I’ll avoid mentioning the acts that did I didn’t enjoy…
First up are the incredibly promising and very entertaining Queen Dogs. On either side of the cusp of their teens, the five piece play straight-ahead street punk in the vein of Vice Squad, early Discharge and Cock Sparrer. Cracking stuff.
There were aspects of Interesting Times Gang that I loved, combining Pretty Hate Machine-era NIN with Soft Cell’s heavier stuff. The searing guitar was a high-point. That said, there were elements that I didn’t get but I’ll be checking them out again.
Opening with the theme from Ghostbusters and throwing in a cover of Spice Girls Wannabe, Pink Lemonade play enjoyable punk-pop that reminds me of The Ramones. Shonen Knife and Regrettes.
Oh, and they have smiliest rhythm section in rock.
Study of Us is a solo performer utilising samples/loops and acoustic guitar. With sung and rapped vox, this could be a contemporary take on Carter USM or Pop Will Eat Itself but with elements of Chris TT.
Last time I saw Substation they were incredibly young (almost as young as Queen Dogs are now) but also incredibly promising. Over three and a half years on, they are delivering on that promise. This is a mash up of post-rock, shoegaze and post-punk colliding with classic rock and Patti Smith.
For The Hornets play heavy rock that reminded me 80s rap/funk-rock meets hair-metal. To be honest, the music didn’t excite me but the performance did. The quartet put their hearts and souls into it and deliver a thoroughly entertaining show.
Fresh from releasing their second album, I was expecting great things from Kulk. Tech problems resulted in a looooong intro but that just built up the anticipation and fired them up. Utterly fearsome, utterly compelling doom-sludge-no wave-art rock of the highest order.
I previously caught The Daze on the same night as Substation. Again, they were so young but showed promise. And, like Substation, they’re delivering on that promise. The sound is a kind of post-punk psych that is both adventurous and challenging. A highlight is new song A14 with its quotes from Jonathon Richman & The Modern Lover’s Roadrunner.
False Colours are folk-pop duo with Polly on upright bass, David on tenor guitar foot cajon, both sharing the vocals. Their set was a welcome break from the loud stuff but I would have sought them out anyway as they are damned fine band in their own right with gorgeous – if melancholy – songs and great voices.
Since I last saw Tundra, they have expanded to a 4 piece by adding Jo on second guitar. If anything this has made their grungey surf-alt.rock all the more riotous and enjoyable.
It may just be for Halloween but Fleas have a great look – like Crass in their militant prime given a gothtastic make-up makeover fronted by a zombified 70s TV game show host. Obviously, the music should take precedence and there are no complaints there. Coming on like both Slaves and Idles in their early years but with better songs and searing guitar shredding, theirs was a cracking performance.
I’ve been wanting to see Rad Pitt for a good few years and they don’t disappoint. With three members of the band spending more time on the dancefloor than on stage, with the fourth member chained to his drum kit, this is hardcore bordering on grind and it is bloody marvellous.
Fightmilk take to the stage dressed as the Addams Family (as were the Stretch Soul Gang, most of whose set I missed). There is something almost E-Street Band about the guitars but with buoyant, shouty vocals Fightmilk always make me smile and tonight’s set is no different.
I only managed to catch a couple of Pet Needs’ heavy punk songs but that was enough to convince me to buy the Fractured Party Music album on the spot. Against very stiff opposition, Tracey Emin’s Bed may just be the song of the day.
So to headliners Gaffa Tape Sandy. I absolutely adore this band. I have seen them – and reviewed them in these pages - a few times. The first time I saw they were just about perfect. Nothing that they have done since has changed my mind. In fact, they just get better and better. Honestly, just go and see them or, failing that, buy the Family Mammal mini-album.
All in all, this was a superb day of great music with a fantastic atmosphere. I’ll be heading back to Washing Machine for Rats As Big As Dogs in a few weeks and I can’t wait.