Saturday night in autumnal North London comes alive with DESPERATE MEASURES, who heartily entertain early arrivals with a vigorous set of cross-pollinating punk, goth, new wave, and rock. ‘Back To The Rats’, ‘1984’ and their latest single (featuring Charlie Harper) ‘Limo Life’ all reverberate around a rapidly filling and appreciative Garage. Ska Punx BITE ME BAMBI are bang on the buck for a night like this, and their high-energy two-stepping performance is truly captivating. The sing-a-long ‘Bad Boyfriend’, ‘Do The Damned’ and ‘Strippers On A Sunday’ are all sucker-punched out by the watertight band. The cover of The Offspring’s ‘Want You Bad’ shouldn’t work, but they flip, toss, and tease it into a massive, Ska’d-up emotive joy.
THE BAR STOOL PREACHERS take to the stage to a room full of (temu) glow sticks, smoke and unwavering heartfelt love and support. The people’s band is rolling the dice on their fourth studio album, the superb, 100% independent (and 9/10 VLR rated) ‘Party Eternal’. Tonight feels a bit special: a homecoming crossed with an album release party, and the band wastes no time taking it all in. ‘Sick World’, ‘Your Killing Me Eve’ and ‘Pick A Side’ are as brutal as they are catchy, as is the Turkey teeth-loving ‘Plastic Romantic’. The superlative and criminally overlooked (by radio, soundtrackers and the music media in general) ‘Doorstep’ and the quick-start streaming fave ‘Choose My Friends’ all lap over the happily converted. The Bar Stool Preachers have taken another leap of faith into the jaws of an unforgiving industry desperate to avoid those razor-sharp corporate teeth, and hopefully they’ll finally land on the 6 Music tongue of mainstream acceptance.
For more Bar Stool Preachers info, head over to https://thebarstoolpreachers.com/
For more Bite Me Bambi info, head over to https://bitemebambi.com
For more Desperate Measures, head over to https://www.facebook.com/DesperateMeasuresnz
