THE DSM IV + OWNERS CLUB + JOPY + THE RINGARDS – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 12.6.24
While the vast majority of Brighton and Hove’s music fans may have been found down at Chalk tonight to watch Goat Girl, a packed out Hope and Ruin shows that there is still much demand to see new, up and coming, bands who one day in the not too distant future could be playing venues that size, if not greater. Promoters ‘Hidden Herd’ have been championing such newer bands for a number of years now putting on gigs at local grass root venues such as The Prince Albert and The Hope and Ruin which is where I find myself this evening to see their latest bill of four exciting emerging talents.
The first band up tonight are The Ringards. With Ringard being the French word for “out of fashion” I was looking forward to seeing them as any band who has been championed by BBC Introducing, Fred Perry Subculture, Far Out Magazine and has supported Opus Kink must have something going for them don’t you think?
This six-piece from East London have been described as Avant-garde, Post-Punk and are due to drop their debut LP in October. So my interest is piqued. Out of fashion and Avant-garde? Bring it on!!. And so they did, giving us 9 songs during their 30 minute set. This is a band that you can’t pigeon hole and this is a band that everyone I spoke to later wants to see again.
Enzo Salinie (vocals), Noah Haines (drums), Gary Cartmill (bass), Jasper Eade (guitar and backing vocals), Danny Gibbs (synth & percussion) and Will Smith (guitar) took to the stage at 7:45pm to a less than full room, but as The Hope starting filling up, which it quickly did, their performance started to go through the roof as you would expect of a band who has played sold out shows at the Shacklewell Arms, Windmill Brixton, The Lexington and The Supersonic in Paris.
They opened with ‘Holiday’, one of the four unreleased tracks they would play tonight and then once Gary had fixed his bass strap, onto their 2022 single ‘The Death Of Charlie Clown’ which was a much rockier and funkier number to boot. This was followed by ‘Touch Me’, their 2023 single. Now I got where the term Avant-garde may have come from as the track started off with a slow jazzy feel before very steadily building up, bit by bit, until it had morphed into a real rock dance number.
Track four, ‘Safe N Dumb’ was their second unreleased song of the night. This was a cracking track that got me thinking of how good Kasabian would be if they wrote songs like this. ‘Septum’s (Muzzle Me)’ taken from the 2020 ‘Helen Mirren’ single was up next and it was an absolute banger from the first chord to the last. During this track Enzo took the opportunity to go walkabout into the much busier crowd and as luck would have it, just as he stepped back on stage one of Noah’s drumsticks came flying out of his hand and landed at his feet. So without breaking stride, and without Noah missing a beat, the drummer was reunited with his stick. It’s moments like this that tell you that things are going your way eh!
The band are in full flow now. Salinie is a born frontman; full of confidence but without any sign of confidence and the band are as tight as the waistband on my already too snug trousers after eating a large Sunday roast.
Both the unreleased ‘The Spit’ and their 2020 single ‘Helen Mirren’ showed off their post-punk credentials to the max. I loved them both but my pick of their set…just…was their 2022 single ‘Flaccid Venus’. How on earth did ‘Hidden Herd’ manage to get these guys to travel all the way down from London to play first on the bill when they’ve got tracks like that in their locker? I’m so glad I haven’t gone to Chalk tonight and I’m really looking forward to the next three bands if this is the standard of the bill. And if that wasn’t enough they have one more track to play. They finish off with a loud, brash, number with the catchiest of choruses called ‘Glasgow Television’. As yet unreleased. I doubt it’ll stay that way for very long or at least I hope not. If this is what being out of fashion sounds like then I’m all for it!!
The Ringards:
Enzo Salinie – vocals
Noah Haines – drums
Gary Cartmill – bass
Jasper Eade – guitar and backing vocals
Danny Gibbs – synth and percussions
Will Smith – guitar
The Ringards setlist:
‘Holiday’ (unreleased)
‘The Death Of Charlie Clown’ (a 2022 single)
‘Touch Me’ (a 2023 single)
‘Safe N Dumb’ (unreleased)
‘Septums (Muzzle Me)’ (from 2020 ‘Helen Mirren’ single)
‘The Spit’ (unreleased)
‘Helen Mirren’ (a 2020 single)
‘Flaccid Venus’ (a 2022 single)
‘Glasgow Television’ (unreleased)
The second group to hit the stage were exciting newcomers Jopy, a local three-piece indie pop band who have recently signed to Goo Records, who should be releasing their much anticipated debut EP later on this year. Jo Parnell (vocals and guitar), Baby Clown (bass) and Louis Relf (drums) have already made a name for themselves on the live circuit supporting Noah and The Loners, playing the Readipop Festival and have been championed by BBC Introducing.
The trio treated us to nine songs during their 32 minute set, starting off with the unreleased ‘Graveyard Romance’ which from the very first chord gave us a clue that this band meant business. The raw energy that they exude is incredible and the song itself is as catchy as it is raw. Their 2023 single ‘Ka Ka Killer’ quickly followed. A punk rock/ glam rock hybrid number. Think New York Dolls…only better and you’ll get the idea. Parnell can’t keep still, jerking about as if someone is constantly poking her with an invisible cattle prod while Baby Clown, replete in Clown make-up with very unhappy lip make-up, and Relf keep up the heavy beat perfectly as they do throughout the show.
Another unreleased track, ‘Twisted’ was up next and by now I’m beginning to think that the headliners are going to need to be awesome if these guys are only second on the bill. ‘Hidden Herd’ have really come up with the goods tonight.
Track four is the latest single ‘Head Hunters Pub And Grub’ which was a fast, furious slice of post-punk perfection. It was so good that I even saw Baby Clown break into a real smile. Their’s was nowhere as near as wide as mine though I can tell you. Parnell introduced the next, as yet unreleased, number by telling us that it was “About a planet of zombies. We’re so creative”. And it was on both counts with ‘Planet Zombie’ being another better of a song. This was followed by ‘Bird Watching’, another unreleased song. During their set we were treated to a few short but blistering guitar solos from Parnell. The wails she extracted from her guitar during this particular number was music to my ears but probably best not to play it on your next ornithology field trip unless you’re wearing headphones.
There was no let up here and after another cracking unreleased song titled ‘Honey The Vampire’ Parnell was modestly Introducing their 2023 single ‘Headshot’ by telling us “This is on Spotify if you want to listen to it in your front room with the curtains closed”. This was yet another slice of post-punk perfection and looking round the room there was a fair chunk of the audience who didn’t even want to wait until they got home before dancing to it.
They closed the set with one final unreleased song, ‘Purchase No.3’. This was a huge slab of powerful indie pop with all 3 of them giving it everything they had which left me, the audience and even Baby Clown with huge smiles on our faces. It also left me wondering why I’d never seen Jopy before and desperate to see them again.
Jopy:
Jopy (Jo Parnell) – vocals and guitar
Louis Relf – drums
‘Clown Baby’ – bass
Jopy setlist:
‘Graveyard Romance’ (unreleased)
‘Ka Ka Killer’ (a 2023 single)
‘Twisted’ (unreleased)
‘Head Hunters Pub And Grub’ (a 2024 single)
‘Planet Zombie’ (unreleased)
‘Bird Watching’ (unreleased)
‘Honey The Vampire’ (unreleased)
‘Headshot’ (a 2023 single)
‘Purchase No. 3.’ (unreleased)
Also on the bill tonight are Dorking based pub-rock combo Owners Club. Signed to Brighton’s Goo records they’ve thus far released three singles, been backed by BBC Introducing and released their self-titled EP in October 2023. The five piece line-up consists of George ‘Mad Dog’ Ogle (guitar and backing vocals), Mike Thorpe (lead vocals and guitar), Maddie Player (keys), Matt Saunders (bass) and Ollie Thomas (drums), managed to squeeze ten songs into their high energy 26 minute set.
Their first track was their latest single ‘Come Dine With Me’ which was the kind of bluesy rock number I was expecting from a pub rock band to be honest. But then things took a turn for the better. Much, much better actually!!. ‘Evil Twin’ from their 2023 EP had a really nice Weezer vibe to it. Somewhere between their ‘Blue’ and ‘Green’ LPs to be precise and to my ears that’s a truly great sound. They followed this up with their 2022 single ‘Miss American Vampire’ which with the keys more prominent, as well as Maddie’s backing vocals, took us more into the Weezer off-shoot land of The Rentals in its sound which again bowled me over. With music as good as this and the band obviously having so much fun on stage playing off each other I’m now beginning to see why they’ve garnered such a reputation for their live shows.
We then get the first of the five brilliant unreleased tracks they’re playing for us tonight; ‘Witchcraft For The Modern World’. This was the fastest song of the set so far and it was a real rocker too. A real crowd pleaser to say the least with George, Mike and Matt all mucking about throwing ‘rock star’ shapes, very tongue in cheek mind. “This next one is about dogs” Mike informed us. And so it was. Another unreleased track called ‘Best In Show’. It was another belter. Was it their best song? Not according to Mike it isn’t as he announces “This is the highlight of the set. Who likes the Vengaboys?”. And without any further ado the band kicks off into a joyous version of ‘We Like To Party’. Totally insane and unsurprisingly unreleased. This one had the crowd bouncing.
After seeing Bacci Pouch cover ‘Rockafeller Skank’ at the Green Door Store the other week and now this? Is there some kind of trend going on out there about weird cover versions that no-one has told me about? I do hope so!!
The boys, and Maddie, are really rattling through them now, feeding off the energy in the room that’s near to capacity as folk squeeze in ready for the headline act. ‘Village Green’ taken from last year’s EP is quickly followed up by two new unreleased tracks ‘Holiday At Home’ and ‘Hello Boy’. All three of them rock from start to finish. I’m talking indie-rock here folks, not pub-rock, not blues-rock. These are proper fresh, exciting tunes.
Their last song, the 2022 single ‘Mini Skrrrt!’, closed the set beautifully. Having seen The Datsuns live all I can say is that if you’d sneaked that tune into their set no-one would have noticed. A fast, guitar driven anthem.Pub rock? If this is what it sounds like nowadays then I need to hear some more please. Oh, and Goo Records, when are you gonna start releasing some of those gems?
Owners Club:
George ‘Mad Dog’ Ogle – guitar and backing vocals
Mike Thorpe – guitar and lead vocals
Maddie Player – keys
Matt Saunders – bass
Ollie Thomas – drums
Owners Club setlist:
‘Come Dine With Me’ (a 2024 single)
‘Evil Twin’ (from 2023 ‘Owners Club’ EP)
‘Miss American Vampire’ (a 2022 single)
‘Witchcraft For The Modern World’ (a 2023 single)
‘Best In Show’ (unreleased)
‘We Like To Party’ (Vengaboys cover)
‘Village Green’ (from 2023 ‘Owners Club’ EP)
‘Holiday At Home’ (unreleased)
‘Hello Boy’ (unreleased)
‘Mini Skrrrt!’ (a 2022 single)
After securing support slots with the likes of the legendary John Cale, Ladytron, Sleaford Mods, The Wytches and Deadletter as well as securing a slot at ‘Mutations Festival’ then it might not be too long until we see tonight’s headliners The DSM IV grace the stage of Chalk when they next come to town.
Fronted by Guy McKnight (vocals) of the critically acclaimed cult favourites The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster along with Jade Ormesher (guitar) and Pavarotti (drum machines and synthesizers) took to the stage for 54 minutes for their nine song set, eight of which were taken from last year’s debut album ‘New Age Paranoia’.
Their sound has been described as post-punk, noise rock, synth-pop, and Industrial and McKnight himself has been quoted as saying that they’re making “making music for the people living in strange times. Nasty and nice. Tunes”.
That’s quite a lot of genres to cover but tonight they cover them all. The lyrics are dark, very dark in places, but the music itself is incredibly uplifting. If I was asked what box I’d fit their sound into then I’d slot it straight into the one marked “brilliant”.
McKnight’s voice is like an instrument in its own right and from the moment he stepped on stage and started handing out his four pack of beer to members of the audience I had a feeling that we might be in for an entertaining time.
Pavarotti, who I was standing right in front of, was driving the beat from the get go, turning those dials and knobs creating that post-punk, synth pop, Industrial backdrop I’d heard all about.
Ormesher turned up with a suitcase full of effect pedals and I swear to God, if she used more than one of them she must have feet quicker than Ronaldo. She didn’t look happy and kept looking at her amp and muttering to McKnight throughout the set but if this is what her guitar sounds like when everything isn’t working 100% then I can’t wait to see them again when it is as I thought it sounded awesome.
The set itself kicked off with ‘Break You In’. Well if this is how they’re going to start things off then that’s fine with me. Jade ended up on her knees running her hand up and down the fret so her guitar was literally screaming while Guy was repeatedly shouting out the chorus. Were the crowd headbanding? Moshing? Nope, mostly dancing down where I was. Alchemy. From there they moved onto ‘Reclaim The Night’. Another dark blast of a tune where Guy’s voice really came to the fore.
‘Runaway’ was up next and not only was this the danciest of the first tracks, it also marked Guy’s first foray into the audience as he popped in for a brief walkabout. Track four was to be the only song played tonight not taken from last year’s debut album ‘New Age Paranoia’. This new one is called ‘Racist Man’. It starts off with Giorgio Moroder like beeps and beats which are then joined by the heaviest guitars and screaming vocals over the top. Absolutely exhilarating and the stand out track by any of the four bands tonight.
Before we could move onto track five of the set, Jade decided that as there wasn’t a window for her to throw her suitcase of effects pedals out of, she’d go ahead and change one of the leads down there. While she was doing that Guy magically conjured up a small box and announced that he’d brought a shower cap that he’d found by his bedside in Liverpool in the morning and hadn’t yet decided whether to sell it for 50p on the merch stand or give it to a member of the audience. With a new lead in place Guy announced “This one’s about Prince Andrew”. ‘Pennywise’, needless to say was the slowest number of the set but boy the guitar sure did sound louder.
They were really on a roll now and ‘Lions’ wasn’t just dark, broody and noisy, it also had a fantastic groove to it and Guy took every opportunity to bounce around stage when not treating us to his vocals.
Before cracking on with ‘New Age Paranoia’ the title track of their LP, Guy pointed to Pavarotti and told us “I met this man on the bus today and said do you want to have a jam?” And that was that. The music kicked off and Guy bounced off back into the crowd for a boogie.
As we near the end of the set there’s no letting up at all. If anything it’s getting a bit more manic and on ‘Killing Time’ the guitar really comes to the fore. I’ve decided that after 8 tracks I’ve heard enough to declare that Jade is a bona financial badass guitar Goddess. While she’s driving this brilliant tune along, Guy, not to be outdone, starts to tear down one of the drapes that has been covering the ceiling over the stage of The Hope for God knows how many years and by the end of the number there’s more of it hanging off than hanging on. Things are getting a bit mental now. I’m liking it.
The set climaxed with ‘Scumbag’. It rocked. It bopped. It was noisy. It was utterly magnificent. At one point, Guy climbed on somebody’s shoulders with the intention of going walkabouts again. He should have probably chosen someone a bit bigger as they went one step forward and two steps back. Obviously pumped up he treated us to a wild shamanic dance which culminated with him coming out of his spin and landing a perfect right jab on the mic stand which sent the mic flying into the crowd. He could try that another hundred times and not only miss the stand but probably fall on his arse, but the Gig God’s were with us in The Hope tonight. Once the mic was returned, miraculously undamaged he continued to sing, shout and scream the last few verses while eventually liberating the drape and year’s and years of who knows what from the ceiling.
He got to wear the drape around himself like a Superhero or champion boxer would their cape or gown. The front of the audience got to wear the many years of detritus it had been hiding from view.
No glitter. No confetti. Just dust and dead insects. Proper Rock and roll!!! …and as if that amazing performance wasn’t enough for you they’ve just announced that they will be releasing the video for their next single ‘White Wolf’ on 13th July.
The DSM IV:
Guy McKnight – vocals & necromancy
Jade Ormesher – guitars
Pavarotti – cheekbones, drum machines & synthesizers
The DSM IV setlist:
‘Break You In’ (from 2023 ‘New Age Paranoia’ album)
‘Reclaim The Night’ (from 2023 ‘New Age Paranoia’ album)
‘Runaway’ (from 2023 ‘New Age Paranoia’ album)
‘Racist Man RMX’ (unreleased)
‘Pennywise’ (from 2023 ‘New Age Paranoia’ album)
‘Lions’ (from 2023 ‘New Age Paranoia’ album)
‘New Age Paranoia’ (from 2023 ‘New Age Paranoia’ album)
‘Killing Your Time’ (from 2023 ‘New Age Paranoia’ album)
‘Scumbag’ (from 2023 ‘New Age Paranoia’ album)
