JOE & THE SH*TBOYS + EPSOM SALTS – THE HOPE & RUIN, BRIGHTON 23.10.22
If you’re looking for some peaceful entertainment on a rainy Sunday night, The Hope & Ruin was probably the place to avoid as Faroe Island punk rockers Joe & The Sh*tboys brought their chaos to Brighton as part of their ‘Manspreadertour 2022’.
The free show was organised by local legends ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ who put on the event at the downstairs (street level) bar area. Not surprisingly, the room was rammed and I had to squeeze my way into the packed out room.
Starting the show was Brighton punk newcomers 4 piece band ‘Epsom Salts’.
With a chaotic start to the set with the opening track ‘Dead Sea’ being paired with flying drumsticks across the room, the band made a promise to the crowd that their set would hopefully go more smoothly from that point on. Continuing their half an hour set with tracks ‘Nazi Scum’ and ‘20 Second Job’, the band very quickly won over the whole room and had them joining in with singalongs and mosh pits. My personal highlight of the set was the song ‘Blue And Green’, with singer Seymour introducing the song with an apology to their mum who stood disapprovingly in the crowd, as they went on to tell the story of a drug and drink-filled night out in Brighton.
You can catch Epsom Salts this Wednesday at the Green Door Store supporting Torrid Horror.
www.facebook.com/epsomsaltsbanduk
After a half an hour break for the audience to recover and catch their breath, headliners Joe & The Sh*tboys took to the stage.
The 4 piece appeared to be missing a member tonight, as bassist Ollie Sh*t broke his shoulder in the Lake District and had to leave the tour early. This of course did not stop the remaining 3 members, singer Joe, Ziggy Sh*t on guitar and Harry Sh*t on drums, as they opened with first track ‘Personal Space Invader’.
The room instantly lit up in an electric energy as frontman Joe spent more time in the crowd than in front of it. Their set continued in their signature fast and furious fashion with tracks ‘Pull The Trigger’ which lasts a mere 20 seconds and other quickies ‘Out For A Hunt’ and ‘If You Wanna Be A Cuck I’ll Be Your Bull’.
Most of these tracks were made up of Joe parading around the venue with his microphone and showcasing the crowd and screaming along to every word.
The band formed with the aim to call out the sh*tty behaviour in their conservation home Faroe Islands, in their short set they addressed homophobia, misogyny and many other important issues, all with their signature infectious punk energy. The 30 song set flew by in a blink of an eye with crowd favourite tracks ‘Save The Planet You Dumb Sh*t’ and ‘Drugs R’4 Kids’. Before finishing with last three tracks ‘Mr No’, ‘Pretend Serious’ and ‘Theme’.
If you are very quick, you can catch Joe & The Sh*tboys on the last date of their tour at the Tunbridge Wells Forum. Grab your tickets HERE.
Joe & The Sh*tboys setlist:
‘Intro’
‘Personal Space Invader’
‘Pull The Trigger’
‘Out For A Hunt’
‘If You Wanna Be A Cuck I’ll Be Your Bull’
‘Manspredator’
‘Drugs R’4 Kidz’
‘Ram Me’
‘The Revenge Of The Vandalizer’
‘An Ode To Sh*theads’
‘Kill Your Darlings’
‘Good Ol Days’
‘Please Seek Help’
‘Rock & Roll (We Stole That Sh*t)’
‘Pointless Vandalist’
‘Life Is Great You Suck’
‘You Are The Best’
‘Eat Ass You F*cking Cowards’
‘F*ck Everybody’
‘The Reson For Hardcore Vibes’
‘Your Product Sucks’
‘If You Believe In Eating Meat Start With Your Dog’
‘Closeted HomoFObe’
‘Macho Man Randy Savage’
‘Save The Planet You Dumb Sh*t’
‘Mr. Nobody’
‘Pretend Serious’
‘Theme’
Find Joe & The Sh*tboys on Bandcamp.