(Review by Jess Kemp)
THE VELVET HANDS + COWZ + PYTHIES – THE PRINCE ALBERT, BRIGHTON 9.8.24
A return to one of my favourite Brighton venues, The Prince Albert for a trio of bands brought to us by the fabulous ‘Kick Out The Jams’. It is one of the few remaining live music venues that has survived when a combination of residential noise complaints and encroaching developers have seen the demise of so many others. The Prince Albert provides a valuable space that nurtures new acts and showcases renowned performers. However, this may not remain the case for much longer. The Prince Albert is fighting developers seeking permission to build next door after Brighton and Hove Council unanimously rejected them last year. The developers have now taken the case to the Secretary of State. The Prince Albert staff have asked locals to submit support online on their social media sites.
Everything was business as usual at The Albert when we arrived with the venue packed as normal on a Friday night. We stopped briefly downstairs for refreshment before moving upstairs to find a good view for the night’s review. I don’t usually stand right at the front, but for this venue, I usually make an exception.
Pythies, the first support hail from France, Paris to be precise. This was their first visit to Brighton for the three-piece who would be travelling to East London’s Signature Brew in Haggerston the following night. Formed in January 2023 the band gelled incredibly well after only a year and a half together, even more so considering they have also changed guitarists in that time as well. Instigator, lead vocalist and bassist Lise.L has now joined forces with guitar player Alice Adjutor (following the departure of Thérèse La Garce) and original formation member drummer Anna B. Void.
Self-described as “Witchy Grunge Feminists” (which immediately piqued my interest) the trio take inspiration from the ‘Riot Girl’ movement and ’90s Grunge favouring bands such as ‘Hole L7, 7-year bitch and Babes in Toyland’ and have christened their music “Witchy Grunge” due to the lyrical inspiration Lise.L takes from ‘Magical’ practices, such as Tarot as well as the musical genre which pervades the sound and presentation. In 2024 the group collaborated on the single ‘Chick Habit’ with the night’s headliners The Velvet Hands, bringing a signature grunge swagger to the track and eventually the band themselves to the UK for their first performances here after a tour of France. The band have had two singles of their own out this year ‘Eclipse’ and ‘Toy’ in addition to ‘Chick Habit’. The latter ‘Toy’ is inspired by Lise’s friendship with a boy that went sour, and ‘Eclipse’, written and inspired by an actual eclipse of the moon.
After being introduced by Roger of ‘Kick Out the Jams’ Pythies, who were already on stage started as they very much meant to go on with it with the track, ‘Misandry Is Sexy’.
The trio’s on-stage energy was phenomenal, especially from their drummer Anna B. Void, who relentlessly pummels the skins throughout the set, very clearly enjoying herself from the second she hits the stage.
Lise paused before the second song to introduce the band and tell the audience a little about themselves, “We’re Pythies from Paris, France, we’re excited to play with The Velvet Hands, we played with them a few months ago. The next song is ….”, after a short conflab between the band, confirms that the track was ‘Toy’. Looking at their setlist later it looks like it was a choice between a track called ‘Little B’ or ‘Toy’, before finally landing on ‘Toy’, their latest 2024 single. The track has Adjutor joining in with Lise.L on backing vocals.
‘As You Should’ Lise.L informed the audience “Talks of about feminism”, she pauses before adding, “That’s kind of the theme of all of the songs if I’m honest.” The track had an undercurrent of Sonic Youth to its main riff and the beat that runs underneath the whole track.
A surprise at the time was a cover of Peaches ‘F*ck the Pain Away’ in retrospect was an obvious go-to for the band in the same way that some of the rockier tracks from PJ Harvey might be. The decision to have the vocal parred down guitars and just the symbols during the rap part of the song brought something to their cover of a now classic track. Having seen Peaches deliver the track at Brighton Pride the weekend before I can say the band delivered an impressive version.
After the power of that track, Lise.L took the time to interact with the audience again. “What’s happening in your country at the moment is not dissimilar to what has been happening in ours, only we riot more often.” She said with a wry smile, “We have to fight against fascism!” Following the call to action and statement of solidarity, which were both met with applause, the band played their track ‘Victimized’. Lise.L introduced it by saying “This track has a real ‘Grunge’ thing going on. We usually have two guitars, that’s why it’s taking a little longer” she explained as Adjutor struggled to re-tune her guitar. It was also at this point that I had a chance to read the sticker on Lise.L’s beautiful bass “More Women on stage” something that the band have freely acknowledged is a problem in their native France. When the song gets going ‘Victimized’ features guitar which is a little Brit Pop, bass with lower tones and hard and heavy drums.
The next song, Lise.L tells the audience is called ‘Ouroboros’. “I have no idea how you pronounce that. Anyway, it’s the snake who eats its own tail.” During this track, all three sung vocals together at times sounding like Bikini Kill, a nod to the band’s Riot Girl influences, the faster tempo further hammered this home. Followed immediately with another fast-paced track, ‘Animal F*cker’, it strikes me that what might be taken as physical posturing from both lead vocalist and guitarist is deep immersion into their music.
Breaking her reverie Lise.L introduces another song “The next song is called ‘I Pity you, or ‘I Pythie You’, if you will, sorry my French/ English brain is playing me up…Anyway”. After this song Lise.L told the audience, “This track will be on the EP, which is coming out in September?..” It was great to hear that the band would be bringing out an EP later in the year, they have so little material recorded I wasn’t expecting such an extensive set. Anna B. Void, who had been drumming like a woman possessed throughout, really went for it on this track, just when you thought she couldn’t attack the kit any harder.
At this point, Lise.L reminded the audience that they had a merch desk at the back of the room. Other than the usual T-shirts the band also had exclusive things available. Yes, you read that correctly, thongs, pants, underwear, the merch you didn’t know you wanted until now.
Finishing on their single that came out in March 2024 Lise.L advised the audience that this was their most ‘Riot Girl’ track of the set. ‘Eclipse’ written during an eclipse of the moon by Lise.L. Before starting she also suggested that if the audience “Wanted to ‘Go for it’, now was the time to do so”.’Eclipse’ had a chorus with a similar delivery ‘Alala’ by C.S.S with Lise.L firing off a speedy triple repetition of “I wanna”, this transposed familiarity served to ensure the song stayed with me well after it had finished.
Their set finished Lise.L informed the audience that after they had finished their two sets in the UK they would be heading to the U.S. for a tour.
Pythies:
Lise.L – lead vocals + bass
Alice Adjutor – vocals + guitar
Anna B. Void – vocals + drums
Pythies setlist:
‘Misandry Is Sexy’ (unreleased)
‘Little B/ Toy’ (from 2024 ‘Toy’ single)
‘As You Should’ (unreleased)
‘Blondienette’ (unreleased)
‘F*ck The Pain Away’ (Peaches cover)
‘Victimized’ (unreleased)
‘Models Playing Rockstars’ (from 2023 ‘Always Too Much’ single)
‘Ouroboros’ (unreleased)
‘Animal F*cker’ (unreleased)
‘I Pythie You’ (unreleased)
‘Eclipse’ (from 2024 ‘Eclipse’ single)
COWZ had been recommended to me by fellow reviewers, friends and acquaintances. Although they have been on my hit-list until now I had kept on missing them, so I was looking forward to finally seeing them live. The alt pop-duo are Saga Wahlström and Natasha ‘Tasha’ Nicholl. Though I hadn’t seen them, I had heard some of their tracks due to others’ enthusiasm for them. The Alt/Bubblegum-Pop duo have an endless supply of upbeat seemingly saccharine tracks to put a smile on your face. However, listen to the lyrics and underneath the bubblegum you’ll find witty and intelligent lyrics criticising gender roles, and society and canonising the occasional Twilight character.
The duo is so in sync that they bookend each other’s sentences without a second thought. Proximity can do this, usually on tour this begins to happen with bands, and perhaps after a while of playing and practising with each other. For COWZ this happened almost as soon as they started sharing a house after their living arrangements changed rapidly for a variety of reasons. They found that not only were they in sync, but they also gelled musically despite their differing musical tastes and references.
The first track ‘Most Fun I’ve Had In Ages’ is misleading until you listen to the lyrics closely. The duo’s performance is high octane often featuring dance routines that mimic those teenage girls might construct in their bedroom to their favourite track, offering a veneer of sweetness and innocence hiding a revenge track of bored housewives and dissatisfied women taking back control from the men in their lives by whatever means necessary.
“Hi, we are COWZ, and we make Pop Music. The next song is about gossiping. I am fed up with everyone pretending they don’t like gossip.”
After a small amount of technical difficulty is resolved (with the duo hamming up their lack of technical prowess due to being female and then managing to fix it on their own anyway) They start the next track, ‘Rockstar’ again featuring dance routines which compliment each other but remain individual to each performer and duel singing, which both harmonises and contrasts, with the girls vocals complimenting and enhancing each other’s strengths throughout every song in the set.
Next came the track that I enjoyed listening to repeatedly before the gig. ‘Domination’ not only has the benefit of a catchy hook in the chorus but also reflects the zeitgeist of the nation’s dissatisfaction with the status quo. The lyrics criticise billionaires and their activities again under the veneer of bubblegum pop sneaking political and social commentary into the listener’s brain. Catchy and spot on the track deserves to be everywhere. At the end of the track the duo thanks the band “Thanks for your enthusiasm, I love it!“
The duo owes a lot to the likes of the ’90s bands Shampoo and Laure Laverne’s Kenickie albeit with a sharper political edge where they were both pure Bubblegum Pop and indie Pop.
The next song ‘Rosalie’ is about a character from the book and film franchise ‘Twilight’. Wahlström asks if there are any ‘Twilight’ fans in the audience, and a few reluctantly concede that they are. She continued “I don’t care I’m the one with the mic so my thoughts and ideas will be the loudest. So, this ones about Rosalie, the hot blonde one from ‘Twilight’ who killed her abusive husband and all his friends.” Again, what could have been mistaken for a fluffy song of fan fiction is an ode to triumphing against domestic abuse, albeit via the medium of vampirism. Mobilising popular culture as a vehicle for social comment while not new is handled expertly in the duo’s hands. The whole of the song could be lifted from any of the soundtracks for the ‘Twilight’ film series. On a side note, all of the soundtracks produced for the series are well worth listening to even if you are not a fan of the books or films. They feature songs, some commissioned specifically for the films from artists including Perry Farrell, Muse, Paramore, Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie, St Vincent, Bon Iver, Lykke Li, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Magic Numbers, Florence and the Machine and many more. Say what you will about Meyer and her oeuvre, but the soundtracks introduced a generation to new music.
‘La La Like You’ is their next offering and has the duo interacting with their backing track as they have done throughout rather than merely leaving it in the background. In effect, this gives them three vocalists on stage.
“We’ve one more track called ‘Psychos’.” Nicholl told the audience. “It’s a great lineup tonight, I know because we’re on it!” she said this with a wide grin and a wink before adding, “Only joking!” which she meant, well a little at least. The song has the line, “It is not my fault you fall for Psychos”. When initially tuning into the chorus I made the mistake of thinking that the duo was commiserating with a friend after a breakup, but no. This is a song about a doomed relationship with one of the partners shifting the blame on the other for its inevitable failure. The second line of the chorus reveals the real intent of the narrator, “Told you at the start that I bring Chaos”. This was another favourite of mine, the twist of the narrative from honest admission or possible commiseration to one of blame was a deft lyrical move.
The set having built-in cohesion progressively throughout was slick with just enough rough and ready around the edges to keep it visually and audibly appealing as well as lyrically engaging and compelling. Everyone was right, see COWZ at your earliest opportunity.
COWZ:
Saga Wahlström – vocals + laptop
Natasha ‘Tasha’ Nicholl – vocals
COWZ setlist:
‘Most Fun I’ve Had In Ages’ (from 2024 ‘That’s Cute Baby/Rosalie’ EPs)
‘Elephant’ (unreleased)
‘Rock Star’ (unreleased)
‘Domination’ (from 2024 ‘That’s Cute Baby/Rosalie’ EPs)
‘Rosalie’ (from 2024 ‘That’s Cute Baby/Rosalie’ EPs)
‘La La Like You’ (unreleased)
‘Fav Song’ (unreleased)
‘Psychos’ (from 2024 ‘That’s Cute Baby/Rosalie’ EPs)
The Velvet Hands, the headliners of the night were in contrast with the two supports and all-male lineup. Visually I couldn’t help but be reminded of The Jam, or any of the other quasi-Mod groups albeit a more modern version with a dash of rock swagger. So, it wasn’t a surprise when I learned that the band had toured with Paul Weller, the ‘old Father’ himself.
The first song in the set ’40 Up 40′ brought to mind multiple bands, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, The Kooks, The Fratellis, The Courteeners, Arctic Monkeys, and the Vaccines to name but a few and a perhaps sprinkling of the Faces. You can hear the influence of Julian Casablancas and his influence on Toby Mitchell’s vocal delivery as well as the band’s musical composition and delivery. This is more self-evident in the band’s first album ‘The Party’s Over’ released in 2018, but remains in the material on the 2023 album, ‘Sucker Punch’. The hook of the ‘40 Up 40’ “You’ll never be alone, never be alone”, is what really sells the song.
The audience loved the band, most were singing along with every track word perfectly all the way through. They had brought a following of regular attendees with them. At one point Mitchell wishes an audience member happy birthday, much to her delight. The front row was largely made up of female fans, though on the whole, the audience was fairly mixed.
The majority of the set from the London-based band pulled tracks from their 2023 album ‘Sucker Punch’. Formed in the Cornish town of Falmouth. The band have stated their influences including The Libertines, Blondie, The Strokes, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and the Clash. You can hear their influences littered throughout the album as well as when they play live.
‘Telephone Love’ , the second song of the set, was much more up-tempo and a real crowd pleaser. The opening of the track is lifted almost entirely from the Strokes ‘Last Night’, however this homage gives way almost immediately as the song settles into its own direction, reappearing slightly in the chorus, as if the band just can’t resist themselves.
Just before the third track Toby thanks the audience “Thanks for coming all this way it means a lot to us” suggesting that a large amount of the audience have indeed made the trip from Cornwall, which shows the dedication the band have developed from their audience. Their fans are not alone with praise coming from Radio 1, BBC Radio 6, and a slot on BBC Introducing. The band have been earning their chops since Toby and Sam graduated with a BA in ‘Creative Musicianship’ from The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London. They have toured with the likes of Fontaines D.C, Paul Weller and Liam Gallagher, and were handpicked to play at the Glastonbury annual party by Michael Eavis himself.
‘I Wanna Be There’ is one of the many tracks in the set which prove how slick, tight, competent and ‘hungry’ the band are. There is no doubt the band’s musicianship and wide reference points combine to make a sound that the audience are hungry for themselves. Other standouts in the set include ‘Holiday In My Head’, and ‘Sucker Punch’.
‘Chick Habit’ is a cover that you will recognize, but I might not pin immediately. Let me put you out of your misery. It appeared on the soundtracks for Tarantino’s ‘Death Proof’ and ‘But I’m A Cheerleader’. It’s a cover of the 1964 French song titled ‘Laisse-Tomber les Filles’ (Leave The Girls Alone) by Serge Gainsbourg. On the band’s version (which featured the support band Pythies perhaps in a nod to its origins, the opening vocal sound is very much like Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos in delivery style. It’s not until Lise Lechopier’s vocal kicks in that the song becomes recognizable, adding the French lilt that gives a much-needed lift from being just another standard cover and offering the joy of the original.
Starting as more surf rock, the band have decided to change direction stating that the ‘Chick Habit’ is the direction they are planning to move towards. For my money, it’s by far their best song to date and if this is indeed the direction they are taking I’ll be happy to hear more.
The Velvet Hands:
Toby Mitchell – vocals + guitar
Dan Able – vocals + guitar
Louis Mitchell – drums
Sam Hilder – bass
The Velvet Hands setlist:
’40 Up 40′ (from 2023 ‘Sucker Punch’ album)
‘Telephone Love’ (from 2023 ‘Sucker Punch’ album)
‘I Wanna Be There’ (from 2023 ‘Sucker Punch’ album)
‘Sucker Punch’ (from 2023 ‘Sucker Punch’ album)
‘Free’ (unreleased)
‘Emotion‘ (from 2023 ‘Sucker Punch’ album)
‘Don’t Be Nice’ (unreleased)
‘Holiday In My Head‘ (from 2023 ‘Sucker Punch’ album)
‘Chick Habit’ (featuring Pythies)’ (from 2023 ‘Sucker Punch’ album)
‘This Feeling’ (unreleased)
‘Party’s Over’ (from 2018 ‘Party’s Over’ album)
