THE SERFS + ELECTRIC COWBOY CLUB – DUST, BRIGHTON 14.11.24
We last caught Cincinnati synth punk trio The Serfs back on 19th March last year, when they rocked on up at The Hope & Ruin and it was up there as one of the very best gigs of the year for yours truly. That concert was put on by locally based label and promoter Love Thy Neighbour and once again they have booked The Serfs to play live in Brighton. This time around the venue of choice is Dust which is located on East Street opposite the East Street Tap.
As is often the case with Brighton’s booming music scene, there was unfortunately a clash of gigs this evening, with punk legends the UK Subs celebrating their singer’s 80th birthday at The Arch venue, which actually isn’t that far away. A plan was hatched once we found out the performance times for both concerts. They were, for Dust – Electric Cowboy Club 7:20pm start, Gamma 8:10pm start, and The Serfs 9:00pm start, and for The Arch they were Phat Problem 7:30pm start and UK Subs 8:30pm start. It was evident that favours would be called upon as we obviously can’t clone ourselves. We settled on watching the whole of the Electric Cowboy Club set and Dust, then catching the first part of the UK Subs set at The Arch, and then retracing our steps back to Dust in order to catch the full performance from The Serfs. A colleague was going to fill in for the whole of the UK Subs set as well as the full Phat Problem performance and our new photographer friend agreed to kindly supply us with the relevant photos. The only casualty of the evening being that we would totally miss hardcore punk “supergroup” Gamma at Dust, but I believe they are relatively local – as they may feature members of Holiday Ghosts, Freak Genes and , Isolation Punks – and they played The Pipeline on 29th October, so we should be able to catch them soon!
Let’s jump right to The Serfs who are all standing on stage this evening, and to our left (stage right) we have Andie Luman on Korg and Roland JX-8P synthesizers and vocals; centre stage is Dylan McCartney on vocals, drums, corrugated metal percussion, harmonica, Fender Stratocaster guitar, bass, large egg shaker, synthesizer, electronics; and finally on our right (stage left) is Dakota Carlyle on synthesizer, Fender Stratocaster guitar, bass, drums, drum programming, electronics, and taxi drive mic style vocals. The trio also operated in a five-piece American post-punk band from Cincinnati, going by the name of Crime Of Passing, the remaining members being Brad Kennedy on drums and Chuck Walden on bass. Collectively they dropped their self-titled debut album last year, which had followed on from their 2019 ‘Winter Nineteen’ cassette and 2017’s three tune ‘Dancing Prick’ release. Check out Crime Of Passing releases on their Bandcamp page HERE.
I guess the best way to describe The Serfs, is to let them do it themselves! They therefore state thus: “The Serfs are a deliberately nebulous and incidentally industrialist gang of dance-floor hymners – perturbed and tranced-out troubadours whose sound and musical ideology seems to be a causal manifestation of their immediate environments. Like their Ohio predecessors, The Serfs seem askew from the art that surrounds them, and proud of it.” Or in short…they are an electro post-punk outfit of the highest order!
Their journey began in 2019 with the release of ‘Songs Of Serfdom’ which initially was a 6-track cassette release, but then was expanded into an 11-tune epic, which was available on vinyl as well as a new cassette. Post covid saw the release of their ‘Angelic Ritualistic Cruelty’ EP and when they toured in 2021 they had their ‘I Saw The Serfs In The Flesh’ cassette’s waiting to be purchased on their merch stall. 2022 saw the launch of their ‘Primal Matter’ album (vinyl, cassette, CD), as well as a very limited ‘Rarities’ cassette which were available on the new tour. Last year they dropped their ‘Half Eaten By Dogs’ album on vinyl and CD and this year they have dropped their ‘Paid In Full’ / ‘Regen’ single, which interestingly plays at 45prm on the A-side an 33rpm on the B-side.
This evening we are in the company of The Serfs from 9:00pm to 9:44pm and during that time we are given eleven decent cuts. The first thing you can’t help noticing is that Dylan who is centre stage is enthusiastically playing the drums in a standing position and instead of a normal cymbal he has a slab of corrugated metal as percussion. It’s immediately obviously effective as it bounces when hit with the normal drumsticks. Their electronic equipment is as far as I can tell slightly different from last year’s concert which had a Korg Modwave Synthesizer, Elektron Digitone Eight Voice Polyphonic Digital Synthesizer, Behringer TD-3 Computer Controlled Analog Bass Line Synthesizer, plus a Roland SP-404 MKII Sampler. (This year’s equipment has already been listed).
They kick off at 9pm with an unreleased number called ‘Come And See’ which affords a slow intro and then the Cozy Powell style drumming kicks in and there’s a definite air of tribal about it. The first of two cuts from their ‘Sounds Of Serfdom’ album arrives next in the form of the more melodic ‘Dart Through The Shadows’ which thankfully has the keys more to the fore and the guitar sounds not too far off The Cure. After this we get the first of four chosen cuts from the latest ‘Half Eaten By Dogs’ album, this being ‘Electric Like An Eel’, which features Dylan on harmonica and the overall sound of this track could have easily been lifted from New Order’s debut ‘Movement’ album, as the bass guitar and drum machine blend in nicely. The first of two tunes from their ‘Primal Matter’ album is performed next, this being the wonderfully banging electronic beat of ‘The Willows’, which, for me, raises the bar somewhat! The drumming is great as well.
‘Beat Me Down’ from their ‘Half Eaten By Dogs’ album is the trio’s next offering and jolly good it is too! It builds and builds the further it goes on with more thumping drums and this time with speedy guitar play and joint vocals from Andie and Dylan. It’s a cross of Joy Division’s ‘Isolation’ and the vibe of Suicide. We are then lucky to hear another unreleased track, it’s called ‘Swim’ and has a slower beat than the previous track and the backbeat reminds me of the work of ‘dance troupe’ Shock from 1981 when they supported Gary Numan at Wembley Arena. ‘Swim’ then adds another dimension as a beat similar to early Nitzer Ebb kicks in and sees Andie on vocals. Can’t wait for this track to come out!
With The Serfs it’s all just about the music and so there’s no idle twaddle about “we love you Brighton, you’re our favourite city in the UK” blah blah blah! In fact I can only recall us being addressed once during the performance and none of the songs are introduced. It really is like watching New Order again in 1981. ‘Club Deuce’ from ‘Half Eaten By Dogs’ comes next, the initial keys and backing immediately remind me of the epic Cabaret Voltaire around the time of their ‘Sensoria’ and ‘James Brown’ singles, a band I caught not too long after at the Town & Country Club, Kentish Town on Wednesday 12th February 1986. ‘Club Deuce’ is a slower paced number for The Serfs and edges into a previously unheard funk vibe. Andie’s vocals are almost otherworldly on this, the electronic beat is decent and Dylan even has a shake of a large egg shaker, and so it also has the feel of a Section 25 track.
Another unreleased number followed, it’s called ‘Steppers’ and sees Dylan switch to bass guitar and Dakota has a go on the keys. This has a shared vocal delivery and is a faster beat tune. This segued straight into the last of their choices from the latest LP, this being the urgent rockin’ ‘Order Imposing Sentence’, which shows their post-punk vibes with Dylan still on guitar and Dakota switching to drums for the first time. There’s even a Sigue Sigue Sputnik feel to this track and it’s a set highlight, no wonder it’s the opener on ‘Half Eaten By Dogs’. Dylan and Dakota swap places again and they perform the second cut from 2019’s ‘Sounds Of Serfdom’ album, this being ‘Vanishing Act’ with its shared vocals from Andie and Dylan. The electronic backbeat kicks in, followed by the drums and it immediately sounds rather meaty and could have easily have been penned by fellow American act Sextile, who have certainly grown in popularity since their last two Brighton appearances.
They leave us with ‘Politics Of Emptiness’ which is found on 2022’s ‘Primal Matter’ album. Once again, the electronic beat kicks in with its slightly off-kilter keys which again remind me of Cabaret Voltaire, but the song as a whole could have been another Sextile tune. Once again, it’s been a really immersive set and I’m rather enjoying more and more acts like The Serfs who are finally not just coming over from abroad and playing a solitary London gig, but adding Brighton to their roster as well. This year these have included Ultra Sunn, TR/ST, Yard, Dame Area, Bibi Club, Ringo Deathstarr, Blushing, Twin Tribes, Wingtips, Baby’s Beserk, Drab Majesty, and Bound By Endogamy….looks like we’ve got a new scene going down!
The Serfs:
Andie Luman – vocals, synthesizer
Dylan McCartney – vocals, drums, harmonica, guitar, bass, large egg shaker, synthesizer, electronics
Dakota Carlyle – synthesizer, guitar, bass, drums, drum programming, electronics, vocals
The Serfs setlist:
‘Come And See’ (unreleased)
‘Dart Through The Shadows’ (from 2019 ‘Sounds Of Serfdom’ album)
‘Electric Like An Eel’ (from 2024 ‘Half Eaten By Dogs’ album)
‘The Willows’ (from 2022 ‘Primal Matter’ album)
‘Beat Me Down’ (from 2024 ‘Half Eaten By Dogs’ album)
‘Swim’ (unreleased)
‘Club Deuce’ (from 2024 ‘Half Eaten By Dogs’ album)
‘Steppers’ (unreleased)
‘Order Imposing Sentence’ (from 2024 ‘Half Eaten By Dogs’ album)
‘Vanishing Act’ (from 2019 ‘Sounds Of Serfdom’ album)
‘Politics Of Emptiness’ (from 2022 ‘Primal Matter’ album)
The opening act for this evening is Brighton’s very own Electric Cowboy Club who specialise in Trashy Rock n’ Roll and an act you would have thought would this evening be opening for the UK Subs at The Arch, as they had done for the Exploited a while back. If you want to see a band that makes you truly feel as though you are alive and brings a massive beaming smile to your face, then ECC is the answer. Their performances are a thing of true beauty, provided you don’t get sent flying by the over-eager moshers!
Tonight we note that they have a new personnel with the departure of Wyn Harcourt, being replaced by Lilo Robertson on drums, the other three are present are correct, these being: guitarist James Lissimore who has the look of a guy who could have been in one of those slightly edgy skin-punk bands from back in the day, but like all of ECC, is really a jolly decent fellow. On bass we have Jacob Lenadd O’Shea, who you take one look at and immediately know that he’s in a band, he has ‘that’ seriously cool look. Finishing off the lineup, is the one member that anyone that has witnessed an ECC gig, will certainly remember the most, this being vocalist Brandon Parker, a guy that nearly always appears topless (showing off his many tattoos) and one that your eyes are continually fixed to, as you really don’t know what antics he is going to get up to next.
Tonight, we are given a 28 minute set full of chaos and no less than 14 tracks! Yep that averages at two minutes each, and less, if you factor in any gaps between tunes. This lot plays hard and works hard, especially Brandon. At 7:20pm they announce their arrival with a screech on their instruments and literally within ten seconds Brandon not only has knocked over a mic stand but has also managed to displace one of the floor speakers from the stage and it lands in front of the punters! He’s set out his stall for the night and I can immediately see that it’s going to be one of those classic performances! Being the first act meant that there weren’t too many punters in (shame on you!) and thus Brandon brought the show to us! Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester on 4th June 1976, anyone?
The musicians were going at it 100mph for openers ‘Reality’ which can be found on last year’s ‘Small Pond Emerging – Volume III’ various artists compilation album, and then two cuts from their forthcoming as yet untitled next EP, these being ’78 RPM’ and ‘Train’. The music is loud and it’s dirty and several punters here love it that way. Others attending are to be honest more in total shock, as Brandon writhes and contorts his body around on the floor at their feet whilst screaming the lyrics. Some are doing the British stiff upper lip thing and trying their best to pretend it’s not actually happening in front of them as they sip their drinks and give off the thousand yard stare, you know what I mean, shut your eyes and it will go away, sort of thing. Brandon’s having none of it though! He has become a man that has become possessed, he rolls his eyes right back and all we can see is white pupils, is this the work of a shaman or witchdoctor?
‘Creature’ from their recent ‘Rock N’Roll Itch’ EP is their next choice. It seems slower than the previous trio of tunes, but clearly things are heating up on stage as drummer Lilo also relieves himself of his top. I can’t imagine James and Jacob ever doing this! There was hardly a single tune where Brandon didn’t vacate the stage and come and join us. The man’s on overdrive just like the music is on stage, as the lads whizz through their 2022 single ‘Maxine’, followed by two cover versions, beginning with ‘Horror Business’ by the Misfits and then hastily chased by their take on the Scissor Sisters ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’, this being simply titled ‘Filthy’, which is what Brandon’s upper torso will be at the end of the set.
The tracks are coming so fast and furious that I can’t seem to catch up on my note taking, and also partly I’m watching the antics of the feral lead singer, with a Cheshire Cat grin on my face. The band is musically tight and if psychobilly, punk, trash is your bag, then ECC are for you! This lot makes The Meteors appear like The Nolans! What more can I say, other than treat yourself to one of their shows! This has been quite possibly the best I’ve seen them and at 7:48pm they were done and the beer drinking crowd could now relax!
E.C.C (Electric Cowboy Club):
Brandon Parker – vocals
James Lissimore – guitar
Jacob Lenadd O’Shea – bass
Lilo Robertson – drums
E.C.C (Electric Cowboy Club) setlist:
‘Reality’ (from 2023 ‘Small Pond Emerging – Volume III’ compilation album)
’78 RPM’ (from forthcoming unnamed EP)
‘Train’ (from forthcoming unnamed EP)
‘Creature’ (from 2024 ‘Rock N’Roll Itch’ EP)
‘Maxine’ (from 2022 ‘Grapefruit Baby’ single)
‘Horror Business’ (Misfits cover)
‘Filthy’ (cover of ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’ by the Scissor Sisters)
‘Creep’ (from 2024 ‘Rock N’Roll Itch’ EP)
‘Grapefruit Baby’ (a 2022 single)
‘Stechen’ (from forthcoming unnamed EP)
‘Trippin’ (In A Locked Room)’ (from 2024 ‘Rock N’Roll Itch’ EP)
‘Coconut Tree’ (from 2022 ‘Coconut Tree’/’Ran A Red Light’ single)
‘Ran A Red’ (from 2022 ‘Coconut Tree’/’Ran A Red Light’ single)
‘Jungle Fever’ (from 2024 ‘Rock N’Roll Itch’ EP)
