Punktuation caught up with new band in town Denizens at their 2nd gig..
West London on a warm Saturday night, punks gather at West Hampstead Arts Club for another evening of excellent live music, curated by Derek Gibbs and Mannie Zerafa (The Satellites). Shake Some Acton have just held their 45th event, showcasing a fascinating assortment of punk bands across their 5 year tenure.
Tonight Denizens are a late but very welcome addition to the bill – the previous Sunday saw them play their debut gig at the iconic Dublin Castle in Camden, North London. Formed by members of No Lip and Morgellons, this London four piece is made up of Neale Milam – Vocals, Mark Geraghty – Guitar/Vocals, Rikki Payne – Bass, and Kev Gregory – Drums.
“We’ve been on the scene for a long time, as both punters and players” says vocalist Neale, during our chat outside, catching a breath between bands. “Most of us have been around the London punk scene since 1978, in and out of bands, and we felt the time was right for four fellas with a punk / hardcore / streetpunk pedigree to write songs and start gigging again“.
Guitarist Mark adds “Our main influences are the punk bands of the ’70s, particularly UK Subs and The RuTs“.
Future recordings are planned – Neale confirms “We’re going to do some John Peel style sessions which we’ll record – we’ll drip feed them out to people at gigs as freebies“. Sounds great! He continues; “Album-wise, we write a lot of songs and we’ve got a great studio, Powerhouse in Surrey, (who recorded and mixed the EP, details below), but we’re a live band so we prefer to be out playing! We will record an album at some stage“.
Good news on the gigging front too – the band will play outside London this year; “We’ve got a couple down in Kent, we’re playing at the Cream of the Crop all-dayer in Bedford, Friars Inn in Hemel with our great friends Menace – we were always at their gigs and at Sham 69 back in ’78, ’79 – although I was younger and slimmer then!” laughs Neale.
A band which will appeal to punk fans young and old, Denizens have a comprehensive musical heritage, and a lot to say in their songs – go check ’em out!
Denizens debut EP ‘Mind Control‘ is out now on Sounds of the Suburbs records, streaming on all digital platforms and avialable on CD from Sounds of the Suburbs record store, 110 Victoria Road, London. You can also buy copies from the band at their gigs!
Catch Denizens at one of their headline show this year, and keep an eye on their socials for other appearances:
Main Photo Credit: RUTH RAE
Follow Denizens on Their Socials
Need more Punk In Your Life?
Griff and Michele are back with a Ska classic!
Follow-up single to their December hit ‘Christmas Smile’, Griff & Michele with one ‘L’ return with a cover of the 1968 Ska/Rocksteady/Reggae classic ‘54-46’, by
Crymwav to hit London on Friday!
West coast US rockers Crymwav (pronounced ‘Crimewave’) are crossing the pond to play a show at the famous Iron Maiden pub the Cart & Horses
Scarborough Punk Souvenir – are YOU in this fantastic photobook, by Phil Thorns?
Scarborough Punk Festival 2024 was an amazing event – top photographer Phil Thorns presents the best of the action! Published in a fabulous 72 page
Syama de Jong, ‘first lady’ of Dutch punk, passes away
Rest in Punk, Rest in Power, Saskia aka Sacha aka Syama de Jong! We shall never forget you. Herman de Tollenaere recounts her extraordinary legacy.
Peesh goes ‘Under the Radar’ in his new seasonal project!
Northumbrian punk singer-songwriter Peesh has just released a great new single, ‘Under the Radar’, to celebrate the first day of Spring – and to launch
Album review: Satanic Rites of The Wildhearts
March 2025 sees The Wildhearts return with their 11th studio album; ‘Satanic Rites of The Wildhearts’. Featuring their new line-up, coming out on a new
Usually found jumping around down the front at gigs, I also relish taking photos and videos, singing, speaking with fellow music fans, and asking musicians the questions nobody else does. Writing about my favourite bands and connecting with people who love music too keeps me more-or-less sane! I’ve worked for over 25 years at a video production company, mainly filming live music events, therefore I have an additional backstage perspective on the scene.
Did you know that we are 100% DIY? We run our own game. No one dictates to us, and no one drives what we can or cannot put on our pages – and this is how we plan to continue!
