SPAN are back (albeit just briefly) after a nearly 20-year hiatus, and it was so unexpected!
In a fairer world, SPAN would have packed out venues like the Brixton Academy in their heyday – for sure, they had the tunes, but somehow were criminally overlooked. As it is, for this one-off (and final!) London gig, they’ve attracted a relatively small but highly devoted crowd, who apparently know every single one of their songs inside out.
LiVES, like all the best bands, are fuelled by plenty of righteous vitriol – be it directed towards politicians (‘Let Them Eat Cake’), social media mob mentality (‘Cancelled’) or their old record label (‘Fuck Your Money’). Bassist Daniel and drummer Alex hold down tight grooves whilst main vocalist/guitarist Peter unleashes furious screams and barbed-wire riffs. There are echoes of Queens Of The Stone Age, and of Biffy Clyro before they sandpapered all their jagged edges off.
As fans of punk, we here at Punktuation like to think we can recognise good outsider music when we hear it, and LiVES are a prime example.
JW PARIS are disciples of the quiet/loud dynamic that served the likes of the Pixies and Nirvana so well, and they also give a nod to 90s Britpop. They mash up those influences on the likes of ‘Who Are You’ and ‘Geeks & Freaks’ – the latter coming across like the musical love child of the Stone Roses and Weezer (trust us, that’s a good thing!). The trio all give 100%, but ultimately, it’s drummer Gemma who proves the star of their set, as she gleefully smashes away at her kit. Great stuff.
The headliners ease us in gently, with ‘Peaceful’ building gradually from a plaintive strum until that Rage Against The Machine-esque riff comes crashing in. Sensing blood, they follow it up with a turbocharged ‘Stay As You Are’ and a swaggering ‘Entitled’, leaving us gasping for breath. Take that, that and that. They’ve reformed as a quintet for a triple-guitar attack, and unsurprisingly sound absolutely massive.
SPAN’s best songs are often reminiscent of prime-era (i.e. 90s) Foo Fighters or Placebo, and the quality and energy levels rarely dip throughout their set, with a storming ‘Wildflower’ as evidence that the faster and harder they go, the better the results. Folks, it’s a triumph. We find ourselves wondering why they’re playing evergreen classic ‘Don’t Think The Way They Do’ so early, and then realise that, actually, an hour has already flown by, and they’re at the start of a glorious home stretch.
A final, strut-tastic rendition of ‘Papa’ is no less enjoyable for being predictable, and we can’t help but smile as the crowd almost drown out singer/guitarist Jarle on the line “you don’t look like a man to me”. After all, SPAN are truly the men of the hour, and tonight, they’ve given us a welcome reminder of why they inspired such devotion among those in the know. So goodbye, gentlemen – it was our pleasure.
Main Photo Credit / All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
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