On The Town

On The Town

21 July, 2008
by: Joe Harrod

We put our money where our mouths are last night and went out to a gig as a Spoonfed team, trooping through a wet Hoxton to see a This Is Music gig at The Macbeth with Spin Spin The Dogs, Dananananaykroyd and Lovvers.

It was great. Drinking beer and having our ears blasted is what we got into this business for, and the Macbeth is a great place to do it. They've got those big bottles of Budvar which make you swig and sway like a rock star.

Spin Spin The Dogs were OK. Their frontman kept up a continuous and mildly amusing patter throughout their set, and the band was pretty crisp. They didn't really grab us though. Part of the problem was the lack of a kick-off when anecdotes ended and songs began, the whole effect was a bit like walking past a noisy busker and listening to a platform announcement at the same time.

Lovvers were much better. This was the act we'd come to see, some real punks to blow away the faux cobwebs accumulated by months of looking at celebrity children wearing designer DIY clobber and behaving like ‘rebels' in choreographed fashion for the middle pages of the free rags.

They were the real deal, shouting, snarling, and getting involved with the crowd. The set was a refreshing continuous blast of straight up post punk hardcore, with no pauses, just the odd meltdown. Shaun Hencher is an authentic lead, sauntering into the crowd like he was going to pick a fight and screeching a continuous steam of invective with both style and ability.

If there was one criticism, they could have turned Shaun up a bit. Of course the band was great, but if you're going to deliver brilliant vocals, you need a bit of volume. It's a fair criticism, amply borne out by the next act whose singer shone through with lively backing from two drum kits, and two lead guitarists.

If Lovvers attacked the crowd, Dananananaykroyd wanted to take them home. Boyish lead singer David bounced in front of his overcrowded stage, arms on shoulders of a circle of appreciative fans, flicking one and all with his throwback hair. Formidable noisy breakdowns were marked by wide grins and dangerous pogo-ing by everyone in the band, with drummers taking turns to climb the walls.

They are a lot of fun. Clear vocal lines and structured songs combined with an enthusiasm for headbanging metallic rock: What's not to like? If Lovvers incited the most flash photography with their piggybacks, violence, and onstage kneeling, the Glasgow boys (and girl) stole the hearts of the crowd and made a pub-full of new fans.

Well satisfied, we rode the night bus out with lucky bastard smiles: even a hangover won't put the kibosh on a job that basically consists of myspazzing new music. Three bands, two great, and enough beer to sink a battleship. We're jammy.

Click here to see all London live music.
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Click here for things to do in Hoxton and Shoreditch.

Joe Harrod