Let's Wrestle

Let's Wrestle

06 February, 2009
by: Stevros

This was not a show, but a party. It was to be held in a secret warehouse location in Whitechapel, but the day before it became apparent that the 130-capacity warehouse was not going to be able to cope with the 500-odd people that were planning on attending. So at the last minute the location got changed to the Sebright Arms, a 300-capacity dodgy east end boozer that didn't know what it had let itself in for. This was probably one of the best decisions in managerial history.

About half ten Thee Vicars took to the stage. Hailing from Bury St Edmonds with an average age of 17, they are incredible. They play back-from-the-grave-style surf/garage punk, are all in complete control of their instruments, put on a great show and due to looking so young and wearing suits, ties and shoes are cute as hell and fun as fuck. Without a doubt Thee Vicars were the best band of the evening, unfortunately playing early meant that they weren't playing to the packed-out room that they deserved.

Next Graffiti Island take to the stage and they're a genuine staple of the Shoreditch music scene. Described on the flyer as 'Total Radness' and once described to me by someone (after their first couple of shows) as 'a girl playing the drums badly with a bored American guy talking over it', Graffiti Island sit somewhere between these two monikers. They draw from Calvin Johnson and K Records-inspired lo-fi indie and are completely different to any other London or UK-based band around at the minute, and possibly even ever! Tonight their set is well-rehearsed, well-written and tailored to the party atmosphere which is building within the Hackney backstreet venue. They play to the largest crowd tonight, put on a good show and get a great reception. These days they are a long way from my friend's quote from earlier in their career.

I saw Let's (Fucking) Wrestle about a year ago and, as I recall, I was underwhelmed by their seemingly middle of the road indie-pop. Then I heard about them getting kicked off a tour because they were 'unworkable' missing some gigs off another tour because they got arrested for drunk-driving without a license, and that when they were heckled incessantly while playing with Fucked Up at Guildford Youth Centre they dealt with it, with a maturity beyond their average age of 18 years. This suggests that they could possibly be the last of the real rock-and-roll bands and also that any band that can play indie-pop to a room full of punks and deal with the ramifications deserves the respect that they get. Unfortunately despite the room rammed to its 300 capacity with a queue out the door, only a small proportion of this crowd was paying even the vaguest amount of attention to Let's Wrestle while they played. This is perhaps the result of this being primarily a party not a gig, and partly due to them being slightly bland.

This was an astounding party with the bands followed by DJ sets from Lovvers, The Big Pink, Tape Deck, Twee as Fuck and Fuck Buttons ensuring everything carried on deep into the night. A collaboration between Feeding Time and This Is Music, with guest appearances from various other promoters and east London minor celebrities, guarantees a great night. Look out for the next one…

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Stevros