Veronica Lipgloss and the Evil - Electric Ballroom, London, 5/7/2013

  by Chris O'Toole

published: 30 / 6 / 2013

intro

Chris O'Toole finds melodic American noise rock duo Pissed Jeans on dynamic form in a razor sharp, short set at the Electric Ballroom in London

Sub Pop mainstay Pissed Jeans have an everyday everyman image. Dressing in line with generations of slackers before them, they sing about the tedious minutia of modern life; exaggerating, expanding and examining the countless irritating occurrences which combined to so frustrate us. But in their music, they offer an answer to these concerns, blowing away the detritus of the working week with short, menacing bursts of melodic noise rock. Camden finds them in fine voice tonight. Taking the stage at the Electric Ballroom, they largely draw from new album ‘Honeys’ while also throwing in favourites from the back catalogue. Not that it is possible to tell the old from the new, with each track hurled out through the speakers at awe inspiring volume. A sell out crowd screams back the lyrics while trying to keep their footing in a shifting sea of moshing bodies. On stage Matt Korvette, open shirted, stands with his microphone in hand looking like a matador, bidding the baying crowd to celebrate the terrifying carnival the band is unleashing upon them. Drummer Sean McGuinness and a surprisingly melodic Randy Huth combine to form a powerful, dynamic rhythm section, driving the band forward with a relentless pace, while the real star of the show, guitarist Bradley Fry, unleashes layer after layer of razor sharp noise. ‘Cafeteria Food’ and ‘Bathroom Laughter’, a light ditty about being a witness to a crime, both receive warm receptions from fans. But individual tracks merge into a wider aesthetic, with barely a moment left to breathe in between each. And then, just like that, it is all over. In 35 minutes, including a brief break for a notional encore, Pissed Jeans have proved they are one of the most vital live touring bands around, capable of building something special out of the most mundane of building blocks.

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