Live review : Muncie Girls (Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, Brighton)
11:39
First of all, I would like to use this space to give a little shout out to Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, my favourite place to go out in Brighton. I went for the first time after seeing Manchester Orchestra at the Concorde 2 in August, on a "we're going there for drinks, we'll meet you there and then we're totally not turning up" basis, and on our first night out there after I'd moved, it was the only place I knew of. So we went, and since then, I have been regularly, and it's my second home, or something. They have cool nights out (Dude Ranch is a favourite of mine), super kind staff, really good gigs and they do brilliant veggie and vegan pizza. If you're ever in Brighton, just go have a drink and a slice, okay?
Last Friday night, I totally did not dance on table tops nor took too many shots, let alone forgot I kissed someone, but I found myself in the basement of Sticky Mike's for yet another really good gig. It was fronted by the likes of punk rising stars Muncie Girls, who were supported by Fresh, Random Heroes and Doe.
I got in just at the beginning of Fresh, and I'm going to risk a horrible, horrible pun and say they were refreshing. Awful puns aside (I am very sorry, please forgive me), they were quite frankly excellent and a band I will keep watching in the future. It was so easy for me to get caught in their universe, particularly thanks to Kathryn Woods' lovely, sweet vocals. I just loved it. And The Woods absolutely broke me. (What doesn't, though. That's what happens when you're the queen of emo and all that) That was a brilliant moment, I very much appreciated the little story about the Sorority Noise t-shirt (yes, they are the coolest!) and see you soon, I hope.
(On their Facebook page, their genre is "crying". How could I not like them)
Second up is Random Heroes, who have quite a fair amount of fans in the venue. When they started playing their fast, catchy punk-rock hooks, I thought to myself that oh, they remind me of Sum 41 and The Offspring, and then they said they had been doing the little music thing for about fifteen years, and their Bandcamp says they've formed in 2002 and then it all made sense. They were around at the same time as Sum 41 and The Offrpsing and the likes, and they are just as fast and catchy as them. The songs are short, straight to the point, have their fair share of gang vocals and everything about Random Heroes screams 2002 in the best possible way. It was a fun half hour and another band I'm glad I have stumbled upon.
Last support act of the evening is Doe. One of my favourite things about this evening is how three of the four bands that played were fronted by ladies, and kickass ladies at that. We keep complaining about how there are not enough "female-fronted" bands around, and maybe if we just opened our minds, our ears and our eyes, we'd see that they are just there and overflowing with talent, because yes, just like every other band gracing the stage tonight, Doe have a lot of talent to offer. Their brand of pop punk verges towards the gnarlier end of the spectrum and screams me coming back for more as soon as they find their way towards our little town again. I just loved it. One thing that living in Brighton and expanding my music taste and interests brought me was all those little DIY bands, the ones that deserve everyone's attention, the ones that are doing their thing and doing it wonderfully. Another see you soon.
I think I started listening to Muncie Girls because I saw a girl in the street carrying a guitar case and it had a Muncie Girls sticker on it, and I knew I'd heard the name before, so I decided to give them a listen. I was easily swept off my feet. They have catchy hooks that go oh so well with Lande Hekt's delicate, yet powerful vocals and they make me want to have a little dance but also, their lyrics speak to me. They are way beyond the best of both worlds - though they are, too.
On the 4th of March, the Exeter trio released their debut album, From Caplan to Belsize, and I've been listening to it on repeat since then, and I suppose you can only imagine how excited I was to see them in my favourite place in Brighton. You know when you listen to an album and artist a lot and you build a hype in your mind because you are seeing them shortly thereafter? They absolutely lived up to that hype and to what I read everywhere about them. They were incredible, and the love I now have for them is not going anywhere anytime soon. When you see them play, you can feel it - the passion, the enthusiasm, all these things that make me stop and say I like that band, I want to stick around, I want to see them again. I am a sucker for these things. The passion, the enthusiasm, the obvious, sheer joy of being on a stage.
And the power. The way frontwoman Lande Hekt isn't scared to tell a guy at the front to be careful in the way he moves and how she wishes he would stop because he is distracting her and not in a good way. When you end up at gigs where frontmen want wall of death after wall of death and say they're playing for the people starting circle pits and it seems like kicking one another in the teeth is common courtesy, it is refreshing and incredibly welcome to have someone stop this and tell a person to be careful. More bands do this, please.
Friday night was one of these evenings during which I was happy I trusted my gut and a sticker on a girl's guitar case.
Maybe I should do that more often.
Muncie Girls are coming back to Brighton in May where they will play Kerrang!'s Fresh Blood Side alongside Shvpes, As Lions and Black Foxxes. Count on me to be there.
(On their Facebook page, their genre is "crying". How could I not like them)
Second up is Random Heroes, who have quite a fair amount of fans in the venue. When they started playing their fast, catchy punk-rock hooks, I thought to myself that oh, they remind me of Sum 41 and The Offspring, and then they said they had been doing the little music thing for about fifteen years, and their Bandcamp says they've formed in 2002 and then it all made sense. They were around at the same time as Sum 41 and The Offrpsing and the likes, and they are just as fast and catchy as them. The songs are short, straight to the point, have their fair share of gang vocals and everything about Random Heroes screams 2002 in the best possible way. It was a fun half hour and another band I'm glad I have stumbled upon.
Last support act of the evening is Doe. One of my favourite things about this evening is how three of the four bands that played were fronted by ladies, and kickass ladies at that. We keep complaining about how there are not enough "female-fronted" bands around, and maybe if we just opened our minds, our ears and our eyes, we'd see that they are just there and overflowing with talent, because yes, just like every other band gracing the stage tonight, Doe have a lot of talent to offer. Their brand of pop punk verges towards the gnarlier end of the spectrum and screams me coming back for more as soon as they find their way towards our little town again. I just loved it. One thing that living in Brighton and expanding my music taste and interests brought me was all those little DIY bands, the ones that deserve everyone's attention, the ones that are doing their thing and doing it wonderfully. Another see you soon.
I think I started listening to Muncie Girls because I saw a girl in the street carrying a guitar case and it had a Muncie Girls sticker on it, and I knew I'd heard the name before, so I decided to give them a listen. I was easily swept off my feet. They have catchy hooks that go oh so well with Lande Hekt's delicate, yet powerful vocals and they make me want to have a little dance but also, their lyrics speak to me. They are way beyond the best of both worlds - though they are, too.
On the 4th of March, the Exeter trio released their debut album, From Caplan to Belsize, and I've been listening to it on repeat since then, and I suppose you can only imagine how excited I was to see them in my favourite place in Brighton. You know when you listen to an album and artist a lot and you build a hype in your mind because you are seeing them shortly thereafter? They absolutely lived up to that hype and to what I read everywhere about them. They were incredible, and the love I now have for them is not going anywhere anytime soon. When you see them play, you can feel it - the passion, the enthusiasm, all these things that make me stop and say I like that band, I want to stick around, I want to see them again. I am a sucker for these things. The passion, the enthusiasm, the obvious, sheer joy of being on a stage.
And the power. The way frontwoman Lande Hekt isn't scared to tell a guy at the front to be careful in the way he moves and how she wishes he would stop because he is distracting her and not in a good way. When you end up at gigs where frontmen want wall of death after wall of death and say they're playing for the people starting circle pits and it seems like kicking one another in the teeth is common courtesy, it is refreshing and incredibly welcome to have someone stop this and tell a person to be careful. More bands do this, please.
Friday night was one of these evenings during which I was happy I trusted my gut and a sticker on a girl's guitar case.
Maybe I should do that more often.
Muncie Girls are coming back to Brighton in May where they will play Kerrang!'s Fresh Blood Side alongside Shvpes, As Lions and Black Foxxes. Count on me to be there.
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