Music / post punk
Review: The Menzingers, SWX
On a drizzly Friday night a throng of rockers in denim jackets and plaid shirts cram into SWX’s close confines for an evening of earnest punk and lung busting singalongs. The early start and grim weather doesn’t dampen the spirits of the committed devotees of Pennsylvania’s Menzingers who are in town to show off songs from their latest LP Hello Exile.
Los Angeles’ quintet Spanish Love Songs ensure an all-American one-two, opening up the show with a moody post rock riff. Vocalist Dylan Slocum and Meredith van Woert take the songs to another level with breathless melodies soaring over a gnarly backbone provided by the rest of the band. They’ve pulled in a fair amount of punters on their own steam, with plenty hanging on every word and hurling lyrics back at the stage.
is needed now More than ever
Walking on to the riff of Bowie’s ‘Rebel, Rebel’, The Menzingers waste no time tearing straight into lead single ‘Anna’, a straight ahead punk song that is a quintessential example of their appeal: heart on sleeve lyrics traded between guitarists Greg Barnett and Tom May, relentless drums and a chorus that dares you not to holler along “I have so much to tell ya / please come back to Philadelphia / this place ain’t the same without you Anna”. It’s not necessarily musically groundbreaking, but you can’t knock the honesty in these songs that find a throughway through from the minds of the veteran U.S punks to the hearts of these eager Bristol kids.
The no-nonsense way they smash through songs tonight is reminiscent of New Jersey’s (second) favourite son Brian Fallon, as is their genuine gratitude to be able to bring their truth to the stage. Sitting somewhere on a line between Fallon’s Gaslight Anthem and Blink-182, they evoke a joyous, jostling atmosphere from their fans without having to resort to the puerility of the latter.
A majestic cover of The Clash’s ‘Death or Glory’ is a perfect choice, acknowledging their place in the unfolding legacy of punk music with a swaggering performance. Older heads in the room tap their feet and nod in approval. Security have their hands full tonight and do themselves proud by keeping everyone safe as crowd surfers sail over the barrier. With each chorus, earning a momentary breather awaiting the encore before the band return to send everyone home smiling with a mighty rendition of ‘The After Party’, a recent song which has become their calling card. The Menzingers are clearly overjoyed to be back in the U.K. and tonight’s crowd assure them they’ll have an audience whenever they’re able to come back around.
All images by Laura Jones-Gerrard
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