I am not doing gig reviews at the mo as I have my hands full with many things.  I am however doing small reviews of individual bands when I am duly inspired – Julies Dead, please enter the Fungalised textual realm.  I have reviewed a couple of CD’s by this lot, was mightily intrigued with the last offering being given the EP of the year.  It was a momentous chunk of hard-hitting goodness and I had very high hopes for tonight’s ‘live’ showcase.  The frontman was playing his penultimate gig, I am so ruddy glad I saw him in action before the changeover.

 

‘Bring Out Your Dead’ opened with great promise, a concrete clatter and some great gusto that showcased a band very much up for the event.  The next quartet though really set a new zenith and had me smiling all the way and lapping it up.  ‘Safe’ is a sledgehammer song that confronts idiot behaviour and lets the spleen be vented.  Great gusto, powerhouse playing and athletic pinging helped throw this one forth with believable passion with ‘In Her Mind’ a stunning follow-up and one of those that has you easily joining in and with a distinct DK opening guitar lick. ‘Hate You More is a real barbed effort and one that grows and grows on the listener whilst ‘Failson’ is swift and effective and rattles away with overflowing energy.  Quite magical stuff if you ask me!

 

The set was flying by, the room was full, the lead lout throwing in his all whilst his reliable noise-makers provided a superb foundation that duly flourished by the second.  ‘Kill Your Idols’ was great, an always pertinent message we need many more to listen to and so destroy these lunatic imbalances.  Cracking stuff this and suddenly we were into the last brace.  ‘Junkfood’ is another version of my fave Mispelt song when young Jen was singing with The Mispelt,  namely ‘Junkfood Generation’.  That was a sing-along classic, this is a harder edged song and the original draft and, it certainly thumps home and makes its own presence felt.  To finish we had the quite sublime ‘All These Years’ – a song that is immediately registered and joined with and which rounded off one hell of a sweat soaked, passionately delivered set that gave me unbridled pleasure.

 

The band I had anticipated highly came, delivered and blew my ragged and stinking socks off.  They were a fine amiable bunch, they had a good time and for me, that is what it is all about.  I have promised them that they will return, next time they will have a female lead – crikey, Fungal expects but no pressure on, just do what you do and that will be enough I am sure.