Garlic Bread Club #11
Retro, Manchester
3rd June 2023
A sunny day in Manchester is worth its weight in gold; the industrial nouveau-chic of the city reflects the warm rays of light, inviting you inwards to discover the joy of its eclectic endeavours. For those of a punk rock persuasion, the DIY delights of Garlic Bread Club’s 11th edition entices one to come as you are, deep unto the underground and onto the sticky dance-floor in the basement of Retro.
For the uninitiated, GBC has a reputation as being THE night in Manchester that pulls together the best on the underground circuit. It’s a community affair, giving new bands an audience with an open mind whilst offering artists on the up the kind of celebratory sweatbox atmosphere that the most memorable shows are often made of. All of this in a fun, open, safe and inclusive environment.
Junk It make the relatively short journey over the Pennines from their native Leeds to open the show with a psychedelic take on noisy, grunge-inflected blues. It’s earsplitting-ly loud in the best way possible. Feedback screeches out of the speakers to book-end every song just to make sure you’re paying attention. There’s desert rock, doom punk, and a large portion of spidery riffs riding the wave flowing off the maximum rock ‘n’ roll drumming. I’ll avoid the cliche of stating they make a lot of noise for a two-piece because the singer/guitarist uses some pedal wizardry to add the low-end all by himself! When you can multi-task this well, who needs a bass player… right?Junk It’s lo-fi focus shares a kinship with the more left-field end of that early 90s Sub Pop vibe, but spinning it with their own idiosyncratic DNA.
Snakes Among Us return to Retro after a well-received support slot with Vancouver’s Punitive Damage a couple of months back. These ‘NW Hardcore Masters’ combine pummelling blast-beats, gnarly bass, and dark, introspective lyrics that sink their teeth in and bite hard. Snakes slither through the first part of their set in skate-punk time, displaying a muscular yet nuanced approach to their songwriting. Vocalist Josh prowls the edge of the stage and occasionally wanders into the crowd. It seems to be connection, not confrontation, that is sought whilst he bares his soul through the microphone. They are obviously enjoying themselves, with bassist Ding channelling his inner Gene Simmons at one point midway through. The band slip in a couple of covers, including a burning version of Carpe Diem by The Nerve Agents. What follows is a relentless few minutes of hardcore fury that knocks you sideways and pulls you into the Snakes’ pit. They close with Helpless, a triptych which marries doom, groove, and thrash into an epic tale of internal battle. We are told an EP will be dropping soon…. it’s going to be well worth the wait.
PHOTO: Rae @rgarveys
The Strangerz have been busy making a name for themselves with an energetic stew of sounds sourced from across the punk spectrum. There are definite riot grrrl influences in the vocal delivery, and man can Martha sing! She has a lovely vibrato, controlled power, and an ability scream with the best of them. Musically they draw from new wave, power-pop, indie and punk, with a heavy dollop of psych guitars and Motown groove. There is lovely momentum to the show, as the band play it straight in the early stages with neat and tidy deliveries. They start to open up mid-set before completely letting loose towards the end. They’re a charismatic bunch with great chemistry, and the fun is infectious as the crowd get down to The Strangerz sound and violently applaud as the band depart the stage. They have a few releases already (including a single review at Destroyed By Madness) so check them out ASAP as they’ll be stepping up to bigger venues in the not too distant future.
PHOTO: Neil @neilworthington_musicphoto
Next up are DIY favourites Clayface who are out tonight to celebrate the release of their wonderful new LP, Ailments. The self-described Emo boys from Oldham offer up a mix of late 90s/early-2000s midwest vibes and melodic punk-rippers. The band are really tight, with the cut and thrust of the rhythm section spinning tempos on a dime and providing a rock solid foundation for the duelling guitars and co-vocals of Archie and Scott. The delineation of rhythm and lead duties really stands out with the guitars playing up, off, and against each other in explosive fashion. The band blast through much of the new LP and entertain the crowd between songs with warmly self-deprecating humour. A highlight of the set is recent single Employee of the Month (another review at Destroyed By Madness) which starts out as a folksy, strummed singalong, before bursting into life and tugging on your heartstrings for two minutes straight. It’s fast, it’s heartfelt, and it’s honest. It’s Clayface. Go check out the new LP available through Horn & Hoof / Serial Bowl records… you are guaranteed a fantastic listen.
PHOTO: Neil @neilworthington_musicphoto
The room glows a deep shade of red as dense fog fills the air for the arrival of Velma. It’s a dramatic entrance for a stylish band whose sophisticated take on post-grunge twins an atmospheric sound with an atmospheric presentation. And the sound is huge; monolithic bass shakes the ground whilst the fuzzed-out bliss of the guitar is twisted and pitch-shifted to compliment their naggingly entrancing melodies. The drums have a jazz-like quality that drags and pushes in all the right places, building tension ahead of the cathartic release. The trio exhibit a natural flair and drama with their stage presence, which backs up the lyrical themes on offer. Previous single Suffer, with its marching beat and challenging vocal, is unleashed early in the set and is a stomping highlight alongside their most recent release Damaged For Good (another review at Destroyed By Madness). The bruised and torn vocals have an insular quality, but also a ferocious bite. It’s a taut set full of dynamics and one which captivates the audience for the duration of the set. Onwards and upwards for the Velma machine.
And so to the evening’s headliners… Riskee and the Ridicule. I admit to knowing very little about them in advance… curious, but somewhat confused. Minutes in and I get it; the energy, the passion, the bounce - it’s all there in spades. The punk element is coming out way stronger than on record, and somewhat counterintuitively it means the other elements of their influences make more sense; grime, nu-metal, pop, alt-rock, and spoken word all blend together in a potent concoction. The crowd, a mix of GBC regulars and those here for R&R, are responding in kind to the energy emanating from the stage. It reaches an apex as Kaboom and Body Bag Your Scene open up a pit at the front to celebrate the community and cap an absolutely excellent night of music. I’ll be catching these live again for sure.
PHOTO: Neil @neilworthington_musicphoto
Thanks as always to Retro and GBC for another amazing evening. Stay tuned for the next one’s coming up September 2nd and November 11th.
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