LIVE!!! The Strangerz, Sacred Trinity Church
THE STRANGERZ
With… Fruit / Femur
Sacred Trinity Church
25/05/24
It’s grey and drizzly, but it’s the Friday of a spring bank holiday weekend and Sacred Trinity Church is playing host to a night of left field, pop-infused art-punk… so I’m heading out.
Nothing screams DIY like the lead singer marking an X across your wrist on entry to the venue, or a hand-written ‘Do not touch’ sign sellotaped to a carefully balanced PA speaker. These are marks of authenticity, a reflection of the commitment, bravery, and insatiable need to create and communicate that flows through the blood of any artist. Forget the corporate mega-arenas and £40 tour tees, its evenings like this where the communal feel, warm welcome, and sheer volume of raw rock & roll makes you feel alive. There’s even a nice selection of @Marble beers tinned-up in the fridge courtesy of the classy and thoughtful hosts at Sacred Trinity Church. The Atlas Easy Pale is a delight btw.
Anyway… to the music.
An ultra-processed bass threatens to shatter the stained-glass above the alter as Sheffield’s Femur launch into a feral mix of Nuggets-inspired sociopathic doom punk. Angular guitar lines surf a tidal wave of primal drums and stabbed chords as the band channel anti-heroes of psych-rock past to deliver a sonic assault on the senses. There’s elements of stoner-groove and no wave amongst the melodic chord progressions, an imposing collage of rhythm, noise, and melody to back the imposing presence of the band’s towering, mulleted and moustachioed, plaid-skirt flaunting frontman. There’s a disco-flavoured number to loosen the audience limbs, with some preaching from the pulpit for good measure ahead of the obligatory chaos of an ending. My notes read ‘the natural conclusion to the Sex Pistols taking LSD and simultaneously moving backwards in time to the late-60s and forwards to the early 80s’. I’ll leave it at that.
The tastefully monikered Fruit follow, offering a more introspective and controlled type of fury. Their’s is an unexpectedly heavy brand of math-infused post-punk, inhabiting the intersection where US solemness collides with UK insouciance. Dynamic and considered, the band craft soundscapes that ebb and flow without ever straying towards aimless wanderlust. At times there’s a playful jangle to the guitars, at others they bare their teeth like a wolf backed into a corner. The rhythm section is tightly coiled, providing a foundation for the cherubic vocalist to sneer like Rotten whilst delivering serrated syntax for the modern age. Its music fot the mind, for sure, but the band can also lock into a syncopated groove, demonstrating a smart grasp of unusual time-signatures whilst still managing to keep heads bobbing. It’s an expertly delivered set, and the band humbly thank the audience before shuffling off for a well-deserved drink.
The clock chimes ten bells as we welcome the spiky and soulful sounds of The Strangerz to the stagealter. Led by the charismatic voice and sultry demeanour of Martha, the band launch into opener Catch Her Eye with vim and vigour, before tossing the next couple of songs out with fiery abandon. Guitars alternate between melodic phrases and fuzzy freak-outs while the rhythm section deliver a 70s-style R&B and proto-punk mashup. Last year’s single Hit The Ground has a jazz-like feel to the verses, tension building as the gang get real low before the glorious release of a chorus. Now well and truly locked-in, the mid-set amps up the intensity with Tom throwing out sticky six-string riffs and staring down the audience who are beginning to bubble. His is the yin to twin sister Martha’s yang, the wide-eyed flame to her cool elegance. And this is the dynamic that makes the band tick; a juxtaposition of styles that effortlessly fit together, taking in new wave, punk, soul, and, at times, a grinding heaviness. An untitled new song debuts tonight (or perhaps it’s just called new song) and digs into the poppy element that is The Strangerz’ key ingredient, because no matter how weird they get it’s always balanced by a keen sense of melody and the ability to weave a hook into any individual element. Departing the stage with a hat-trick of killer songs, including the ferocious, anxiety-laden early single Shut Up, the congregation show their appreciation before spilling out onto the streets of Salford with ringing in their ears.
Judge for yourself:
THE STRANGERZ: https://thestrangerzband.bandcamp.com
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