Support act No Totality, formed from the ashes of Disciples of Deception, did a great job warming up
the crowd with their punky hardcore metal-adjacent and at times slightly proggy energy. It was great
to hear a Ghost cover. Lots of virtuosity on lead guitar, solid and tight grooves, the right kind of
vocals without too much growl! Their set-closer was a great cover of MCC’s “Teenagers”, and I’m
looking forward to hearing how their original songs develop now that they are laying down tracks.
Having heard their album twice on the same day (it’s THAT good!), Ides of Sedition’s set was totally
engaging. Their live dynamics injected an extra level of energy into their well-crafted songs.
The inter-song chats were natural, funny and self-effacing. I was grinning as much as Caralinda, the
keyboard player, who seemed to be having the time of her life. Her keys really fit the 70s sound in a
way that is vintage without sounding dated – for a punk/pop group, this involves subtlety and this is
one of the things that helps the band avoid a pub-rock feel. Ditto her backing vocals, which add
energy and harmony.
Album and live set opener “Hate Wait Love” gave a good idea of what was ahead: strong, catchy
hooks that make the crowd move. As soon as the riff started, the bar emptied onto the dancefloor.
“Democracy” was a very strong choice for the second song; they played it again as the second song
in their encore, so everyone got to jump around to it a second time!
3 Chelsea songs on the trot worked well (singer-guitarist Chris Bashford drummed for them in the
late 70s/early 80s), bringing the spirit of UK punk alive. The floorboards at the front of the venue
were given a thorough workout by pogo-ing punters who were mesmerised by these blasts from the
past.
There was no way they were going to get away without an encore, so I was chuffed that this
included a cover of “Suffragette City” – I was talking with Chris and Caralinda before the show about
how long it had been since the music scene had “proper stars” like Bowie.
I’m looking forward to seeing Ides… play more gigs in the Southwest now that they have settled in
Cornwall and released their superb debut album “Perfection is Overrated”: a gem of an eclectic
album full of punky, snappy, quirkily-written songs with hooks and a wry sense of knowing humour.
Words: Stu Pearce (No Ordinary Fish)
Photos: Matthew Convery @photos_by_mattc (Instagram)
