The Blinders continue to storm through 2018 with an exciting brand of proto-punk influenced alternative rock and a growing reputation that places them alongside contemporaries IDLES, Fizzy Blood and Cabbage.
Based on their recent achievements, an appearance at a tiny venue in Hull may appear to be an odd choice for The Blinders. However, The New Adelphi Club has a reputation for showcasing bands that sit on the brink of international success, with bands such as Oasis, Radiohead and Green Day famously appearing at the 200 capacity venue in the early 90s. More recently, the likes of The Amazons, Nothing But Thieves and Pale Waves have been seen at the Adelphi, and The Blinders’ conquering performance here suggests that this gig could be next on the list of ‘were you there?’ nights at Hull’s premier DIY venue.
The night opened with indie-punk band Faux Pas who quickly set the mood with a pulsating set which featured a charismatic performance by vocalist, Reuben Cowl. His desperate vocals on ‘We Were Friends’ captured the attention of the crowd, and you could not take your eyes off the York quartet for the rest of their set.
The final support band of the night was London trio, Calva Louise. They returned to Hull with their unique mix of indie, surf rock and grunge only two months after a memorable set at Humber Street Sesh. They quickly turned up the energy in the room with ‘Outrageous’ which combines power-chord punk and frantic vocals; bringing back memories of Be Your Own Pet. This was followed by ‘Getting Closer’ which teased with its surly rhythms and dream-like guitar lines, only for vocalist, Jess Allanic to re-awaken the room as the song burst into a new found energy. Calva Louise more than made their mark on the night with their infectious vocals and unpredictable instrumentals, and it seems that we won’t have heard the last of them.
After the crowd had been given a chance to breathe, anticipation rose again as frontman Tom Hayward’s tribal war paint drew the attention of everyone to the darkened stage. The room then filled with a wall of sound and smoke as eerie industrial noise blared out, setting the mood for the oncoming punk-rock assault. Their set commenced with opener ‘Gotta Get Through’ which sparked frenzied life into the tightly packed crowd with its wailing guitars and pounding drums.
The Doncaster quartet continued the momentum as they rolled out the hits from their recently released debut album, ‘Columbia’. Hayward held the excited crowd in the palms of his outstretched hands as they joined him in singing along to recent single ‘L’Etat C’est Moi’ before diving straight into the now nationally recognisable riff of ‘Brave New World’. With the front of the room filled with a frenzied crowd jumping to every pounding drumbeat and jumping bass line, The Blinders continued to impress with ‘Hate Song’ which brought the atmosphere to new levels of intensity with its accelerating outro.
While the set was a celebration of the highlights of their debut album, they also rolled back the years with fan favourites such as ‘Swine’ which includes an infectious riff reminiscent of early Arctic Monkeys material, and the twisted ballad ‘Ramona Flowers’ which is becoming an instant live classic.
As the night reached its conclusion with 7 minute epic,’ Brutus’, the crowd made the most of the explosive riffs being churned out as the Adelphi became a cauldron of smoke, sweat and bodies. When the song reached its final climax, Tom Hayward then burst through the crowd and straight out of the exit leaving the rest of the band to play out their finale. It was a fittingly moody conclusion to what was a pulsating night of dystopian punk-rock.
The Blinders described themselves to CLASH as ‘a spellbinding punkadelic-esque Roman orgy’ and it’s hard to argue against that description based on this evening as they continue to gain a reputation as one of the country’s most exciting bands. Their unique brand of politically conscious punk-rock combined with their incredible live performances will surely help The Blinders to continue on their upwards trajectory towards conquering the UK one riff at a time.
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