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Exeter Phoenix
Review and photos – Rob Wilkins/Celtography
After travelling to the West Midlands and back for a gig the previous weekend it was wonderful to have a weekend of gigs closer to home, starting with a very short trip to Exeter for the sheer joy that is an evening with Punk Rock Factory.
Long sold out, there is a decent crowd for openers Hertz when they take to the stage and they quickly draw more in from the bar with a set that grows in maturity and confidence as it progresses.
Showing on socials as a three-piece, the South Walians really impressed me with both the material and presentation. Arriving on stage in school uniform (the singer bending the gender expectation of that with a skirt) they impressed from opener “Drowning”, through a storming cover of “Fireflies” to a VERY BMTHesque “Be Happy”. Couple the material with lots of movement and activity on stage and they got a great reaction, building the energy in the room as needed for an opening band.
Guys, a request, sort your socials out so when you do a great set like this we can share more about you!
Following Hertz were Weatherstate from down the coast in Weymouth. Now, on the thread of sorting socials, when you look for “Weatherstate” you find a Rude Records page that misspells the band name on the cover photo as “Wheaterstate”! Details count in a competitive environment! The first number “Hellbent” hit hard and their punk / indie vibe sounded great. However, as the set went on it became difficult to find much variation in either the songs or the delivery. Taken alone, each song was well written and performed, but as a set, it became difficult to distinguish between songs. The energy created by the opening band waned and the reaction to the set coming to a close was muted. Lots of potential, but not quite hitting the mark for me.
Another short break and hitting the stage with the force of a small tornado came Punk Rock Factory.
I love watching this band. They bring together so many facets in one show. Some bands do humour but it feels it leaves the musicianship floundering, or the songwriting. With PRF you get all three! Kind of! The songwriting element is delivered by taking staples of popular culture and making them all their own in a unique manner.
Frontman Peej never loses the glint in his eye and controls the crowd effortlessly. Ryan strikes the legs apart in guitar poses and lays down fearsome rhythms with bassist Benj and drummer Kob. The four have an almost telepathic connection that has been honed with a LOT of playing live together.
The setlist is unique. 19 songs plus encore in total! The speed it is delivered is like a runaway train and if you don’t feel motivated to bounce and sing by one song the next follows so quickly you get caught up in the momentum of the entire set. To say the material is eclectic is an understatement! Excerpts from that set list include “Mamma Mia”, “Under the Sea”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, Spongebob Squarepants”, “Thriller”, the “Toys R Us” advert (!!), the “Milky Way” advert (more !!) and the encore of encores for community singalongs “Let it go” from “Frozen”.
In between, we are introduced to “Lowercase J” from merch (Lowercase as the two merch guys are called J and he is the smaller!) as he joins in with a great vocal on “Surface Pressure”. Party hats and streamers come out to surprise Benj on his birthday. Peej leads a “Queen at Live Aid” call and response for “Spongebob”, there is a draw to win a guitar used in many of the songs (cleverly getting additions to the mailing list in the process), masks are donned for “Thriller”, and two audience members come on stage for a rap battle – both are superb which seems to genuinely perplex Peej before he declares a draw and rewards both with merch.
By the time we finish the evening with “Wish Upon a Star” my face hurts from the sheer fun of the evening. I find my other half in the crowd and she is beaming too. There is a lot of pressure and angst in life right now. The news is depressing, finances are hard and it can feel oppressive whichever way you turn. Sometimes four guys on stage playing Take That’s “Back for Good” as a punk song at a frenetic pace is just what you need and Punk Rock Factory are the guys to make it happen.
Punk Rock Factory’s ‘Stick To The Covers Tour 24’ ends November 23rd in Ipswich, all remaining dates can be found, HERE.
