GIG REVIEW: The Fauves + Street Blood + Born=Equal @ Little Buildings, Newcastle, Friday 26 January 2024
Take a tiny venue, add three punk bands and a few pints of Piss* and what have you got? A bloody good night out for my first gig of 2024, that’s what.
Little Buildings is one of those spaces that could be described as intimate. It’s currently in its third incarnation, near the top of Stepney Bank in the Newcastle suburb of Byker, catering for up and coming bands.
Its capacity is 55-60, which makes it a fraction of the size of the rather better-known The Cluny at the foot of the hill, but it’s earning a well-deserved reputation as a great place to play.
That’s because it’s run by people who love the DIY music scene, it has good sound, you can watch on a live feed in the bar upstairs if the gig room gets unbearably hot (which it can when full) and the beer’s reasonably priced.
Tonight was all about punk rock, with a three-strong bill of up and coming North East bands (one of which was formed way back in 1977! plus two of more recent vintage).
Opening proceedings were Born=Equal, a four-piece from Newcastle formed back in 2018 by members of Hellkrusher, Dogsflesh, Maximum Zeroes and Rampage.
With bands like that on their CVs, it’s no surprise they play hard and fast, with veteran drummer Rob looking absolutely knackered by the end of each song!
They have just one release so far, the six-track Hostile EP which made up the bulk of their nine-song set, though there were a couple of new songs too. One was so new they had to abandon it because they couldn’t remember how it went, but hey – that’s punk rock, right?
I detected elements of very early Discharge in their sound, and the standout moments in their set for me were opening track Blind Leading The Blind and The Coming Storm from the aforementioned EP (listen to it on Bandcamp HERE).
Next up were Street Blood, another band who were formed in 2018. Originally a four-piece hardcore outfit, they’re now a trio after their original singer left, with guitarist Wayne handling vocals too.
They’ve had a change in personnel since I last saw them a year ago (reviewed here), with Skye replacing Dusty on drums. This is her first gig, and despite looking a little nervous, she soon settles into it, and lays down a thunderous rhythm with bassist Babs (who’s Wayne’s missus).
Street Blood are more straight-ahead punk nowadays, with a hint of ska – as evidenced by Drag The Lake and Outcasts, Outlaws & Outsiders from their debut EP, We All Bleed The Same Colour, released in 2022 on Angry Goose Records. They sound like early Rancid – obviously a very good thing.
There’s a second EP on the way too, and it’ll be interesting to see which of the half dozen new songs played tonight make the cut. My pick of the bunch was The Cold Concrete Is Calling, and again it was a very enjoyable set. Check out the first EP on Bandcamp HERE.
Tonight’s headliners are South Shields band The Fauves, who were formed back in 1977 by members of the original Angelic Upstarts line-up.
They split in 1981 without releasing anything, but reformed in 2016, and, after a few changes in personnel, seem to have settled into life as a hard-hitting five-piece.
Mick Smith on vocals has a gruff voice which suits their sound perfectly. They pack a powerful punch, with guitarists Allen Hughes and Col Harrison firing out the riffs as Bri Smith on bass and drummer Bob Rowland set the pace.
They’re a band who seem intent on making up for lost time, and last year’s album Resistance 22 (reviewed here) was their fourth in seven years.
It featured heavily here, making up roughly half the set, including opener Resistance 22 and the closing Looking In The Mirror. The standouts for me were Where’s Bob and 365/24-7, which sound even better live than they do on CD.
The rest of the set was drawn from their other three albums, 2017’s Routine Kills, Back Off World (2019) and Reignite (2021) (reviewed here), and I’d recommend checking them out at their Bandcamp page HERE, as they show a clear progression to where they are now.
That was recognised by a debut appearance last year on the Rebellion Introducing Stage at the Blackpool punk fest of the same name, and if they play their cards right there’s no reason the two bands they shared the stage tonight can’t enjoy the same reward.
* Piss is the name of the 4% LBL lager available at the bar, situated upstairs from the venue.
