GIG REVIEW: The Fauves + MillionYears + The Unnamed @ Trillians, Newcastle, Sunday 1 February 2026
It’s the first Sunday in February so it’s time again for the monthly gathering of the alternative music-loving masses at Tyneside’s legendary rock bar Trillians.
These three-band bills for a fiver promoted by North East Cosmonaut Circus (NECC) attract varying numbers of punters, but there’s a canny crowd in tonight, despite other gigs in Sunderland, Gateshead and Newcastle.
First up are The Unnamed, a garage-punk four-piece based in Newcastle who were formed in May 2024 and only played their first gig at the end of March 2025, supporting Slackrr at The Doll at the Black Bull in Gateshead (reviewed here).
They released their debut EP, Can’t Take The Heat (reviewed here) on Decontrolled Records in September, and they’re busy getting their act together for an album.
Frontman Denni is a busy fella; he also fronts The UndaClass, and plays bass in two other bands, Monkeys Blood and All Out Attack, so how he fits in writing and recording a full-length record I have no idea.
The Unnamed have a high-octane sound that’s all their own; big riffs, a rumbling bass and pounding drums, all topped by Denni’s Lemmy-like gravelly vocals.
They don’t have long to make their mark tonight, so there’s little banter between songs, just foot to the floor punk rock ‘n’ roll. Starting with Stutter from the EP, they smash their way through a nine-song set, with When Lightning Strikes the standout of the tracks they’ve released so far.
More of their set hasn’t seen the light of day yet, but Denni, Fosta (guitar), Kirt (bass) and Rich (drums) are a tight outfit, and improving with regular gigging, so I look forward to hearing second EP UFO’d in the next couple of months, followed by a full-length come the summer.
Next up are another rowdy bunch who sound subtly different, as is the NECC way when they put these bills together. MillionYears are a four-piece from Durham, formed in 2022, whose sound falls somewhere between melodic grunge and hardcore.
They have a handful of digital singles to their name, with the latest, Circles, released in December, and they’re busy working on their debut album, as well as looking for an additional guitarist to beef up their sound; not that it needs it.
It’s only the second time I’ve seen them, so I’m not familiar with their material yet, but James Colledge (guitar/vocals), Dan Smith (guitar/vocals), Steve Baddeley (bass) and Anthony Ender (drums) kick up an enjoyable racket, and I’ll be checking out their releases on my streaming service of choice while I await the album.
Tonight’s headliners are The Fauves, who originally formed in South Shields in 1978, after the split of the original Angelic Upstarts line-up. After releasing just one single they broke up in 1981, before reforming in 2016.
They’ve been a going concern ever since, releasing an EP and three albums, and making a somewhat belated debut on the Introducing stage at Rebellion Punk festival in Blackpool in 2023.
That was also the year they released their third album Resistance 22 (reviewed here), and surprisingly only three of its tracks make the cut tonight.
One of them, Where’s Bob?, is among the highlights of the 13-song set, but it’s their debut Back Off World which they lean on heaviest. Not that I’m complaining as there’s some good stuff on it, such as set opener Bowman Street, Routine Kills and 883188 The Phone In, played as an encore.
The Fauves make an old-school punk sound with Mick’s gruff vocals atop of big riffs and a pummelling rhythm section, and it’s a heady brew. The most pleasant surprise is a bludgeoning cover of the Upstarts’ Never ‘Ad Nothin’, which they use to plug their appearance at Mensi Fest in South Shields on February 21.
That promises to be a good night, with Crashed Out, Red London, Slalom D, The Panic Report, Responsa and Bint also on the bill at the Unionist Club to pay tribute to the Upstarts’ legendary frontman, who sadly passed in 2021.
- The next NECC show is on Sunday 28 February at The Ship Isis in Sunderland, when Murderburgers are joined by Ugly Criers and Claudia.
- The next NECC show at Trillians is on Sunday 8 March when Cazimi, The Dirt and The Inkllngs grace the stage. Both shows are a mere £5 entry at the door.
