GIG REVIEW: Riskee And The Ridicule + In Evil Hour + Karl Phillips, Trillians, Newcastle, Wednesday 1 December 2021
Riskee And The Ridicule are a DIY grime-punk band from Ashford in Kent, and this gig marked the start of their December tour.
My advice to anyone thinking of going to see them would be ‘do it’, as they’re absolutely on fire.
Hands up, I’m a fairly recent convert to Riskee, having only ‘discovered’ them via their third and most recent album, 2019’s Body Bag Your Scene (reviewed here).
This was the first time I’d seen them, and I did so on the recommendation of TJ McFaull from The Bar Stool Preachers, who recommended them to me just before lockdown.
The heartbeat of the band is singer Scott Picking, who looks like he should be in an Oi! band, as does drummer Matt Verrell.
Bearded guitarists Jimbo Aglony and Jordan Mann appear more suited to a post-hardcore band, but provide plenty of punch, while their unassuming bassist locks in to complete a rock-solid rhythm section.
Opening with Nobody Likes Us from their self-released second album Blame Culture, they slammed through an hour-long set spanning all three of their long players, and some more recent releases.
It might have been absolutely freezing outside, but Riskee quickly raised the temperature in the basement venue.
There’s not a lot of movement from the guitarists, but Picking makes up for that, covering every inch of the Trillians stage as he spits out his lyrics.
They seemed to make up the setlist as they went along, which certainly gave the gig a real edge-of-your-pants feel, but they’re so good they got away with it.
Picking’s a frontman you can’t take your eyes off and by a few songs in he had shed his Fred Perry, prowling the stage in just a vest.
With a small but lively moshpit in front of the stage from the off, they rolled out some of the best songs from Body Bag Your Scene.
We got Accelerate, Our Time (declining an invitation/challenge from the crowd to sing it in a Geordie accent!), the title track, and the stunning In The Dark We Dwell, which was possibly the song of the night.
From Blame Culture they plucked an impassioned Hipster, an incendiary Molotov Cocktails and Villain.
There were more recent offerings too, with excellent Brexit-bashing song Blue Jacket and a cover of Lana Del Rey’s Young And Beautiful from the recent digital-only Too Young To Be Blue EP.
Long-time fan Stephie, who was congratulated on her engagement to fiance Sam earlier this year, was invited on stage for a song, and they finished with a proper encore after being called back by the small but enthusiastic crowd.
To their devotees’ delight they dusted off Roots from their self-released 2014 debut album Dawn Of The Dog, ending the show on a real high note.
This might have been my first time seeing Riskee And The Ridicule, but I was blown away by them, and can’t wait to see them again.
No review is complete without a mention of the support bands, and tonight we had not one but two. First up was Karl Phillips, a Midlands punk/ska/rap artist who’s usually backed by a six-piece band, the Rejects.
I’ve seen them at Rebellion, and thoroughly enjoyed them, but tonight he was alone with an acoustic guitar to deliver a brief but enjoyable set, the highlights of which were There’s A Twat In Every Street and Pink Champagne.
Next up were a local band, In Evil Hour. They’re a four-piece from Darlington, and this was their first gig since January 2020, though you really wouldn’t have guessed so.
They deliver environmentally-driven hardcore, and tonight they sounded better than ever, with green-mulleted vocalist Alice frequently breaking into broad smiles.
New drummer Jason sounded like he’s been with them forever, and they powered through a set which kicked off with Divide And Conquer and included old favourites like Predators, Progress, and Revolution, as well as new song 2050 (written during lockdown).
In Evil Hour sounded really energised, and in Alice they have a vocalist who might be slight of frame, but has a lion’s roar of a voice. It’s great to have them back – now can we have a new album please, guys?
- Riskee And The Ridicule are going on tour next week with The Bar Stool Preachers, which promises to be a gig to remember. Sadly, they’re not playing anywhere near me, but you really should catch them if you can.
