GIG REVIEW: Bob Vylan, Newcastle University,
Friday 11 November 2022
One section of society where punk rock has always been seriously under-represented, at least in the UK, is among young black people.
Bob Vylan might be on the verge of changing all that, and about time too, some might say.
For years young black people have expressed their dissatisfaction about their lot through hip-hop, rap and grime music, but rarely through punk.
Now, in London duo Bob Vylan, we have a pair of angry young black guys who don’t just embrace punk music but give it a good fucking shake by the neck.
Fiercely DIY
Formed in 2017 by singer/guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, they are fiercely DIY, with all their releases so far coming on their own label.
Their debut album, We Live Here, emerged in August 2020, and was such a success that it earned them support slots with The Offspring and Biffy Clyro.
An increased profile saw them play at Reading and Leeds Festival in 2021, and their second album The Price Of Life came out earlier this year, again released independently.
It entered the UK Albums Chart at No 18 – hugely impressive for a DIY record – and was named Best Album at the Kerrang! Awards 2022.
Best-served live
But it’s in the live setting where the pair are best experienced, and that was evident from the start of this sold-out show – their first-ever Newcastle gig.
Bobby and Bobbie aren’t long back from their first US tour and relished telling how one guy told them he liked their music, adding “it would be better without the politics”. Talk about missing the point.
Bob Vylan are pro-British, pro-working class, anti-racist and anti-Tory, and their message is loud and clear in songs like I Heard You Want Your Country Back and We Live Here.
Tonight’s was a mixed-age audience, from teenagers to those close to pick up pensions, but there can’t have been anyone who left unimpressed by Bob Vylan’s music or their message.
Heaving mass
I’ve never been to a gig which has started with communal meditation and stretching, but that’s how this one began; not really what I was expecting.
But one things got going in earnest, the area in front of the stage quickly became a mass of writhing bodies, with songs like Northern Line and GDP raising excitement levels even further.
The two-piece sing and drum to pre-recorded backing tracks, but the energy levels they inspire are immense, and you can’t help but wonder how good they would be as a full band.
For now though, this will do. It’s cheaper being a two-piece than three or four, and this was a real contender for gig of the year.
Their proudly DIY ethos was summed up after their hour-long set when Bobby and Bobbie came straight out to their merch stand to sell records and T-shirts, sign autographs and pose for pictures with as many people as wanted them – and there were lots.
This might have been Bob Vylan’s first Newcastle gig, but I’m sure it won’t be their last – and the next one might need to be at a much bigger venue.
A word too for the opening band, Tin Ribs, from Durham, who were playing just their third-ever gig. The four-piece started nervously but settled into their set, and even had a few moshers of their own by the end.
You’ll find a couple of demos on their Bandcamp page HERE and can follow them on Facebook HERE for gig news etc. I’ll watch their progress with interest.
