From the hit of the first note, Beach Slang go from calm and prepared to full punk rock fury. Frontman James Alex darts around the stage, throwing windmills on giant chords that fill the venue, with a confidence and bravado that captivates the crowd, and immediately makes the show feel much more intimate.
Kicking off with ‘Punk or Lust’ and ‘Kids’ from 2015’s ‘Broken Thrills’, it’s a breathless set of old and new, with latest single ‘Punks in a Disco Bar’ getting a rousing response and singalong. And if that’s anything to go by, new album ‘A Loud Bash of Teenage Feelings’ is going to keep Beach Slang as one of the most exciting bands to watch.
That being said, the highlight of the show isn’t exactly what you’d expect. It’s the revelation from Alex that the rest of the band had happened to learn how to play Santana’s 1999 hit featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty – ‘Smooth’. Yes, you read that correctly.
And as outlandish as that sounds, and the rest of the crowd can’t quite believe it, the most amusing part of the show is when the band prove that they have learned it. And play it. And then again between every song for the rest of the night.
Closing out with an encore of ‘All Fuzzed Out’ and ‘Young & Alive’, Beach Slang end on the highest possible note – a rousing rock ‘n’ roll crescendo that is as much fun as it is awesome.
Part punk show. Part comedy show. All party. Viva la Beach Slang.
CHRIS ROBINSON
