The joint headline show rolls into Bristol almost a year to the day since the Amorettes were last here.
Local support comes from Flowerpot, a four-piece all-female alternative rock band comprising the ever-present engine room of Morgan Pearce on bass and Ellie Daymond on drums and recent additions Steph Kiddle on vocals and Louise Stroud on guitar. The band has hit their stride following the line-up change, their performance and stage chemistry clearly in tune.
Flowerpot opens with “Overrated”, announced by Morgans’s thumping bass line. The crowd came out early and respond with shouts and cheers. “Get To You”, “Paralysed”, and “Calling Your Bluff” follow in rapid-fire succession with the girls making sure they give value for money with their half-hour set.
Steph gets the crowd clapping along to the intro to “Loser Girl” before finishing the song opposite Louise on her knees, her guitar screaming throughout the venue. New song “Quinn Condition” sees some tight drum work from Ellie, matched with superb bass work from Morgan. “Precious Little Lies” finishes the set to a roar of applause, leaving the crowd wanting more.
After a toss of a coin deciding the running order, it falls to The Amorettes to play second. Thunder sound-effects lead to Hannah’s drum intro, before being joined by Heather on bass and Gill on guitar for opener “Stealing Thunder”. The crowd join in as Gill encourages “Hey heys” and follows with “Get What’s Coming”.
Latest single “Let the Neighbours Call the Cops” from their new album, White Hot Heat, follows with crowd participation during the chorus almost a given. They are that sort of band, the kind that you can’t avoid being swept along for their rocking ride. A feisty rocker in “Roll” leads into “Crusader”, also from the new album. The infectious groove and energy of the new tracks fire up their fans with “Batter Up” and “Eyes On The Prize” going down a storm, too.
Any show with The Amorettes would not be complete without their old favourites. “Bull By The Horns” gets a thunderous welcome with blinding guitar work from Gill over the rock steady bass and drums from the sisters. Another fantastic new song, “White Russian Roulette” sees Hannah pounding out the beat with a passion. These three work well together and clearly love what they do. Their great “let’s rock” attitude is irresistible and hard to deny!
“Shoot From The Hip” sees another blistering guitar solo from Gill before, sadly, it’s time for the last song. Usual set-closer “Hot & Heavy” is fired out with the normal vigour and the crowd are left without an encore. Damn time restrictions!
Tonight’s headliners Love Zombies are promoting their new crowd-funded album, Passionfruit. The London/LA duo of Hollis J and Davey are performing as a quintet for the live show; the expanded band of superb musicians look and sound great. Hollis is an amazing front-woman, mixing Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, and Courtney Love to form a pop-punk-grunge heady mix. Sadly, some of the crowd have retired to the bar, but it’s their loss — the band rips through a great set of modern punk.
Most of the setlist is from their new album, which earns them a positive response. Rightly so; it’s a great album. “Oblivion” kicks off the set and sets the tone — 70s fueled pop-punk which gets their fans bouncing along. For those who don’t know how to bounce, the band will show them how. Hollis is in charge of the stage and has an incredible stage presence engaging fans and leading the crowd. “Teleportation” is an old favourite which the audience know well, singing along with the band.
Hollis thanks the other artists – Flowerpot and The Amorettes — describing the evening as a great blend of women and rock.
Love Zombies follow with “Favourite Song,” an excellent track which has the crowd jumping again. The band enjoy it, too — guitars and bass are thrust into the air at every opportunity. The slower “Lighten Up” brings a slight respite, but also a great message, before going to the strange extreme with “Robots and Aliens”. “Fast And Frantic” certainly lives up to its name, and gives the band a chance to show their talents while Hollis holds it together with great style.
The latter part of the set is a dream — a fantastic cover of “Blitzkrieg Bop” followed by the addictive “Love Zombies Theme Song” to the ending of the instant classic, “Who The Fuck Are They?”
Thus ends a great punk set leaving the crowd again thirsty for more.
Photos by Donna Coombs
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Flowerpot
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The Amorettes
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Love Zombies
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The Exchange
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Event Date: 28-Sep-2016