HEARTWORMS + SHE’S IN PARTIES – CONCORDE 2, BRIGHTON 25.2.25
We have watched Heartworms with keen interest since their 4 track debut ‘A Comforting Notion’ EP and ‘May I Comply’ single were unleashed to the world two years ago. These was followed by the ‘Jacked’ single last year and now the ‘Glutton For Punishment’ 9 track album has dropped on 7th February this month via the Speedy Wunderground imprint. The album combines the propulsive, motorik tendencies of gothic stalwarts, Depeche Mode, with the lyrical dexterity of PJ Harvey and the off-kilter rhythms of LCD Soundsystem into a powerful sonic onslaught that is entirely Heartworms.
In fact our journey with Heartworms began just over three years ago at the compact upstairs live music venue of a refurbished East End boozer on Great Eastern Street where Josephine “Jojo” Orme and chums were sat at the bottom of the bill of the 4 acts playing that night. The venue in question was The Old Blue Last, Shoreditch, London and the date in question was 17th January 2022. Our account of their set concluded by stating “Heartworms are an interesting band who I feel would reward further investigation”.
Indeed we did reward them further investigation when they visited Brighton for the first time as part of ‘The Great’ Escape’ new music festival. They were in action on Brighton Beach and performed from a specially adapted vintage Airstream trailer, which was titled The MVT Stage. This date in question was 12th May 2022. Our review stated:
“What a difference four months makes! This time she (Jojo) remains pretty serious but does smile fairly frequently. The band are punchy, very tight and seems very well drilled. The singer has a strong and pleasantly strident voice when she feels it necessary to increase the volume, however, that doesn’t mean that there is no light and shade. There’s plenty of interesting stuff going on here: lead duties are shared between both guitarists, and a theremin is also employed. Not only do the band sound good but they look so cool as to be on the verge of glacial. One to watch methinks”.
Heartworms made a welcome return to Brighton when they headlined the Green Door Store on 22nd March 2023 – Review HERE.
In less than two months, Heartworms were performing live again in Brighton for a return to ‘The Great Escape’. This time around they were on the much larger TGE Beach Stage on 11th May 2023. Part of our account of that set read “Festival goers were here to be totally absorbed into the world of Heartworms lead singer Jojo Orme. Prior to the festival there has been quite a buzz about this act and I’m sure that the project is now being flagged by many more after the intense, screaming vocals with explosive 80’s goth inspired guitar riffs that were on offer tonight”.
Heartworms played their second performance of 2023’s ‘Great Escape’ the following evening (12th May 2023) at the Charles Street Tap and our reviewer concluded his account thus “A packed house lapped it up and would have had an encore had it been allowed. Ending the review on a fashion tip, kudos to Jojo for wearing a 1977 Seditionaries Westwood/McLaren parachute top – another thing on top of the music that took me back to my long lost youth!”.
We covered Heartworms two months later when they played live in the grounds of the iconic De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-On-Sea as part of the aptly titled ‘Seaview Festival’ (Reviews HERE), and we also reviewed the band at ‘Rockaway Beach’ at Butlins, Bognor Regis on 6th January 2024. Heartworms were back in Brighton on 23rd May 2024 as support to Sea Power at the Corn Exchange as part of the ‘Brighton Festival‘.
Tonight they have returned to Brighton as headliners in their own right at the excellent Concorde 2 venue, courtesy of JOY. promoters. But before we discuss this, there is the small matter of this evening’s support act, She’s In Parties.
It’s fair to say that I rather like She’s In Parties. I mean any band that shares a name with a great Bauhaus tune can’t be bad can they? I vaguely seem to recall that’s quite possibly how I stumbled across the band a few years ago. They, like Heartworms, have also performed at ‘The Great Escape’ in Brighton plus also appeared at some ‘Unofficial Escapes’ as well as playing Brighton’s ‘Mutations Festival’ and ‘Latitude’ in Suffolk. In fact, their ‘Latitude’ performance, which I attended, was truly magical as it was situated in a clearing in a forest with fine rain coming down. That day She’s In Parties was a joy to behold. They are a young band that are on a similar trajectory as Heartworms and judging by this evening’s performance, very much on Heartworms coattails.
Prior to She’s In Parties taking to the stage, the house soundsystem was blasting out some choice tunes, with the last selection being ‘Rosegarden Funeral Of Sores’ by Bauhaus, which I’ve always been tempted to play at 45rpm instead of 33rpm due to its slowness. I reckon they missed a trick in not playing Bauhaus’ ‘She’s In Parties’. Interestingly, but quite possibly, not surprising was the fact that the photographer’s pit was more rammed for She’s In Parties than for Heartworms. Clearly the word is getting out about Katie Dillon (vocals, guitar), Herbie Wiseman (guitar and bv’s), Charlie Johnson (bass) and Matt Carman (drums), who collectively are She’s In Parties.
This evening we are afforded a half hour taster set from the band which ran from 8:29pm to 8:59pm and consisted of seven tracks. They came on to a synth intro and commenced with ‘Velveteen’ which is from their 2023 ‘End Scene’ EP. This is a solid opener and anyone who is a fan of A Flock Of Seagulls ‘Space Age Love Song’ will recognise some carbon-copy riffage contained within the track. It’s evident that Katie has gone more for the Goth look this evening, as opposed to the Pierrot puppet look from my last encounter with them. This new look is seriously cool, as opposed to the very early Leo Sayer fun look from before. The band are not only looking the part but sounding the part too.
Next up is the first of a trio of songs culled from last year’s ‘Puppet Show’ EP, this being the title track, which has a great guitar sound and as Katie comes to the front of the stage (cue happy photographers). I note that her sound, look and demeanor is a mixture of Kate Bush and Florence Welch (Florence & The Machine). The slightly less immediate ‘The Man’ was the next choice and for this Katie again came to the front of the stage and knelt down (further happy photographers). ‘The Times’ is upon us and this sees Katie use her guitar for the first time. Her Korg keyboard is now history I guess and her performance is less distracted as a result. The keys are still there but pre-programmed. With the addition of this extra guitar, the sound has drifted into New Order territory and it’s here that in my notes I type “They have grown extensively since my last encounter”. The band rocked on out at this point and it was clear that they were a very good selection as support on the tour and the Brighton gig punters were well behind the band, judging by the enthusiastic growing applause after each tune.
Their 2022 ‘Cherish’ single is introduced and performed next for us. This has a wonderful guitar and drums frenzy going on! Their other 2022 single was given an airing next, this being ‘Angelic’ and the intro of which certainly had a Cocteau Twins vibe going on. This being their slowest tune of the set and arguably the most middle-of-the-road like Fleetwood Mac. We were encouraged to wave our arms side to side to the beat and many did accordingly obliged. Then, thankfully, the beat changed and the band got rockin’ again. Unusually for a live set, they finished off with an unreleased song, this is titled ‘Home’ and is another solid welcome addition to their repertoire. Where they are at the moment is if they were to secure a support slot in the USA with a band similar to Fleetwood Mac, then She’s In Parties would make the big time!
She’s In Parties:
Katie Dillon – vocals, guitar
Herbie Wiseman – guitar and bv’s
Charlie Johnson – bass
Matt Carman – drums
She’s In Parties setlist:
‘Velveteen’ (from 2023 ‘End Scene’ EP)
‘Puppet Show’ (from 2024 ‘Puppet Show’ EP)
‘The Man’ (from 2024 ‘Puppet Show’ EP)
‘The Times’ (from 2024 ‘Puppet Show’ EP)
‘Cherish’ (a 2022 single)
‘Angelic’ (a 2022 single)
‘Home’ (unreleased)
Heartworms take to the Concorde 2 stage at 9:30pm and entertain us for 62 minutes until 10:32pm. During that time we are served 13 tunes, and this includes all 9 tracks found on the brand new ‘Glutton For Punishment’ long player, but sadly no cover this time around of Sisters Of Mercy ‘Dominion’.
Josephine “Jojo” Orme dramatically takes to the stage last after a trio of bandmates, who are sadly not acknowledged or introduced, anytime throughout the set. Therefore I have no idea of the names of the drummer who is seated on the drum riser to the rear who is also taking care of the Roland drumpad presets; the guitarist (stage right, our left) and the bassist (stage left, our right). The guitarist and bassist have really gone all out Goth by backcombing frizzed-up and sprayed hair, and they both ooze coolness. The drummer possibly less so, and Jojo has long-ditched her Che Guevara beret and army getup and too is clad in black. As they all arrived, the houselights had been extinguished and there was a deep rumbling sound followed by pre-programmed keys. The sounddesk had obviously been instructed to seriously increase the volume from that of the support, which is an old trick, but us standing almost with our heads in the speakers wasn’t quite as enamoured as possibly those to the rear of the busy venue.
The quartet kick off with the first two tunes from the new LP, these being ‘In The Beginning’ and ‘Just To Ask A Dance’. There is decent use of the drumpads for the opener and Jojo shows off her prowess on the theremin for the second tune. I love this instrument, it’s so out there in a sci-fi movie kinda way. The band are seriously rockin’ out and there’s some decent guitar and bass shakin’ going down! The sound is powerful and the blue and flashing white lighting certainly set the mood. I must confess that Heartworms are already sounding heavier than I had remembered them previously.
Sadly a roadie comes on stage and takes the theremin away, never to be seen again, as Jojo thanks She’s In Parties for supporting them on the tour. Heartworms lead into their ‘Retributions Of An Awful Life’ 2023 single which benefits from some decent drum machine and guitar action that reminded me of the earliest tunes by The Cure. Then all of a sudden Jojo demands that the band stop, stating that the microphone is broken. Cue the return of the roadie (without the theremin) to fix said problem and the outfit again begins from the top. During this tune, Jojo came and stood atop the loudspeaker immediately in front of us, which was handy for the photographers down below in the pit.
The sole surviving number from 2023’s ‘A Comforting Notion’ EP is up next, this being ‘Consistent Dedication’, which sees the bassist trading in one instrument for another bass and thus the top bass note was nicely struck throughout this tune. The drums and twangy guitar action melded the sound just right. It’s here that we get the first use of the house lazers, which deliver green strands of light from above and behind the band and out above the punter’s heads. It really does set the scene. It is during this track, that I note Joho’s vocals are delivered akin to Clare Grogan (Altered Images) being in an angry mood, but the music sits much more in Sisters Of Mercy territory.
I sense that Jojo is a fan of Zola Jesus and that her theatrical deliveries keep the crowd’s eyes totally fixed on her. Well Jojo has invested in a movement coach I hear, so that’s money well spent. Their 2023 single ‘May I Comply’ begins with the loudest ear rattling beats of the night! This has a heavy vibe akin to Gary Numan’s work of this century, and Jojo delivers her dramatic vocal delivery throughout, whilst her dark eye makeup adds to the menacing sound, and the stare of Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke) comes to mind. The drummer then kicks off the preprogrammed backing track for ‘Jacked’, which like the next tune (‘Mad Catch’) is found on the new debut album. This track is less intense than its predecessor, but Jojo does hold my attention as she moves around like a mad doll as seen in ‘Blade Runner’.
Things take an unsettling turn next with the arrival of ‘Beat Poem’ which witnesses the players perfectly motionless and silent! In fact the silence goes on for two minutes! The stage is dark and the punters are also totally muted and you could hear a mouse fart! Jojo unnervingly moved around the stage whilst peering at the punters during this silence. This is theatre alright! My mind then wonders, as to why Heartworms haven’t opted for performing in less unusual performance spaces, on account of the weirdness unravelling in front of me. Maybe a decommissioned power station, an aerodrome or WW2 bunker would be an inspired selection! ‘Beat Poem’ does actually come to life with Jojo uttering several lines, the scariest of all being “We are the people you bury in the floors”, and then eventually the drums come in…talk about eerie!
There’s more dramatic vocal delivery for ‘Extraordinary Wings’ which benefits from a constant drumbeat. After which we get my choice track of the evening, this being ‘Warplane’, which like the previous number is from the new LP. This track has a brilliant fast electronic beat and the house lights, which are set to white and roaming around the stage as in endeavouring to find a war plane, fits in perfectly. Near the end of the song, the trio of players swiftly vacated the stage and briefly left Jojo on stage alone and still playing guitar, in order to receive the applause. She too then leaves. We cry for more and are rewarded with a trio of other songs. The guitarist switches to acoustic guitar with Jojo on vocals for ‘Glutton For Punishment’ and eventually the bass guitar is lightly tickled and the drums are quietly played. The vocal delivery here reminds me of Patti Smith, which might give an indication as to why one of my friends present, referred to this evening as his “Gig of the year so far!”.
The penultimate selection was ‘Celebrate’ which commenced with a decent electronic backing beat in a real retro kinda way. Then when the track was nearing its conclusion, the song absolutely exploded into action like a thunderstorm. After this Jojo simply utters “Goodnight” and they perform ‘Smugglers Adventure’ which is a borderline grunge tune and an inspired number to end on. There’s again great use of lazer lighting which switches from green to white. Heartworms are very much an act ploughing their own furrow and many revel in their uniqueness. It will be interesting to see where Jojo takes the project next….
Heartworms:
Josephine “Jojo” Orme – vocals, guitar, theremin
? – electric & acoustic guitars, backing vocals
? – bass, backing vocals
? – drums, drumpads
Heartworms setlist:
‘In The Beginning’ (from 2025 ‘Glutton For Punishment’ album)
‘Just To Ask A Dance’ (from 2025 ‘Glutton For Punishment’ album)
‘Retributions Of An Awful Life’ (a 2023 single)
‘Consistent Dedication’ (from 2023 ‘A Comforting Notion’ EP)
‘May I Comply’ (a 2023 single)
‘Jacked’ (from 2025 ‘Glutton For Punishment’ album)
‘Mad Catch’ (from 2025 ‘Glutton For Punishment’ album)
‘Beat Poem’ (unreleased)
‘Extraordinary Wings’ (from 2025 ‘Glutton For Punishment’ album)
‘Warplane’ (from 2025 ‘Glutton For Punishment’ album)
(encore)
‘Glutton For Punishment’ (from 2025 ‘Glutton For Punishment’ album)
‘Celebrate’ (from 2025 ‘Glutton For Punishment’ album)
‘Smugglers Adventure’ (from 2025 ‘Glutton For Punishment’ album)
www.instagram.com/iamheartworms
