THE DEL STRANGEFISH INEXPERIENCE + THE PINK DIAMOND REVUE + BRIGADÉ JUNK + UNEXPECTED ITEM – AUDIOACTIVE, WORTHING 7.11.26
Fifty years of punk rock! Half a century of attitude, rebellion, distorted guitars and the glorious refusal to behave properly. And what better way to celebrate than by bringing The Del Strangefish Inexperience, The Pink Diamond Revue, Brigadé Junk and Unexpected Item along to AudioActive Worthing, who provided the perfect setting for this celebration of alternative music, with a night dedicated to everything punk rock was, is, and hopefully always will be.
This two day event was organised by TOT Presents and Paul Black at AudioActive Worthing. Last night witnessed Asbo Derek, FRCTY, & Hissy & The Fits in action, but we have joyfully rolled along for this evening’s superior entertainment. Thankfully tonight wasn’t an evening for polished pop perfection or carefully choreographed entertainment. This was punk rock celebrating its birthday the only way it knows how: loudly, defiantly and with absolutely no intention of asking permission.
We begin with the headliners and work our way back to earlier on in the night, and so without further ado, lets see what when on….
The Del Strangefish Inexperience: Punk Without a Safety Net
The Del Strangefish Inexperience is the musical project and band led by Del Strangefish, the co-founder of punk/new wave acts Peter And The Test Tube Babies, as well as having been a member of Flesh for Lulu.
The Del Strangefish Inexperience took to the stage with the sort of spirit that makes punk gigs such a wonderful proposition. Forget musical conservatism, forget playing it safe, and forget anyone suggesting that perhaps the volume could be turned down a notch.
This was punk territory, where attitude counts, for as much as amplification possible and nobody needs permission to make a racket. The drummer attacked the kit as though it owed him money!
There was something wonderfully appropriate about celebrating punk’s half-century with a band whose very name suggests that experience might occasionally be overrated. After all, some of the greatest moments in punk history happened when somebody decided to have a go without necessarily knowing what they were doing.
The Del Strangefish Inexperience hit it and us at full tilt: blistering guitar riffs, thundering bass lines and some breakneck drumming. This no-frills punk set fired up some new material, some oldies and some unexpected numbers. First up was ‘Nerves’, followed by ‘Weak’ and ‘Dear John’. Del reminded us that it was quite a short set, and sometimes “More Is Less”. One song crashed masterfully into the next.
Del and his band fired it up, it was at times pure punk chaos up there, mainly led from the back of the stage as drum sticks went flying! It was at times controlled mayhem and Del stepped up to pull it all back into shape. Del smiled his way through the whole set. Two guitars, drums and bass with Del and Jim sharing those guitar duties and vocals, but everyone poured out a high-octane punk performance. It was at times pure wall-to-wall intensity. ‘No invitation’, ‘Tomorrow’s Girls’ and ‘Up And Down’ were fired at us. This was the sort of noise your parents warned you about! The crowd bounced along to these tunes, as they had done for the entire evening.
I had spotted the last song on the set list was “ELVIS”. To close the set, one of those unexpected numbers we were told about, was an Elvis cover, ‘Suspicious Minds’. Now I have heard this song done many times by many artists and bands, but never heard it played like this! It was a pure uncompromising punk sound, very raw and authentic. I and the crowd loved it. It left our ears whistling!
All killer, no filler from The Del Strangefish Inexperience!
www.instagram.com/del_strangefish
The Pink Diamond Revue: Adding Riffs and Sparkle to the Rebellion!
The Pink Diamond Revue added another layer to the celebrations and kept the evening firmly in rebellious territory. With the punk spirit running through the room, the atmosphere was exactly what you’d hope for from a gathering marking such a significant musical milestone. The Pink Diamond Revue are a 3 Piece Electro/ Dance/ Psych band from Reading / London UK, fronted by aCiD DoL, a model from another dimension!
Formed over a decade ago, they have played over 500 shows throughout the UK and Europe.
Their lineup comprises Acid Dol (aCiD DoL), who is the band’s iconic front-figure—the top half of a female mannequin from another dimension; Tim Lane is the guitarist and charismatic frontman, sporting a suited, ‘Thin White Duke’ Bowie-esque look; and finally Rob Courtman Stock, the man with the sticks on drums and sat in the dark!
The Pink Diamond Revue continued the celebrations, bringing another slice of alternative attitude to an evening that was never going to be mistaken for a quiet night at the opera.
Their set is hypnotic and entertaining. It is art, it is music, it is unique! The Revue will pull you in and get your feet moving without you even realising. Each song ended with Tim raising his hand and a nod of his head. There are no spoken words from Tim.
It’s a masterful use of a ton of audio equipment, guitars. Acid Dol takes and commands centre stage. Add some wonderful coloured visuals and video clips and you have an experience you will never forget. The Pink Diamond Revue kept the accelerator firmly planted throughout their shorter than usual set.
‘Elvis Presley’ and ‘Lux’ from the new album were included. It is at times reminiscent of early Sigue Sigue Sputnik with the use of audio and carefully selected and mixed sound clips. Did you ever have one of those sound effects keyrings with laser sounds? If you did, then you know what I mean with just some of the sounds mixing with the guitars. The guitar was filthy, the drums were thunderous and Acid Dol gazed out and the crowd was loving every second
The vocals on the backing reel tell us to “Listen To The Music”. We did! In came the beats and then Tim fired up that guitar. The riffs and chords hit us loud and fast as he glared at Acid Dol and peered through the lights into the crowd. It was stunning.
If you enjoy perfectly synchronized visuals, stunning LED displays, dramatic lighting and music with a real foot tapping emotional impact, go see these guys!
The wonderful trippy set ended, with Acid Dol left, on her own, on the stage area still looking into the crowd.
The Pink Diamond Revue have a new album out, and it is spinning as I write this. Many of the tracks were played live for us, and hearing the album took me back. The album is called ‘At The Discotheque’, and it’s a cracker!
Brigadé Junk: Punk and a Whole Lot of Attitude!
“A beatnik punk ‘n’ roll power-trio. Under Heavy Manners. No more, no less.”
This trio were up next, Brigadé Junk hit the stage running and at full tilt. They put down a rocking set made up of some eight tracks.
A new outfit for me, and they were impressive. Brian led from the front displaying some guitar playing prowess and squeezed in a few great moves and poses. We had some serious bass going on and a heavy drum laying down some heavy duty fills. The bass and drums combo are the powerhouse behind the sound with the guitar up front. It was a solid driving performance.
If poetry, punk attitude and rock ’n’ roll had a rather noisy night out together, the result might well be Brigadé Junk. Describing themselves as a “beatnik punk ’n’ roll power-trio”, they delivered a wonderfully unruly cocktail of raw energy, rebellious spirit and musical swagger. They opened up with ‘Dead Beat’, ‘Zen’ and the brilliant titled ‘Junk Brigade’!
These guys are lean, loud and gloriously polished, this is music that doesn’t politely ask permission before kicking the door open. Also included in the set are ‘Police Car’ and ‘The Fall’ showing that Brigadé Junk bring attitude by the bucket load, proving that sometimes three musicians, a healthy disregard for convention and a serious appetite for a decent noise are all you need to get a room rocking.
Brigadé Junk: Punk rock served up from a rock ’n’ roll heart!
www.instagram.com/brigade_junk
Unexpected Item: Living up to their name
First outfit to hit the stage tonight were Unexpected Item, a new and unexpected band for me! Sadly I couldn’t find a lot of information about them, but quite a few members of the crowd clearly knew them.
The duo hit the stage, well half of the duo did with guitar and vocals, then the bass arrived. The percussion was supplied via a playback device.
We had some fine tunes and tales of punk rock from New Zealand! They wowed their audience with some fine guitar fretwork and some killer bass lines that I am pretty sure The Stranglers wish they had put together!
Unexpected Item drip with an infectious energy, with at times some dance-worthy beats all wrapped up to deliver a polished enjoyable set.
They put together an electrifying performance and provided a brilliant start to what was to become an unforgettable night of live music in the heart of Worthing.
The band didn’t simply play their songs; they brought them to life with their playing and bits of chat and background information.
They have a gig coming up at a new Worthing venue, The Factory 2 on 28th November, Postpunkery for these times!
Unexpected Item: A thoroughly entertaining set.
