1865, Southampton
It’s Wednesday night in Southampton as one of Punk’s best exponents of the live experience is in town. Mansfield’s finest Hung Like Hanratty are in Southampton to have some fun. Supporting them tonight are two local bands – one known to me and one not.
First up are rising stars Bitter Self Exploitment. Fresh from the release of the recent mini album 7 Udder Songs they are now trimmed to a 3-piece following the departure of Nat (guitar). On paper it shouldn’t work, but Jack (bass/vox) takes his string shredding to a whole new level. This trio are playing to their biggest audience yet and main vocalist Jordan is a man running on hot coals, as he patrols every inch of this large stage. And not forgetting Ben (drums) in the engine room, keeping a constant beat. Ok, so they could look out of place on a stage this size; but both Jordan & Jack are energetic throughout and perfectly warm up this slowly growing crowd. They open with a newie, “Don’t Wanna Pay My Bills” – how very current! Oldie “Big Guinness Man” comes next with their familiar social commentary.
“Lanky Jeff” could be attributed to any tall person while ‘Us and Them’ is more a political number. Jordan is now in full throttle as he starts his running-around stage ritual on a rampant “Sick To Death”. “Famous in Japan” is mildly amusing, I’d settle for famous in our hometown myself! “Career” stays in the personal ballpark before set highlight “Moustache Twat” (which I’m reliably informed was written about Hipsters)! They end a terrific set with live fave “Here We Go” – a terrace anthem if ever I’ve heard one. Tonight is proof if ever it was needed that losing a mainstay doesn’t mean the end. BSE have re-grouped, got altogether tighter and started a new chapter in their burgeoning young career – the future is bright…
Everyone Lies (also local) are a new band to me. Hampshire-based and with a string of singles behind them, they have been busy since their inception in 2019. Not letting the Covid pandemic get in their way they remained busy writing new material. The fruits of their labour are here for all to hear tonight as they confidently march on stage and get down to business. They open with “Biscuits”!
“Hang In There My Friend” follows as they start to feel more comfortable on stage. It’s Punk with a smattering of Skate and a touch of humour. “Stuck inside My Head” is another that I expect will literally be… ‘Monotony’ however is anything but – – these guys have great stage presence and the dual vocals compliment their mix of styles. Ok, so they are steeped in Skate/Punk (IMO) but when the rhythm guitarist takes over on vocals I detect a slight Indie influence. Again, we have a band here that doesn’t just stand still – their modesty is also on show as they praise Bitter Self Exploitment before giving a shootout to the headliners. “See Me Now” is quite personal and I’m guessing autobiographical. If I have but one criticism it’s just that when they drop the tempo, the vocals are more decipherable. “TINA” keeps the pace high as they continue to impress, where would we be without a Pop/Punk, Skate/Punk band doing a song about a girlfriend? The guitar lines within this song are terrific and briefly remind me of underachievers “Midget”. They end on a high with the rather wonderful “Fight Or Flight” and receive good applause.
And so to our headliners. Hung Like Hanratty has slowly but surely been making a big noise in the National Punk scene north of Watford for quite some time now. How would they fare down South on a Wednesday night in Southampton? Well, we needn’t have worried – they give a stellar set as follows:
Opening with the affectionately titled “Clampit Town” they set out their stall early. Tales of many a town and their misfit communities, followed by “Marching On” – a song about pubs! This quintet are part of a long tradition of what is loosely termed Novelty Punk. I prefer the term Fun Punk, (putting the fun back into the scene). Their no-nonsense observational humour is there for all to hear in their lyrics. And they use props and plenty of them. “Pistorious” is an early highlight about the Olympic runner who famously shot his wife as she was taking a dump! Cue mass singalongs as this Southampton crowd are in fine voice. “Human Pig” gives one punter a chance to get on stage and wear a Pig Mask as the baying crowd taunts him during the chorus. Apparently, it’s a song about singer “Al Satiion’s” ex-wife!
Following on is that great British bugbear, clearing up dog excrement. Cue live favourite “Clean Up Your Dog Shit”. When they play to bigger crowds a dog puppet usually gets tossed around the crowd, complete with fake dog poo bags! Tonight we just settle for the big singalong – and of course “The Dog Shit Dance”. They follow this with a song about our wonderful Constabulary, entitled “Cunstable” – none of your Anarcho/Punk ACAB nonsense here, just a light-hearted dig. Al introduces “The Joy Of Getting Old” with his own ailments, yet one wouldn’t know it – he is energy personified, giving those BSE youngsters a run for their money!
“Epstein’s Diary” is introduced with a paper mask of Prince Andrew, setting us up nicely for another wonderful singalong to “I Hate The World” which hears this crowd in fine voice – bettered only by (The Ghost of) “Jimmy Saville”. The “how’s about that then” choruses are simply hilarious! One or two new songs are aired, including “Re-mapped Noisy Car” – yep, we’ve all seen these Boy Racer types. “She’s A Monster” is another live favourite, inducing yet more singalongs. Al’s (Lead vocals) onstage antics are a sight to behold, but his saliva-donation to Ricky (rhythm guitar) was maybe a step too far tonight, but it’s all part of the entertainment.
There’s no “Danny” in the set tonight, instead, we get “Duggie”! “What You See is What You Get” kind of sums up HLH. This is a five-piece Punk Rock band out to have fun and put smiles on faces. Al thanks us all for coming out on a School Night and supporting live music. Tezza (bass) meanwhile is having a few technical issues. “Dating Site” is another newie from the as-yet untitled forthcoming album. They end a thrilling set with “Ed (I Wish You Were Dead)”, about a neighbour out all hours of the day fixing his car. One could forgive HLH for not bothering to encore for a crowd of less than 100, but they come back for 2 more songs. “Ten Bob Millionaire” piques our interest before they depart on the now familiar set closer to “Quick Song”. They once more take the plaudits and then mingle with the punter’s post-gig.
Once again this great venue takes a risk with a touring Punk Band who never fails to deliver. But, my one abiding gripe is this – three great bands, £10 entry, great venue, free parking, competitive bar tab – I know it’s a School Night but where the hell is everybody? There must be some great bands playing in all the other local venues!
Set Lists
Bitter Self Exploitment
Don’t Wanna Pay My bills
Big Guinness Man
Lanky Jeff
Us and Them
Sick to Death
Famous in Japan
Who the Fuck am I
Career
Moustache Twat
Rob Thomas
Here We Go
Everyone Lies
Biscuits
Hang in There My Friend
Stuck Inside My Head
Monotony
See Me Now
Get Up
That’s What She Said
PDEITW
TNT Tina
90’s
Fight or Flight
Hung Like Hanratty
Clampit Town
Marching On
Pistorious
Human Pig
Clean Up Your Dog Shit
Cunstable
Joys of Getting Old
Epsteins Diary
I Hate The World
(The Ghost of) Jimmy Saville
Re-Mapped Noisy Car
Inland Revenue
She’s a Monster
Duggie
What You See Is What You Get
Dating Site
Ed (I Wish You Were Dead)
Encore
Ten Bob Millionaire
Quick Song
Videos
Links
https://www.facebook.com/BitterSelfExploitment
https://www.facebook.com/EveryoneLiesBand
https://www.facebook.com/HungLikeHanratty
Words by Ross A Ferrone
Pictures by Mathew Rayner
