The Black Heart – 23 July 2021
Raucous return to unrestricted live music in Camden’s Black Heart.
Its been a long and trying eighteen months, one that has been largely devoid of the opportunity to experience the sensation of a fully raucous and uninhibited gig. So it was with great excitement that I set out to do just that. The venue was The Black Heart in Camden for a sold out leg of the Maid of Ace tour. The first impression was that it was a real novelty even to hear the thud of the bass drum reverberating at close quarters and the hum of guitars and this was before the gig had even started. To paraphrase the late great sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, if you enjoyed the soundcheck so much, hopefully you’ll enjoy the music even more. Needless to say I did.
Once the giddy buzz of seeing live instruments being tuned up abated it was time for the actual show. Things began with The Healthy Junkies who unusually were without their front woman Nina. As far as excuses for being absent go, filming on the set of the upcoming Sex Pistols documentary is up there with the better ones I’ve heard. The band played on undaunted though, with guitarist Phil taking vocal duties. Musically the band held it down with a performance that gave a little more space to instrumental parts. Their brand of grungey rock and roll inflected punk is always a winner live. The crowd warmed up as the set progressed and the two guest vocalists lent a madcap, anarchic energy in the form of Frog and a visceral post-hardcore aggression from Tom. The set ended with a heavier somewhat slower number, which had a stoner rock groove to it, perhaps indicative of a slightly heavier direction going forward. Overall it was a solid set and they did well without Nina, but the talismanic chemistry that she normally exudes was perhaps slightly lacking.
Next up were a duo from the north of Scotland called Bratakus. Their set up consists of two sisters on guitar and bass respectively, accompanied by a drum machine. They have a heavy wall of sound approach where shouty dual vocals and thrashy guitars sit atop programmed blast beats. It’s a highly effective combination, lending itself well to music that is fast, angry and political. Their repertoire included songs dealing with subjects such as respecting personal space and the ludicrous notion of meat consumption being tied into masculinity. This I learnt from the introductions as once they started playing it was difficult to decipher exactly what was being sung. The passion with which these numbers are delivered displays a riot grrrl ethos but the music is heavier and more abrasive. There was a moment when the drum machine refused to play ball but aside from that it was a full on and powerful delivery throughout. It was the first time I’d seen Bratakus but I’m sure it won’t be the last.
After a quick trip to the bar to stock up on refreshments, it was the turn of headliners Maid of Ace to take to the stage. By this time the room was packed and the atmosphere was electric. They really built on the aggression of the previous bands and delivered a tightly executed barnstorming set. The crowd had decisively loosened up by now and there was even a mosh pit going; who knew you could be so nostalgic for the scrum of a load of sweaty punks. The exuberance of the crowd was entirely reciprocated and indeed amplified on stage. The band have a commanding presence and their style of fast explosive punk is perfectly suited to an intimate venue like The Black Heart. The drumming was vigorous, the guitars convulsive and the vocals raw and incendiary. The show rattled by, punctuated occasionally by animated exclamations from the stage. It was the confidently delivered set of a band who are on top of their game and fully back into the swing of gigging, which makes sense given that they’ve been on tour in support of their most recent album Live Fast or Die. A maxim which has been somewhat harder to enact of late, though if this set was anything to go by they are more than making up for lost time.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable night then and a reminder of how badly missed live music has been. The unpredictability of a live gig, the impromptu asides from the stage, the chance to dance like a tit and jump around in the presence of like minded strangers. Not to mention the chance to talk with the bands afterwards and peruse the merch stall. Props to the Healthy Junkies for being the first band I’ve seen to sell socks. Fortunately the Black Heart has managed to weather the storm and remain open despite some hairy moments when it was facing closure; not all small venues have. Here’s to the chaotic release of a live punk show, let’s hope there will be many many more to enjoy and half remember the next morning.
