Surferosa, Lincoln Duke of Wellington
This gig was held at the University of Lincoln Student Union. For so long the annual Thursday night band evening at Lincoln University was always filled with the same generic garage rock bands, with the odd gem thrown in for good measure every so often to keep peoples attention. This is in no way the University’s fault, Lincoln is a small city in a vast wasteland of a county, but truth be told of late, things are improving. The Zutons and Dogs Die in Hot cars entertained a little over a month ago, and King Adora and Razorlight are here in the coming weeks. But it was with great anticipation I awaited Norwegian ‘synth-punks’ ‘Surferosa’, and young up and comers ‘The Whelk Attachment’ to a brand new university driven crowd. And neither disappointed one bit.
Unfortunately, I arrived at the gig late and managed to miss most of the Whelk Attachments set. It was pleasing to see a fairly decent crowd inside though and they all seemed to be enjoying the whelks distinctive brand of crazy fucked up breakdowns and energetic displays of showmanship. The nine or so friends I managed to persuade to come along even seemed to be in their element. Something wasn’t right, my friends hate this music to the point of calling me a dirty mosher (irony) and bloated fool (truth). The Whelk hammered out eight tracks of unadulterated At the Drive In esque melodies and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the occasion. With the sceptical Lincoln crowd in the palm of their hands, they finished on one of the songs of the night, showcasing some superb changes of pace and a lovely knight rider esque climax to the song. The Whelk Attachment left their mark in Lincolns SU, and I doubt it will be the last time we see them grace the stage. (8)
After the pleasant opening set, the stage was set for the punk rock shenanigans of Norwegian five-piece Surferosa. The crowd rose to their feet, the lead guitarist looked a little like certain characters off Little Britain and the bassist resembled a Wolf type creature but of course for all the adrenaline filled students out there, it was the lead vocalist they wanted to see. And she did not disappoint in the slightest. If you can imagine Debbie Harry in her element, then add a little bit of performance enhancing drugs and maybe some David Brent esque dancing, you can imagine the stage presence this woman had. Whether it is strutting around the stage confidently, joining the crowd for renditions of songs 99% hadn’t heard or shoving some guys head towards her nether regions, she had it all. Back to the music though, and the electronic edge the band used worked well over the grinding guitars and the music was played to a high standard for the duration of their set. I believe this was there first visit to these shores, and with a debut full-length album out on the 12th April, they are certainly a band to keep an eye on. (8)
This was a huge step in the right direction for the venue and the crowd seemed to lap the whole occasion up, with two hugely promising bands putting on a good show, and all for the princely sum of £2. Good solid band nights in Lincoln don’t happen often but when they do, it lasts in your memory for weeks to come. Tonight was one of those nights.
Jay
http://www.thewhelkattachment.co.uk/
http://www.surferosa.no/start.htm
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