For the second weekend in a row it was a Sunday visit to Broadcast that was to bring the weekend to a celebratory conclusion. This was a night bristling with expectation after waiting for what seemed like a lifetime to witness the glory of Jo Jo and the Teeth live after being wowed by their debut album in 2022. Not only that but it was a double whammy as the band also transformed into Eater with the estimable Andy Blade to create a venerable punk rock riot.
Chemicalwhiteroom
The riot started early with the arrival of support act Chemicalwhiteroom to the Broadcast stage. I say stage, but their vocalist shunned the stage for most of the set, favouring instead prowling across the floor pacing like a caged beast, an unhinged beast which duly managed to slip its shackles and unleash its revenge on its captors…the set, a furious burst of punk rock rage and energy that hit like a punch to the guts.
Jo Jo & the Teeth
Since I first clapped ears on their stunning debut album No More Good News I’ve been desperate to see Jo Jo & the Teeth live. The album is crammed full of high impact edgy punk-blues anthems, packed to bursting with top class musicianship and topped off with the icing on the cake, Jo Jo O’Donoghue’s potently powerful vocal.
There is always a danger that having set your level of expectations so high you end up disappointed. This was patently not the case with this band, if anything the opposite was true, they more than exceeded my expectations, their performance blowing my tiny mind as they wowed the compact basement venue with their huge riffs and Jo Jo’s stadium filling vocal. This set was a treat for the eardrums from the opening note, boosting hormones left, right and centre.. dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, you name them, Jo Jo and the Teeth are like a filling station for the soul, keeping your reserves topped up giving you that feel good factor to help you build your personal shield of invincibility.
Even when it comes to songs like Hellhound, about the black dog of depression the
mood felt uplifting and joyous, a boisterously defiant anthem about the evils of the black dog “nipping at my heels” with Rylan’s guitar licks howling like the beast itself. Jo Jo has a formidable stage presence too, during this song prowling the stage on all fours. From early set highlight My Babe all the way through to closing number, the epic Don’t Get Too Heavy, with a couple of excellent new tracks thrown in for good measure the energy didn’t let up once a full blown assault on the senses leaving a huge grin on my face and those around me.
I know for a fact I wasn’t the only person blown away by their astonishing set, with a couple approaching the bar staff as I bought a pint after they finished, “who was that band” they asked and I had to interject when they weren’t able to answer “Jo Jo and the Teeth” I said “they were fantastic weren’t they?” I’m sure they weren’t the only converts.
If you were there, spread the word far and wide. If you weren’t. You missed out. Don’t be so tardy next time…
Eater
But, as if that wasn’t enough, we were about to be treated to another dose of the hugely exuberant quartet with added Andy Blade as they brought their punk credentials to the fore morphing into Eater. Before I go on, I will admit I was trepidatious on the night. As they started their set, I was initially kind of disappointed in the Glasgow gig going public at the turn out, but by the end of the gig that had changed to being quietly smug that I was one of the fortunate few to witness it. I did fear that this may discourage the bands from returning but the reactions from both Jo Jo and the Teeth and Andy Blade post gig and on socials have suggested a return is on the cards.
I seem to be going around the houses here, but if you haven’t read The Secret History of a Punk Rocker: The Andy Blade Chronicles, I recommend you rectify that sooner rather than later. It is one of the most entertaining music autobiographies I’ve read, with Andy displaying his ability to regale us with a tale using a high degree of humour. His wit was on display as he joked laconically with the Broadcast crowd, initially inciting crude anti-Aberdeen chants after indicating that during late night drinking after the gig in the Granite City with locals had led to suggestions that Glasgow was full of cunts…
Andy joked to and fro with the crowd all night, clearly enjoying himself and the opportunity he had to play the part of wind up merchant. Ok, I hear you say, but was the music any good? Fuck yeah! I mean I’m sure there were a couple of sore heads the next day and a vague memory of the gig, but that also led to a high level of riotous audience participation and wreckless abandon from certain quarters… I’ll give credit for that to the electrically charged performance from the collective Eater live experience… stand up the esteemed Andy Blade on vocals, Rylan Woods shredding the punk riffs on guitar, Max Battista bringing the thunder on bass, Andy Barker creating an unholy racket on the drums and of course Jo Jo O’Donoghue on backing Vox and vigorous dance moves!
Despite throwing their all into their first set the band had more than enough in reserve to provide another transcendent electrically charged set made up from Eater classics, new songs and the covers that Andy and Co made their own back in the day, Jeepster and Queen Bitch both making an appearance, but it was their high octane romp through Waiting for the Man that caused the biggest/most amusing reaction of all the covers in Broadcast.
It was the bands originals that impressed the most though, and with Andy recording and playing new songs with the band, that more than stand proud with the older songs, things look bright for the future of Eater. Looking back, songs like Public Toys, Bedroom Fits and Room for One (a highlight for me) have all stood the test of time, sounding as fresh and invigorating as ever, the band injecting a new youthful energy into one of the first wave of punks youngest provocateurs. As the evening reached its zenith it was singles Outside View with its cascading bass line perfectly reproduced by Max, and the more relevant than ever Thinking of the USA that potentially won the day and rounded off a superb night.
I’m hoping for a quick return to the city from both bands, next time though let’s make sure it’s to a more deserving packed out venue.
If Carlsberg made Sundays…