As often happens when I wander up to Camden to check out one of the almost daily free shows put on at The Stillery, I end up getting to see a great band I’d never heard of. In keeping with that tradition, I recently stumbled upon Brighton’s The New Tusk as they ripped through their set in a barrage of raw, late 90’s inspired punk music at this awesome Camden venue on April 25th.
While the vocal intensity and fast paced guitar playing of Bear vs. Shark came to mind as a possible comparison, The New Tusk is a lot more stripped down. Awash in feedback and a sort of boozy, drony undertone that conjures the scent of spilled beer drying on guitar strings.
Their sound caught my attention as I slipped between the bar and the back garden and before long, the entire venue was caught up in that reflexive head-bob that spreads like wild fire through a crowd trying to rock out a bit without spilling their drink.
There’s also just something great about seeing a ballsy, loud, punk three piece that probably reminds us of the first time we heard Nirvana or Green Day.
The concept of regular, free shows is a lot more important than we give credit for. Free shows like this one do a lot to garner a wider sense of community around a local music scene, even in a city as big as London.
It’s like bringing that small, uni town vibe to a section of London that as of late has been in danger of losing some of its best venues to unstoppable tsunami that is the London property market. (Check out last week’s article from Walloh on just that.)
Not that it isn’t worth paying for live music, it absolutely is. Musicians deserve our support and venues need to make money to survive and pay their employees but it is comforting to know that there are venues putting on great rock shows just for the sake of it.
The New Tusk will be back in London on the 12th of May at Water Rats in king’s Cross with Hampshire alt rockers Yearbook. This one’s £4 at the door but like I said, it’s absolutely worth every penny.
