Rocker (feedbot)
Gold Member
Teen Mortgage have had a busy eight years. Since their inception in 2017, their music has been used by Vans, they have toured with Weezer twice, and they have drip fed the world a series of frenetic garage punk songs that culminated in April’s debut album release, ‘Devil Ultrasonic Dream’. Eleven songs of pure unadulterated rocket fuel, fists constantly slamming against the machine. Tonight they headline The Garage with Bristol noise punks Knives and Glasgow indie punks Gallus.
Knives open up the night with ‘The Dagger’, the lead song from their own debut LP, ‘Glitter’, which also released in April. Churning overdriven bass powers the song through as a saxophone lends a wicked textural element to the noise. It’s as though Knives have taken ska and shoved its face through a mirror, before launching into ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’. The sound is massive, as they play through songs from ‘Glitter’ with a couple of older tunes, notably ending on 2024’s ‘Doppelgänger’.
Then Gallus swagger on, front man Barry Dolan oozing Glasgow. He’s wearing a Celtic top and swigging from a bottle of Buckfast that already looks half drunk. Opening with ‘Cool To Drive’, the wonderfully perverse title single from this year’s EP release. As Dolan’s lyrics become increasingly unhinged, gang vocals from both guitarists keep the song anchored around its hook. They play through the new EP as the crowd is getting warmed up. A circle pit forms, and Dolan gets as far into it as he can. Then after playing a couple of older numbers they finish, as Dolan walks off through the crowd to the hum of guitar feedback.
Before we’ve fully recovered, Teen Mortgage – James Guile and Ed Barakauskas – walk out. The drums have been moved up to the front of the stage to allow the two piece to play in parity. From the moment the opening notes of ‘Doctor’ kicks in, the crowd are kicking off, and the pit doesn’t stop until the night is over. As Teen Mortgage play through their third song, ‘Ride’, it’s inescapable how much faster they are playing these songs than the recorded versions. Impressive, as most of their songs already clock in with a BPM over 200. Guitarist and singer Guile is a machine with his vocals, getting out every word at lightning speed.
‘Box’, the lead single to ‘Devil Ultrasonic Dream’, hits with infectious, bouncing energy. Bodies smash into each other with enough intensity that security come to keep an eye on things, but the music keeps pounding us relentlessly. Every song lasts two minutes at the most and Teen Mortgage focus exclusively on the music – the only promotion they have to say to the audience is “Free Palestine”. The only moment that the music actually slows down is for ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, the closing song of the album, which comes straight after the eponymous opening track. It’s anthemic, and as it closes the trade union anthem ‘Solidarity Forever’ begins playing over the speakers. Teen Mortgage aren’t afraid to wear their politics openly and proudly.
Teen Mortgage end on ’S.W.A.S.’ (service with a smile) – “America’s favourite pastime”, quips Guile – straight into ‘Falling Down’. It’s been close to forty minutes by the time they leave the stage and almost twenty songs. There’s a few minutes of chants for an encore before Guile and Barakauskas once again make their way onto the stage to play 2023’s ‘Away’ and finally end on a song by “our favourite band” Misfits – ‘Hybrid Moments’.
Walking into the cooling evening air, two hours of punk music wash over sweat-drenched skin. It’s been a night of raw intensity from start to finish – a glorious reminder of everything this kind of music is supposed to be about.
WILL BRIGHT
Knives open up the night with ‘The Dagger’, the lead song from their own debut LP, ‘Glitter’, which also released in April. Churning overdriven bass powers the song through as a saxophone lends a wicked textural element to the noise. It’s as though Knives have taken ska and shoved its face through a mirror, before launching into ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’. The sound is massive, as they play through songs from ‘Glitter’ with a couple of older tunes, notably ending on 2024’s ‘Doppelgänger’.
Then Gallus swagger on, front man Barry Dolan oozing Glasgow. He’s wearing a Celtic top and swigging from a bottle of Buckfast that already looks half drunk. Opening with ‘Cool To Drive’, the wonderfully perverse title single from this year’s EP release. As Dolan’s lyrics become increasingly unhinged, gang vocals from both guitarists keep the song anchored around its hook. They play through the new EP as the crowd is getting warmed up. A circle pit forms, and Dolan gets as far into it as he can. Then after playing a couple of older numbers they finish, as Dolan walks off through the crowd to the hum of guitar feedback.
Before we’ve fully recovered, Teen Mortgage – James Guile and Ed Barakauskas – walk out. The drums have been moved up to the front of the stage to allow the two piece to play in parity. From the moment the opening notes of ‘Doctor’ kicks in, the crowd are kicking off, and the pit doesn’t stop until the night is over. As Teen Mortgage play through their third song, ‘Ride’, it’s inescapable how much faster they are playing these songs than the recorded versions. Impressive, as most of their songs already clock in with a BPM over 200. Guitarist and singer Guile is a machine with his vocals, getting out every word at lightning speed.
‘Box’, the lead single to ‘Devil Ultrasonic Dream’, hits with infectious, bouncing energy. Bodies smash into each other with enough intensity that security come to keep an eye on things, but the music keeps pounding us relentlessly. Every song lasts two minutes at the most and Teen Mortgage focus exclusively on the music – the only promotion they have to say to the audience is “Free Palestine”. The only moment that the music actually slows down is for ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, the closing song of the album, which comes straight after the eponymous opening track. It’s anthemic, and as it closes the trade union anthem ‘Solidarity Forever’ begins playing over the speakers. Teen Mortgage aren’t afraid to wear their politics openly and proudly.
Teen Mortgage end on ’S.W.A.S.’ (service with a smile) – “America’s favourite pastime”, quips Guile – straight into ‘Falling Down’. It’s been close to forty minutes by the time they leave the stage and almost twenty songs. There’s a few minutes of chants for an encore before Guile and Barakauskas once again make their way onto the stage to play 2023’s ‘Away’ and finally end on a song by “our favourite band” Misfits – ‘Hybrid Moments’.
Walking into the cooling evening air, two hours of punk music wash over sweat-drenched skin. It’s been a night of raw intensity from start to finish – a glorious reminder of everything this kind of music is supposed to be about.
WILL BRIGHT