Frantic britpunk duo The Meffs have honed their craft when it comes to riling up a crowd, having supported hard rock and punk icons such as Alice Cooper and Frank Turner last year. When they announced that it was time for their first headline tour with support from post-punk four piece CARSICK, we knew we would be there. Hailing from Colchester, Essex, The Meffs formed in 2019 and since then have become a core component of their genre. Comprised only of Lily (vocalist and guitarist) and Lewis (drummer and backing vocalist), the dynamic pair are known for their political lyrics and raw, unapologetic vocals. The snug G2 in Glasgow was buzzing with anticipation as we awaited the set.
When Salisbury-based CARSICK came on stage, vocalist Joe instructed the crowd to come closer and joked that they “don’t bite”. Pint in hand, much of the crowd gladly obliged after the genre-defying group launched straight into their upbeat 2021 single ‘Is What It Is’, attracting more curious onlookers as the song progressed. To get everyone even more involved and warmed up, bassist Jack H jumps down and sprints through the crowd, creating a very up-close-and-personal live music experience. At times, Joe's vocals were slightly drowned out by the band's lively instrumentation, possibly due to the venue's acoustics, but their engagement with the crowd kept the energy high.
Towards the end of their vibrant set, guitarist Jack R takes a brief moment to thank everyone for ignoring the red weather warnings to be there and jokes that “whoever starts a mosh pit gets to take Tom's drum kit home”. A handful of ecstatic members of the crowd took this as a challenge and as the band played the catchy riffs of ‘Anaconda Frank’, they certainly got the mosh pit they asked for. They rounded out their set with ‘Pubwatch’, ending on a high and ensuring the crowd were ready and excited for the headlining act.
Shortly after having humbly set up the stage themselves, The Meffs bounced out to the song ‘Spitfire’ by fellow Essex-band The Prodigy, which they even nodded to later in the set with a cover of their song ‘Breathe’. They immediately jumped into ‘Stamp it Out’, the leading track from their recent album; an energetic start that set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Much of the setlist consisted of songs from ‘What a Life’, with one of our favourites being 'Only Human'. The reverberating guitar riffs paired with Lewis's punchy drumming created a wall of sound that could be felt throughout the entire venue. The duo also played a few tracks from their previous EP’s, such as ‘No’ and ‘Stand Up, Speak Out’. They work well in a venue of this size, with their intense stage presence easily filling the room and plenty of opportunities to engage with the audience in a more direct manner than what they may have been used to having played arenas previously.
The duo also performed an unreleased track titled, ‘So Modern’. The track resembles the loud and confident sound of ‘What a Life’, with lyrics vulnerably referring to the fast-paced nature of modern-day trends in society and the difficulty of keeping up. Their continuous connection with the audience elevated the evening's sense of excitement. Before starting to play ‘Everything’s Gone’, Lily addresses the crowd. She states that she intends to walk into the centre of everyone and asks for a circle pit to be formed around her. Jumping down from the stage, she began playing the song and an excited whirlpool of people surrounded her, which gladly continued even once she’d rejoined Lewis.
Rather than leaving the stage before the encore, the duo took a more theatrical approach. Lily stood, guitar hanging down with one foot atop an amp while drummer Lewis proclaimed that she had “gone into a trance” and that only the sound of screaming fans could snap her out of it. The crowd obliged, erupting into deafening cheers. This prompted the pair to launch into their encore songs of ‘Clowns’ before finishing with explosive fan-favourite, ‘Broken Britain, Broken Brains’. The Meffs and CARSICK delivered a night of unrelenting energy and memorable crowd interactions, which left the audience buzzing long after the final chord faded.
Words: Chloe Sodeau
Photos: Ben Blisset
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