It’s been quite some time since a MuddiBrooke headline show and even longer since they played their hometown of Derby. Since that show last year at The Victoria Inn, they’ve been rather busy playing all sorts of support slots with the likes of The Virginmarys, Black Star Riders, and Wayward Sons as well as a run of co-headline dates with Sleep in Motion, appearances at Call of the Wild, Derby’s Rock and Blues Festival, Lancaster Music Festival and somehow finding time to write new material. So where better than The Hairy Dog? It may be a Sunday but that hasn’t stopped MuddiBrooke’s tribe from coming out in force for what promises to be a great night of alt rock and grunge.
Hex Poseur are the first ones to take the stage, although it’s more of an assault than plugging in and playing. But you get a sense by the end of the first song that that’s what they’re setting out to do. Needless to say, it’s mission accomplished with their edgy alternative rock. Grunge, punk and noise rock collide in explosive fashion. The trio batter their way through their set, taking aim at all the usual (and deserved) suspects so if you’re one of those weirdos who idolise Elon Musk, this lot aren’t for you. There’s also some new material which is debuted, slotting in nicely and played just as well as presumably older songs in their set. Their last song is introduced and unlike preceding numbers, this is a big, sprawling epic (in the true sense of the word) but they manage to fit in one last parting shot. Despite the laidback response to their set, a final song is welcomed by the crowd. Whilst they’re an excellent band with a massive, punchy, fuzz-laden sound, it’s perhaps a touch too left-field for your average fan of the headliners. That said, chuck them on a noise rock/post-punk night over at Birmingham’s Hare and Hounds and they’d go down a storm. And I’d happily be there to witness it.
Bringing the energy, Amongst Liars don’t waste time in acquainting themselves with the audience. If your Sunday evenings are about curling up in front of Heartbeat with a cup of Horlicks, then Amongst Liars are here to make you thankful you’re not doing that tonight. With a brash punk tone to their own brand of alternative sounds, the five piece approach the night as if they’re the headliners. The crowd feed off their energy, receptive to their songs. As they air their anxieties and their qualms with the world we live in, you can’t help but identify with them. As tight as can be, they’re a powerhouse of a band, powered by razor-sharp driving guitars which blur the lines between scuzzy and clean to enable them to find space on plenty of different billings. Meanwhile, gargantuan drums and bass which is intent on vibrating every molecule inside you allows for a heaviness which prevents them from straying into that whiny brand of alternative which clogs up the space. Instead, there’s an affable quality to them and their performance is full of passion married with people who know how to play their instruments well and work as one solid unit.
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MuddiBrooke are greeted like the hometown heroes they are, not wasting any time by kicking things off with the gritty and grimy “Cellar”. If this is a celebration of the last eighteen months, it’s unsurprising this opens the set with newer singles “ADHD” and “Float” also featuring early in the set. Standards from Lunacy are peppered throughout, the three-year-old EP showing no signs of wearing thin. Now, they sound more bullish, bolstered by the fact Brooke (guitar/vocals), Anna Melidone (bass) and Morgan Pettigrew (drums) have been playing these songs all over the country for a couple of years now. It’s where the band have the chance to experiment and have fun with them, not playing them exactly as they appear on the EP, instead updating them and bringing them in line with where they are in 2024.
Indeed, these newer songs have allowed the band to spread their wings creatively, presenting a more sure-footed and tighter band in the writing and composition of songs. “ADHD” pops with punk vibrancy whilst “Float” seeks solace without wallowing in misery. Despite its darker tone, musically, there’s an air of positivity to its lyrics. It’s these songs which encourage the older songs to be bigger and bolder and its these eight which have largely made up their live set for the past couple of years.
Feeding off the energy of a packed hometown, the band are bursting with energy and even early on, it’s clear to see we’re witnessing something special. Brooke’s grungy guitar crackles and spits fuzz in equal measure. It’s not about high-octane riffs and solos, instead firing out hard-edged chords for the most part but also delivering brighter moments in songs like “Turn to Dust”. Likewise, her vocals are full of grit, anger and frustration lacing her screams whilst also managing to dig deeper down in her register where necessary. Meanwhile, Anna’s bass is as fat as ever, rumbling menacingly and sits right up front with the guitar. It’s appropriately gnarly, performed with gusto and takes centre stage on their cover of Highly Suspect’s “Little One”. The thick bass lines are as vital to the band’s sound as the guitar work, creating that dirty, grungy sound which adds to their authenticity and their influences of early to mid-90s alternative music whilst ensuring it’s modern to allow them to be a unique entity on the current scene.
He may be at the back, physically, Morgan is just as present, an absolute force on the drum kit and a visual spectacle. He’s not a flashy player, instead he’s about technicality, playing with passion, finesse and most of all – skill. He doesn’t use any flamboyant tricks and it’s his raw technique that makes him such an entertaining player. Putting his stamp all over the Lunacy material, he makes it that bit harder and heavier and also locks in perfectly with Anna, but it’s on the more recent material where he gets to run riot as he batters those skins but knows where to show restraint, showing a hefty number of tricks in his arsenal to beef up the sound and bring a level of dynamism other bands should envy.
While it’s not been a boring gig by any stretch, it’s the tail end of the set where it gets more interesting as the trio unleash their newest songs. Having been playing them off and on for the past year, it continues to show the various light and shade the band are capable of. These songs have come into their own and are the best they’ve written yet, showing the band are only improving as a unit and growing in confidence. “Money” is vicious, accusatory and sardonic while “Inside” is angst-ridden and brings a new level of complexity to their music without the trappings of pretentiousness. However, it’s “Gotta Get Away” which becomes the standout with its earworm of a chorus. It’s ridiculously massive and it’s unsurprising that they choose to call it a night with this one – this is their “Bang Bang Bang”. But they do have one final ace up their sleeve with a cover of Johnny Cash’s interpretation of “Sam Hall”, bringing the night to an explosive finale.
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It’s been nothing short of a privilege to have known about this band from the start and to call everything they’ve done in the last year and a half well-deserved is simply selling them short. This is them reaping the rewards to create a night that those who weren’t there will envy for a long time.
Header image by Jason Bridges
MuddiBrooke: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | youtube | bandcamp
Amongst Liars: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | youtube
Hex Poseur: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | youtube | bandcamp
