The Meffs & Carsick
Th Storage, London
twenty ninth January 2025
Essex duo The Meffs return to London to carry out their greatest headline present to this point. Keith Goldhanger (Phrases) and Paul Grace (Photographs) report on a raucous evening out.
If one may counsel that Lambrini Women are the sound of UK Punk Rock made in 2025 and defining 2025 then The Meffs are in all probability the sound of Punk Rock in 1981 made in 2025.
Each bands talk related messages on the present time nevertheless two completely different audiences appear to exist.
Tonight, a extra mature Meffs crowd sporting their Meffs Merchandise (Useless Kennedy, Subhumans, Damned T-shirts and so forth…) are right here to rejoice and take part within the Essex duo’s largest headline present to this point. It’s a rowdy affair that begins with Wiltshire band Carsick who it could possibly be mentioned are recreating (in all probability slightly bit higher) the sound that Jamie T as soon as supplied us with twenty years in the past. Punk Rock Rap vocals are delivered with venom are served as much as the appreciative early arrivals who’re persuaded to take part in an early night circle pit.
The primary drinks of the night are spilled.
The Meffs’ set of songs tonight are additionally quick and sharp that get on to the purpose, with tracks from their debut (Frank Turner Produced) album, What a Life, and a Prodigy cowl of Breathe that arrives a couple of tunes in that appears to get the enthusiastic entrance rows transferring. Earlier than lengthy, those self same persons are beginning to lose their shit much more by forming a wall of dying, partaking in some inspired crowd browsing and an enormous stage invasion that one imagines is probably not doable as soon as the band begin taking part in at even bigger venues within the capital.
Britain nonetheless wants fixing after all. Possibly much more than it did 4 many years in the past nevertheless now we have Punk Rock bands now coming at us from all angles. The aforementioned Lambrini Women with their younger raucous crowd, The Meffs reminding an older technology of the injustices we nonetheless face on the planet at the moment, Bob Vylan, Amyl and the Sniffers, Sprints, Meryl Streek, Advantages, Frank Carter, Frank Turner … All containing people that might in all probability sit in a room collectively and agree with one another on what’s occurring within the massive extensive world while watching their respective audiences develop.
Tonight is old-fashioned three chord thrash Punk Rock (this being a flip of phrase these days and never meant to be taken actually) made by an brisk younger duo that may proceed to encourage folks to do the fitting issues, assume the fitting issues, change the unsuitable issues and hopefully encourage a good youthful technology to start out Punk Rock bands to convey related messages if the necessity to state what a few of us really feel is solely the bleedin’ apparent nonetheless wants shouting about. The Meffs do that effectively, they hold the fires burning, all of us get to shout Fuck Donald Trump and be reminded about how a lot inequality nonetheless exists on the planet and the way it wants to vary.
They is probably not offering us with sounds we’ve not already heard earlier than however they’re an vital band for the UK to accommodate on this century. A century that seems to be giving beginning to newer and higher issues than ever and a century when who is aware of what may occur. Punk Rock in 2025 might are available many flavours however the messages nonetheless stay the identical and delivered at velocity by the great guys.
And these are definitely the great guys.
Comply with The Meffs: Web site, Instagram, Fb
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Phrases by Keith Goldhanger. Extra writing by Keith on Louder Than Warfare might be discovered at his creator’s archive. You also can discover Keith on Fb Instagram and Bluesky
All pictures © Paul Grace. For extra of Paul’s writing and pictures go to his archive. Paul is on Fb, Twitter, Instagram and his web sites are www.paulgrace-eventphotos.co.uk & www.pgrace.co.uk
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