Crack

Five studio albums in, and the self-produced über DIY surf-garage-punk wall of noise that has for eight years defined the sound of Black Lips is rumoured to be over. With Mark Ronson at the helm of imminent release no. 6 – Arabia Mountain - have these party boys grown up gracefully? Crack is at The Garage to investigate.
 
“We’re Black Lips from Atlanta, Georgia. It’s good to be home”

Touching that these garage-psych renegades consider London town a second abode. Signed to Vice Magazine’s label since 2007, the dive circuit and anything-goes venues like The Old Blue Last has incubated the band’s UK success, rapidly gaining a reputation for raucous on-stage antics.

But tonight Black Lips are back, and bumped up to a glossier venue than ever before. With a treasured history of getting kicked out of school, gigs (their own), and hell, even India on one tour, you can see why fans are concerned that the recent collaboration with one of pop’s heavy hitters, Mark Ronson, could see the end of the super-self-styled mayhem. Within thirty seconds of this set it’s pretty obvious this isn’t the case, guitarist/frontman Ian Saint Pe Brown swiftly spraying the lucky punters down in the pit with a gob full of beer. Opening with the classic Sea of Blasphemy could not be more appropriate.

It should be noted that all four of the band sing and could technically be considered frontmen, including drummer Joe Bradley, who takes the lead on pending single Go Out and Get It. This sharing out of vocal duties leads to an awesome camaraderie, not a million miles away from The Beach Boys, but let’s face it - a tad less wholesome. It’s a gang you really want to be in. Their lust for music and zest for causing havoc is wholly infectious.

New tracks Go Out and Get It, Modern Art and Family Tree are raced through at Usain Bolt-speed (unlike the recorded versions), met with the same ocean of applause as old favourites. Fan loyalty will out. Arguably the band’s biggest hit O Katrina wafts into the high-ceilinged gig with a temperate and spooky intro, but soon leaps into a pounding rendition, complete with venue-wide shoutalong. (Crack still suspects that the closing chords are borrowed from Patti Smith’s Gloria, but it’s a fine tune nonetheless.)

When guitarist-frontman Cole Alexander informs us Boomerang is about “when we used to toilet paper houses and shit”, roadies/pals appear on stage and throw rolls of loo paper into a very willing audience. Security don't like it. Black Lips don't like security. On three occasions they complain of the distance between them and the crowd as staff line the stage. The Old Blue Last this ain't. Displeased with their audience’s bog roll athleticism, they decide to demonstrate: “Don't just throw it - stream it!” They weren’t lying, they’ve got the technique down.

Bad Kids is met with deserved rapture, and Lean is a great end for bassist-frontman Jared Swilley to crowd swim for a good five minutes. On his return to the stage, he shouts “whoever stole my shoes, I hope they don't fit you.” Guilt overcomes the pilgrims and the shoes are returned in due course, as the encore delivers more bog roll battles, boys snogging (Cole and Joe), a mass stage invasion by the punters, more stage diving and obviously cascades of beer spat and showered everywhere.

Crack manages to steal a (very) quick word with Cole after the gig, enquiring “Do you think Mark Ronson has changed your sound?”. “Naaaaawww”, comes the reply, “Hell, we're still cool.” Yes, yes you are. And so a verdict is reached. Ronson changes nothing. You can take the boys out of Vice but you can't take vice out of the boys. And a darned good thing too. Someone's got to live it how we dream it.



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Words: Lucie Grace Trotman

http://www.blacklips.co.uk

Black Lips are playing the 1-2-3-4 Festival, Shoreditch, London on Saturday 9th July

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