It was an average Wednesday night for many people in Hackney, just trying to get through the rest of the winter while dodging the rain and thinking of holidays in the sun… Perfect timing for The Schizophonics, hauling from sunny California, to start a EU and UK tour. Starting in Spain, they’ve made their way to us, before heading up to Norway.
If you haven’t seen The Schizophonics, you simply haven’t lived and let’s just hope this will be enough to convince you to catch them live as soon as you can. There isn’t a way to describe the chaos they bring onto the stage, or how challenging (and also incredibly fun) it is to keep up with them as a photographer. Think of MC5, The Stooges, Little Richard, James Brown, Mick Jagger and the Tasmanian Devil. On a high spin cycle. In a high speed train going through a tunnel.
Supporting them that evening were Hot Stamp, a brand new power pop ensemble from North East London. Fronted by sisters Jasmine and Poppy, they are unmistakably influenced by old school punk bands such as New York Dolls, Blondie and more… They came in with a bang and are already selling out venues in all of London. A very promising start for a young band full of energy. They played an impeccable set, ending with a cover of Lookin’ At You, in tribute to Wayne Kramer, who recently passed away.
The Schizophonics @ Moth Club, London - 2024.02.07
East London’s Moth Club is full, which is especially heartwarming on a Wednesday evening. Obviously, everyone there is too cool for school and doesn’t want to miss one of the hottest bands in the scene. We can see some worried looks at the front… Is there enough space? Is the stage big enough? The Schizophonics step on to “Party All The Time” (Eddie Murphy’s big hit), and hit it hard with their 2020 single Black To Comm followed by the explosives Steely Eyed Lady from their 2019 album People in the Sky and Streets of Heaven and Hell from Land Of The Living released in 2017.
The Schizophonics @ Moth Club, London - 2024.02.07
The band is on tour to celebrate the release of their newest album Hoof It, and they are giving us a lesson of pure rock’n’roll. Frontman Pat Beers runs amok on stage, left – right – up – down and around again. He uses the wall to give himself some momentum when he jumps, does somersaults before spinning and falling into the splits. He does all this and more while playing impeccable guitar solos and never misses a note. Lety Beers, on the drums, is like clockwork. She’s the engine needed to keep the madness going. The photographers (including myself) have their eye stuck into the viewfinder, and the shutter pressed all the way down, hoping to catch Pat mid-air. We are all completely hypnotised by his energy and style. We don’t have time to do a double take and are hoping for the best.
The Schizophonics give us a set of almost 90 minutes and Pat only stopped for a total of, maybe, two minutes to thank the crowd and introduce the band and the crew. We get to listen to several tracks off the new record, all incredible pieces of work: Desert Girl, The Alchemist Twist and Pendulum to name a few. They close their set with Pat covered in sweat and dust, and the crowd completely dumbfounded. That was a serious reminder of what rock’n’roll is all about. Complete utter chaos. That is how it should be done. With this new release, we can rest assured The Schizophonics will keep on dominating the scene. Now do yourself a favour, and grab a bunch of tickets next time they’re in your town.
Live review and photography of The Schizophonics @ Moth Club on 7th February 2024 by Pauline Di Silvestro
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