The Blinders, Night & Day, 15th January 2022

First gig of 2022 and it’s a belter. The Blinders have a new EP coming out, so we’re here to hear the launch of Electric Kool-Aid (Part 1). We’re two albums in, which seems to have flown and the sound seemed set. Solid tribal glam rhythms, layered over with squalling guitars and distorted catchy lyrics. That might not sound that complicated and it’s not, but it sounds huge. I last saw them turning Albert Hall into a sweat box. That takes some effort in such a big space. What the hell will they be like in the cozy Night & Day? Fucking loud and fucking deadly is the short answer. I’m a bit shocked to see bassist Charlie has shorn all his hair off, but he’s still as menacing. I’m sure many are drawn to singer Thomas, he is very pretty, but Charlie is a brilliant performer, he’s magnetic… and not just for the shiny shirt. For me Charlie is the lynchpin, so much built off his bass. Take nothing away from the rest of the band though. What they build is astoundingly beautiful. There’s rumour that this EP shifts things slightly and the new songs tonight do feel more expansive. Not as reliant on that claustrophobic intensity that personally I love. They’re not daft though, the start of the set is preloaded with fan favourites designed to get the pit bouncing and for me to lose my pint, they sound brilliant though… and we’d been kept waiting so the pint was down to the dregs. I’ll admit that some of the new stuff might take time. It is tamer in places and that’s not really what I want from The Blinders. I want dirty demonic devastating distortion, deftly wrangled into organ rearranging mind melters. There’s no hiding their DNA though, they’re a sexy swaggering rock band. It’s magnificent to hear this sound in such a tight space and they look energised packed in tight on a tiny stage. They pulverise Night & Day for an hour, then leave guitars feeding back while the crowd wait for more. That’s it though, leave ‘em hungry. What’s coming might divide opinion, but I’m sold.