Working Mens Club, Gorilla. 13th February 2020

I am not well. I should really be in bed. I’m not. I’m at Gorilla watching Working Mens Club go nuts on its stage. All this after queuing up for 30 minutes outside. This band’s reputation is growing fast. I think this is the 4th time I’ve seen them over the last year or two, you’d think I’d have the measure of them. Thing is, I don’t think anyone does and that includes singer, frontman and figurehead of the group Syd. I’m not serious of course, I’m sure he knows, but my point is, this band have already gone through some pretty hefty reinventions to get to this point. Where we’re at now is a crazy mix of industrial acid house, cinematic basslines, fused in an indie dancefloor maelstrom. Syd attacks the mic like Curtis, often monotone and menacing. Whipping up hypnotic mantras over a drum machine set to pulverise. It’s great to see a band like this finding such a ravenous audience, often this kinda thing dies underground, like Selfish C&@t or Campag Velocet, but Gorilla is rammed and for 45 minutes, we get a near perfect set of already old favourites and new stuff from the forthcoming debut. Definitely the best I’ve seen them. Stunning. Now, I’m about to collapse, where’s my bed‽