Review – Maid of Ace w/ Dee Skusting & The Rodents

The Louisiana – 31st July 2022

Dee Skusting & The Rodents

I AM YOUR GOD!!! is the scream as the rat rockers from the gutters of Los Angeles Set about punching the capacity crowd in all of their senses.

Dee is the embodiment of punk, describing it as “being able to do whatever the fuck you want. Punk is freedom. The fact that you don’t have to look the part, it’s an open book to what you feel is punk. Freedom of speech, and freedom to do what you want to do” and that no shits, let’s all just have a blast attitude comes through in spades as the LA trio remove us from the Instagram posing, plastic world of 2022 and transport us back to the late seventies, sticky carpet venues of punks hay day .

Dee’s natural gravelly vocal performance  exacerbated by the fact The Rodents & Maid of Ace have already screamed their way through several dates of the UK tour.

It’s eased and medicated with swigs of brandy between songs from latest album “Scars” and 2019s “Freedom Lost”.

The blood red stage lighting only adding to the no holds barred performance.

The @maid_of_ace joining the throng of people moshing at the front as songs such as “USA” , “Liberty” and “politicians Grave” threaten to rupture our ear drums.

It’s an all in, ball out performance that grabs the crowd by the scruff of the neck and screams “you’re gonna have a f’ing good time tonight” 

Indeed the band seemed to keep that energy post their own set and joined the punters, moshing and crowd surfing as Maid of Ace played out their own set.

deeskusting and the rodents are proof that punk can’t be fabricated or learned. You either feel it in your bones or you don’t…. Simple

MAID of ACE

Limbs…limbs everywhere 

I’ve been waiting patiently for this gig for three years. Three years since I first caught Maid of Ace and the undisputed royal family of UK Punk melted my face off.

Nothing has changed… the Louie once again sold out… the crowd at best a semi controlled riot… the band a whirlwind of pure punk energy.

The siblings now armed with even more ear splitting ammo in the form of 2020s “Live Fast Or Die” ranked 6th best album of 2020 by Vive Le Rock

The pace from the outset was frenetic. 

Alison Cara Elliott (Lead vocals/Guitar) is living proof that punk will never ever die. 

The rasping vocals encourage the crowd to give it everything they have. Then challenging them to give more as she takes us right across the ten year spectrum of MOA’s discography.

This band of sisters are relentless and Alison is assisted by blistering bass from Amy, whirling guitar and head splitting vocals from Anna. And in Abby quite simple one of the best punk drummers I’ve ever seen live.

The beat your face in stage persona is in stark contrast to their off stage antics where they make the gig feel like a family reunion. Mixing and drinking with the fans like they are long lost mates.

We wonder back down the stairs, dripping in beer and sweat… ears ringing and waiting for the bruises to show..

Maid of Ace are quite simply everything a UK 🇬🇧 punk band should be …

📝📸 The Bristol Nomad