StrangeBrew – 5th February 2023
For Fans of – Amyl and the Sniffers, Panic Shack, The Lounge Society and the Irish Post-Punk scene
Haunted by the early flight back to Dublin the next morning, the Irish post-punk band Sprints take to the stage at 20:10 sharp, following a protuberant soundcheck that welcomed Strange Brew’s regimented queue of fans. Armed with Guinness tinies and boundless enthusiasm, despite this being their last gig of the tour, the band gravitate away from the soon to be depleted merch table towards the main stage.
The first bar of ‘Modern Job’ reverberates across the stage with its primal spirit, the band’s critique on society set in stone from the get-go, as vocalist Karla Chubb howls into the microphone about society’s set expectations for life, relationships and careers. Chubb then introduces the band’s upcoming release ‘Heavy’. The band’s old and new releases are here flawlessly intertwined and complementary, contributing to the crowd’s ongoing cheers and feelings of rapport with the band.
‘Heavy’ ends and fades perfectly into the opening bars of ‘I’m in a Band’, which sees the doubling-up of vocals between Chubb and Bassist Sam McCann. The track released in 2022 reflects the band’s authentic song writing; Chubb having previously commented on how the band avoids being too specific in their lyrical genius. Here it can be said with gusto that Sprints can make a song about a shovey asshole in the pub both timeless and iconic. With the raising of Chubb’s arms, the crowd clamours for more, in awe and apprehension of what track is to follow.
‘Manifesto’, the band’s mantra-like song about individualism, erupts into all corners of Strange Brew. The haunting, rage-fuelled drums of Jack Callan go hand in hand with Colm O’Reily’s seemingly furious riffs on the guitar, whilst Chubb declares her intention to ‘leave the lying, the meddling, the cock-ups to the state’.
‘How Does the Story Go?’, a personal favourite of mine, stands in the penultimate place on the crinkled set list beneath McCann’s foot. The audience continue their free flowing sways, uncontrollable head banging and hair tossing with Chubb’s command to ‘have a little bit of fun with this one’. Chubb confesses to the audience in an agony-fuelled rage that ‘everybody seems to have so much time’, yet others are left feeling set back, demoted and depleted. Sprints’ heart wrenching mantra ‘I’m not fine’ is repeated over and over, paired with a crescendo resulting in O’Reilly’s breathtaking guitar solo that knocks a punch right into your emotions. The song here encapsulates feelings that are known all too well – time constraints, the burden of aspiration and society’s expectation to maintain a facade of happiness.
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@nevedawsonphotos @_nevedawson
My current role for TBGG is as a Reviewer, Interviewer and Photographer, which I do in my spare time when I'm not studying English Literature and History at the University of Bristol.
I'm available for reviews, previews, interviews and shoots through the company. Alongside TBGG I also write for The So Young, Groupie and Rodeo Magazines, with an aspiration to enter magazine and newspaper journalism focusing on culture and the arts.
What was your first Gig?
The first gig I remember seeing (when I wasn’t dragged around by my metal-head father) was The Killers live in my hometown of Birmingham in 2016. Brandon Flowers’s iridescent cowboy suit still blinds me to this day and echoes glamorous indie rock n’ roll for years to come.
What's your dream Gig?
I would have to say my dream gig would be seeing Hendrix’s star-spangled banner live at Woodstock ’69. Call me cliché but I was born in the wrong generation.
