PORTSMOUTH & SOUTHSEA'S No.1 for ARTS, CULTURE & LIFESTYLE
READING

Review: Cabbage at The Wedgewood Rooms

Review: Cabbage at The Wedgewood Rooms

Cabbage are a band that I first became aware of in 2016/17 when getting lost in Spotify, as so often happens a good few times a week. Their EP ‘Uber Capitalist Death Trade’ had me hooked from the off, it made a difference to be listening to a band that are political with a punch and not a melodic, harmonic summers dream! Their sound has enticed many and seen them support The Fall and Kasabian.

Hailing from Mossley, with their sound akin to that of Fat White Family in parts, Cabbage are a band I feel that indie music has been lacking. Having just released their debut album, ‘Nihlistic Glamour Shots’ in March 2018, the gig at the Wedgewood Rooms on Saturday (21st) marked the last of this current tour. The album had made ‘Album of the Day’ on BBC 6 Music as well as being championed by Huw Stephens on Radio 1 as ‘Album of the Week’.

Cabbage taken by Russ Leggatt
Cabbage taken by Russ Leggatt

Having listened to the album a fair few times, it is very well produced as you would expect from the production line of James Skelly of The Coral. I was looking forward to experiencing the furiousness of Cabbage’s live shows and hearing these tracks played in this manner.

Before the release of the debut album, Cabbage had amassed 30 + tracks encompassed across six EPs with the last entitled ‘Young, Dumb and Full of…’ being a mini compilation of the previous.

Cabbage were supported by a band called Bilk, a three-piece band that sounded more like a 6-piece band. Their sound was loud with an attitude to match the lyrics about life. Their most recent single has been picked up as John Kennedy’s X-Posure Hot One on Radio X. Well worth listening if you get a chance.

Cabbage taken by Russ Leggatt
Cabbage taken by Russ Leggatt

‘Reptiles State Funeral’ was the opener with the pace picking up afterwards with ‘Uber Capitalist Death Trade’ (a favourite of mine) followed by recent single ‘Arms of Pleonexia’ which has been played all over BBC 6 Music.

It took me a while to realise that the band had been attacked by marker pen backstage and had an array of things splashed across them including fake moustaches, names on knuckles and lead singer Lee having ‘Total Eclipse’ written on his arm. I wanted to know how this came about, perhaps he likes Jaffa Cakes?!

Cabbage continued to plough through the set at a rate of knots, fitting 15 songs into an hour and 15 minute set with Lee and Joe switching lead singer duty. Joe was suffering from a cold which meant he was knocking back the Strepsils and this may also explain why he stripped off his shirt and jacket not just the fact they have a reputation for doing so!

The set culminated with an energetic rendition of ‘Necroflat in the Palace’ the crowd belted out the lines ‘And I was born in the NHS, I wanna die in the NHS’ and Lee was up against the barrier shaking hands with the enthusiastic fans at the front!


RELATED POST

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

INSTAGRAM
FOLLOW STRONG ISLAND ON INSTAGRAM
Please Add Widget from here