Determined Journalist | Bloodworm
The Bodega, Nottingham
sixteenth January 2025
The Bodega is celebrating 25 years of being a haven for a few of the finest UK bands. The poster outdoors is filled with photos of bands who’ve performed right here on their option to big arenas and competition headlines. Tonight, a sizeable queue is ready to see Determined Journalist who’re touring their New Hero album materials throughout the UK.
The Bodega venue is the upstairs flooring of a well-liked bar. A final-minute change of assist for tonight sees Nottingham’s personal Bloodworm enjoying their hometown. The post-punk/gothic rock three-piece is contemporary from acting at Rockaway Seaside. The queue didn’t appear to subside as one left and others joined. It seems like will probably be busy, and busy early.
The primary area in entrance of the small stage is filling up quickly as Bloodworm arrives on stage. The Sisters Of Mercy t-shirt worn by the lead singer provoked reminiscences of the final time I used to be on this area, seeing Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams play certainly one of their secret gigs because the Blood Brothers (aka The Mission). Nottingham has at all times been a stronghold for 80s various sounds.
Bloodworm’s influences are evident all through the set. Driving bass and drums energy the songs with lead guitar offering the headlines. The set opens with Depths and Again of a Hand. The band get a heat reception all through and a refrain of approval as they bring about the set to an in depth with Cemetery Dance.
The venue fills as much as capability because the changeover is going down. The projected backdrop quickly replaces The Bodega emblem with the phrases Determined Journalist. There’s a palpable air of pleasure for the band that bubbles up properly as they take the stage.
Determined Journalist are a London 4-piece of Jo Bevan (vocals), Rob Hardy (guitars), Simon Drowner (bass), and Caz Helbert (drums). The present tour is showcasing 2024’s No Hero album. Latest dates have kicked off with the opening monitor Adah, however tonight it’s changed with Comfort Prize. The intense guitar intro from Hardy provides option to Bevan’s vocals. She is the focus of the band, however that interaction between guitar and vocal is a characteristic all through. Drowner strikes the songs together with bass-lines that might have a look at residence with a few of the best post-punk purveyors with Helbert’s drums setting the tempo all through.
Eight new tracks from the brand new album make an look. No Hero is up there with their strongest work so there’s not one of the lack of curiosity that typically accompanies new tracks. Runs of those songs are divided neatly with earlier album highlights.
Hole and The whole lot You Wished are stand-out tracks showcasing the ability and vary in Bevan’s vocals. She seamlessly drifts by way of vocal types referencing lots of the nice feminine singers of the post-punk period. In between songs, she is a girl of few phrases, “In the event you like delay and unhappiness, there’s going to be extra of that” is met with laughter from the group.
The set passes all too shortly and he or she declares that Character Girlfriend will probably be their final music. Hardy provides the sport away with a well-timed Not Actually. This music is one other stand-out and the group are baying for his or her return nicely earlier than Helbert manages to seek out her approach out of the maze of kit on the small stage.
As we await the bands return, a lot of these current are speaking of the opposite exhibits they are going to be attending on this tour. It’s not tough to see why they encourage such loyalty. The present blends the power of a brand new band with the again catalogue and stage-craft of 1 that has handed the last decade mark. They return and launch right into a blistering model of Management. That is adopted by Satellite tv for pc, which actually is the final music. A photograph is snapped with the group within the background and they’re on to the subsequent date on this run of exhibits
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Bloodworm are on Bandcamp, Fb and Instagram
Determined Journalist are on their web site, Fb, Instagram and X (Twitter)
Phrases and photos by Neil Chapman (Unholy Racket). You possibly can go to his writer profile for Louder Than Battle. He’s often discovered on Fb and Instagram
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