You know sometimes you just need to get to a punk show. I’d recommend it even if you’re not super into punk. The aggression, the energy, the passion and the vibe can infect the venue and get even the most uptight and stick-in-the-mud person moving, shouting and screaming. Once again, I found myself at Tank Bar. I love seeing great live music right on my doorstep. I love venues that champion the local scene and try to introduce the local crowds to new music. In fact, this is the second time I have reviewed, Last Reserves in this venue, the last time being in 2019, click here. So it was a treat to see them again. This time though they brought two up-and-coming bands and, you know me, I’ll take any opportunity to listen to a band I’ve never seen before. So with that and drinks in hand, I was ready for the night ahead. 
Kicking off the evening was the Liverpool-based rock band, Bleach Brain. Honestly, they were a whole lot of fun. They were very much the kind of band you’d find on those old 7th Street Entry videos. They had the raw energy of the 80’s Minneapolis rock scene, sharp self-aware humour and they were pretty consistent throughout their set. The raw guitar and chaotic vocal performance were framed quite well by the snappy bass and drum work. It took a moment for it to hit me, but I was fully on board with the sound by the second or third song. Their sound filled the room as the instruments crashed and encompassed the venue. The band were clearly having a fantastic time performing and even though the crowd was small, they were making the best of it and played like there was no tomorrow. I think the best way to describe them is raucous. They know what they’re about and have fun while they were doing it. Their music is a great mix of punk, grunge and alt-rock. This was an excellent set performed with vigour and certainly delivered the fun. They lifted the room and set the night off strong. I hope I get to catch them live again as their personality alone more than sold me and they had the tunes to back it up. I recommend giving their music a blast.
CHECK OUT BLEACH BRAIN ON SPOTIFY
Helle were a totally different kettle of fish. Holy cow, talk about 
intense. These guys put it over the top and more. Their sheer presence was something else. They had drive, an aggressive rhythm and moves that would make Arthur Brown blush. This is the kind of rock that you come to small venues for. Loud, crass and massively entertaining. They didn’t waste a single second of stage time as they took the venue by storm and just let loose. The music was very entertaining with the harsh guitar and driving basslines that left me breathless by the end of the second song. It’s the kind of performance you can truly lose yourself in, where the artist just takes you on a journey into their insane world and you can forget that the world outside the venue even exists. The music felt frantic yet perfectly coordinated and in sync. Their brand of punk is very much in line with the classic sound. In its construction, the music is really simple but that is a foundation to build on. A framework to add your insane personality and creative lyrical work. Which I think they do really well.
CHECK OUT HELLE ON SPOTIFY 
Last Reserves are one of those bands that I just have so much respect for. Their sets are so much fun and they’re just a genuine bunch that just plays music loud. Which is sort of the end goal of punk rock. Even though they had to navigate their way through some early technical issues at the start of the set they still managed to make it entertaining. Driving their way through the opening of the set and hitting those standard punk notes worked well. The set was well put together, A bunch of familiar songs with some new songs speckled in. Once the tech issues were sorted and they were able to let rip, they took the full opportunity to do so. Hitting hard with songs like “Six Months” and “Pink Bits” which are absolute tunes. The driving rhythm from drummer Phil Shacklady kept the momentum of the show going as frontwoman Alice Nancy just was just going crazier on stage.
The energy in the venue was excellent, as people were just jamming out to the wall of sound that Last Reserves were delivering. There were a couple of moments of the night where Alice would bring the show to a pause to speak about some grave injustices in the world. Namely: Sexual harassment in the music industry and the dire state of mental health services in the UK, when it comes to waiting times. If there’s anything that punk rock is for, it’s this! Screaming and yelling about the world and making a stand using your music. As they wrapped up the set they just got crazier and they pushed toward the crescendo that was the end of the set.
CHECK OUT LAST RESERVES ON SPOTIFY
The night was a hit for me. All three bands really impressed me. The raw vicious nature of Bleach Brain, the crazy insanity of Helle and the punk overdrive of Last Reserves. It was a blast all night. The intimate nature of Tank Bar makes shows like this all the more fun, being right up close to the band makes a crowd just a part of the set more than your standard show. The three bands were all certainly having a tonne of fun as they played with the crowd and showed great respect to each other. I found a couple of new bands to put in my playlist rotation and I got to hear Last Reserves again. Definitely a good night out on the town. I would encourage you to check all of them out online and live.
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