Eater - Jan 24 It’s been nearly four weeks since my last proper gig and it is great to be back at my local haunt, Reading’s The Facebar for a slice of vintage punk with a modern slant to it.

Eater go down as being one of the earliest bands on the punk scene. They were almost certainly one of the youngest with the band still being at school and made the likes of The Damned, Sex Pistols and The Clash seem positively geriatric. They were supported by both Buzzcocks and The Damned in their early days and featured on the legendary ‘The Roxy London WC2’ live album recorded in early 1977. By the time they folded in 1979, they’d released their sole album, cunningly named ‘The Album’ and looked like they would be resigned to just being a footnote in punk’s congested history.

Roll forward to 2024 and singer Andy Blade is touring as Eater again, but in a masterstroke has recruited up and coming glam rockers Jo-Jo & The Teeth to be his backing band. Reviews of this lineup have been very positive and with Jo-Jo & The Teeth being the main support as well, it was an easy decision to start my 2024 gig season in their company.

First up are local outfit, Juliet & The Raging Romeos. I saw the band supporting The Rezillos when they appeared here last year and found their set entertaining. Tonight, they open with their 2015 debut single ‘Good Girl’ and its b-side ‘Venus’ - the band have a pleasing ragged early 80s indie/new wave sound to them whilst Angela’s vocals have echoes of the likes of Toyah, Lene Lovich and Pauline Murray. It’s not often that you hear Serbian rock covered, but tonight the band give us an intriguing cover of Boye’s ‘Dosta Dosta Dosta’. Finishing with the dual vocal jangle rock of ‘Riot!’ it’s been a good start to the night. Juliet & The Raging Romeos - Jan 24 Jo-Jo & The Teeth appeared on the scene a couple of years ago and have been making all the right noises. Debut album ‘No More Good News’ arrived in 2022 and is a stone cold classic that entices you to keep it on repeat all night long. Playing as a four piece tonight, the band start with the album’s opening track ‘My Babe’. It’s a great song beginning with pulsing glam rock beat before Jo-Jo’s deep, powerful and acrobatic voice kicks in before ending with a Jack White squealing guitar. Dressed in fishnets and black leather shirt, Jo-Jo prowls the stage with a Siouxsie Sioux-esque aplomb. Jo-Jo & The Teeth - Jan 24 You can imagine ‘Hellhound’ being played in a smoke filled truckstop bar just as a mass brawl breaks out whilst the band continue oblivious to it. ‘Don’t Get Too Heavy’ is one of those classic songs that should be getting endless radio play with its singalong chorus of ‘Dream on dream weaver’ and epic guitar solo. Finishing with the far quieter ‘A Hungry Love’ this has been a consummate set and definitely a band I want of see more of. Jo-Jo & The Teeth - Jan 24

Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long, as a mere fifteen minutes later they are back to play along with Andy Blade.

It’s been a while since Eater performed in their formative years and much of their youthful style and short sharp bursts of unbridled energy have become staple approaches in the global world of punk rock. As a result, listening to their debut album can sound very familiar even if you don’t know the songs themselves. Rarely letting a song breach the two minute mark mean that the likes of ‘Anne’ and ‘You’ could never outstay their welcome.

The rest of the original Eater lineups are long gone having retreated from the music business, so it is an astute move for Andy Blade to recruit a bunch of musicians already on the ascendancy in their own right and full of vigor and confidence. It certainly makes selecting a support band a lot easier. Whereas the original songs on record can seem a little thin in comparison to modern productions, the songs tonight become something a lot beefier without heading into cod rock territory. Having Jo-Jo on vocal duties alongside Andy brings another dimension to the songs. Eater - Jan 24
With the youthful exuberance emitting from his fellow band mates, Andy is reveling in this new resurgence. Looking dapper in his black shirt, tie and coat, his eyes forever hidden behind his shades and cap, there’s an air of Harry Dean Stanton to the Andy Blade of 2024 (had Harry grown up in North London rather than Kentucky) with all the cool that that brings. Eater - Jan 24
We get most of the debut album tonight including the covers of ‘Jeepster’, ‘Waiting for the Man’ and ‘Queen Bitch’ each reduced down to two minutes bursts of energy. Not being a fan of Pink Floyd means that the band’s version of ‘Eclipse’ bypasses me completely but at least it is short. 

Before you know it, the hour is nearly up and we are treated to cracking versions of ‘Thinkin’ of the USA’ and ‘No Brains’. The gamble has paid off and having the young guns back him has resulted in Andy giving the songs of Eater a new coat of paint nearly 50 years after they were first written. An all round success I would say. Eater - Jan 24