Hot off the back of what has proved to be one of 2017’s most surprisingly successful debut albums, The Moonlandingz arrive in the capital to set decibels to quadruple figures and keep ears ringing until the following weekend (and even the following week).

Support came from the ever-growing and increasingly interesting Goat Girl – a band who struggled to captivate me last year when I caught them support Parquet Courts. This time around they seem to be finding the comfort zone within their slack blues-punk sound a little more, musical tightness seems to be their sound more strength and ultimately pulling the tempo together. Slipping offstage following a quick jaunt through ‘Country Sleaze’, it seems that they are finding their feet within their genre a little more – if not quite there, it’s certainly a work in progress.

Following an allotted 9:30pm set time for The Moonlandingz, the rattling figure of Johnny Rocket – also known as Lias Saoudi of Fat White Family with a torso bound in cling film and what appeared to be flour in his hair stalked onstage twenty minutes late. Swinging a bottle of wine in his grip, the Fat White Family frontman was followed by accompanying band members – Rebecca of Slow Club and Dean and Adrian from The Eccentronic Research Council. Rocket, taunting and jibing the crowd from the off quickly set the pulse for the show and it was a beat that was only ever going to quicken. The rest of The Moonlandingz quickly followed Lias’ impression and began to hit to the rhythm of the same drum, tearing through opener, ‘Vessels’ and the likes of ‘Black Hanz’ and ‘Sweet Saturn Mine’.

The performance began to quickly fly, audience members dived forwards and took turns to pile onstage, desperate to try and get a hold of tonight’s fictional narcissist, Johnny Rocket. As they flew onstage, it became apparent Saoudi wasn’t overly impressed with their enthusiasm as he hurled them back into the crowd.

Even through the slower jaunts of the set, the likes of ‘I.D.S’, ‘The Strangle of Anna’ and ‘Lay Yer Head Down In The Road’ the band onstage and the crowd below are relentless in how they generate atmosphere and pump sleaze in when the tempo is not always there. ‘The Strangle of Anna’ caught Rocket and Rebecca Taylor in their most voluptuous and dissolute, bringing an energy to tracks which many other bands would struggle to inject.

The highlight of the set so often falls at the back-end of the set for bands. Many often toy around offstage for two minutes in between, waiting for a plethora of clapping and cheering to bring them back on – something they were always going to do – and call it an encore. Unsurprisingly, it seems The Moonlandingz don’t need this increasingly contrived and naff tactic to allow their best to shine through. Hurtling into ‘Man In Me Lyf’ with Johnny Rocket instructing the volume to go louder and louder, the band revelled in their punk nihilism, pushing sonic boundaries and what appeared to be Lias’ voice. It was the ultimate catalyst for all that built up tension and bravado that grown over the course of the hour or so set. The climax of the whole thing was mesmerising, setting The Moonlandingz as fascinating across the record and in a live context. It was no holds barred, electro-infused punk fun. You have to catch this band before they go up in flames or out with a bang.
Tom Churchill

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