Marmozets kick off their summer tour in chaotic style

Stage diving, crowd surfing, mics in the crowd, confession time, random Newcastle United tops, utter chaos. The Marmozets gig had it all. On one of the best days of the summer the five piece were on red hot form as they turned the Think Tank into a sweat box.

While the band confessed their nerves for the opening night of their sold out tour, they didn’t show them on stage. Whether they were fueled by alcohol, enthusiasm or natural ability didn’t matter much as they flogged the crowd and the stage for everything it was worth.

If singer Becca Macintyre wasn’t so good, the Marmozets would almost led from the back by drummer and brother Josh Macintyre who looked like he’d made a pact with the devil, such was the urgency of his drumming, while no part of his kit was safe as he climbed all over it during the set.

In hindsight, it may have been better to open with the raucous Move Shake Hide rather than one of the songs from their upcoming second album – a tune that had bassist Will Bottomley glaring out over the crowd, daring them not to move and snarling commands that even the most amateur of lip readers could hardly avoid translating.

But it was certainly true that the classics from their debut album got the biggest reception as Born Young And Free, Is It Horrible? and Why Do You Hate Me? all threatened to blow the roof off – although in a rare moment of calm the rendition of Captivate Me could almost have threatened to be beautiful.

With a sold out summer tour and a second one arranged for October, this is a band who live life in the fast lane and that translates to the energy of their shows that reached a crescendo after Becca was handed a Toon top with Marmozets proudly blazoned across the back.

She finished the night in style, wearing the shirt until the bitter end while bounding into the crowd for a long overdue stage dive. Never mind the earlier confession that she still lives with her parents or the lights threatening to take her head off, this is rock and roll and this is what the band excel at.

Photo credit: www.jbottphoto.com