On another unseasonably warm night, we’re at Le Pub in Newport to catch opening band General Waste – whose lead singer Olivia Williams is feeling a bit under the weather. The band make a fist of it nonetheless, with a noisy racket which – in time, with a fully fit band – could prove promising.
Bristol’s Bad News First fare much better. Lead singer Alex Borsay prowls the stage (and occasionally ventures into the audience, bends himself double and delivers vocals like a mix of Joe Talbot and Mike Skinner. Giant Haystacks-esque guitarist Tomrge Melhuish, static in the corner, chops out the riffs with abandon. A wonderful mix.
In punk rock circles, France made an early mark on the genre with the Mont De Marsan festival in August 1976, with The Damned, The Clash and The Jam all playing. Tonight’s wonderfully named headliners The Spitters, from Toulon, wouldn’t have been out of place there. Opening with Superstar from their 2026 album Fake Brutal, it’s a statement of intent: crashing in at the requisite two minutes and 40 seconds, like all good punk records should.
The band are a lean, tight garage rock outfit with shades of The Hives, more energy than a can of Monster and no excess fat. Lead singer Maxime Richard, sporting a magnificent mullet and tache, looks as though he’s come from the Valleys, as do his bandmates; bassist Sloog jumps around the stage with abandon, and drummer Dorian Lahar-Cazale is certainly no tapper, creating a thunderous noise.
It’s a blistering set, each of 15 songs played with speed and urgency, though there are occasional forays into longer, psychedelic workouts. You wonder if they are rushing to catch the ferry home (thankfully not). Final song I Can Call The Bomb starts with a Ramones-esque “1-2-3-4!” rallying call – amen to that.
The Spitters, Bad News First + General Waste, Le Public Space, Newport, Fri 25 Sept
words and photos PAUL WINDSOR
