with Tri Subversion, Produkty and The Cars That Ate Paris
Reviewed by Thomas Needham
So cold was the weather on January 4th that I practically dived into Duffy’s Bar. Just down the street from Firebug, Duffy’s is a local Irish pub, decked from head to toe in Éire-themed paraphernalia (the photograph of Rory Gallagher particularly caught my eye as I waited for my pint). The snug venue was heaving; either people had taken the conceit of my last article very seriously or they were taking advantage of a notable and thoroughly enjoyable, free annual event dubbed Goatfest (I’m still debating which it could be). Deriving its name from the tenth astrological sign, Capricorns are described as: “lik[ing] to share the good life with those they care about… they’re extremely kind-hearted and sincere.” Call it fate, call it karma, call it cosmic angst but now I’m starting to worry the Astrology Girls are on to something.
Tri Subversion (formerly Try Subversion) is a three-piece band comprising guitarist Clive Wojcik-Hale, bassist Julian Palmer and drummer Clive Standish that thrives off of a pugnacious, paranoid and confrontational attitude. They may tell you Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Keir Starmer, George Soros and Bill Gates are “rolling over you” but I think there’s no denying that with their raw, propulsive punk rock rolls over their listeners too. Their defiant, distinctly working-class perspective exudes angst and anarchy, railing against the powers that be who use and abuse ordinary people.
While neither a political or conspiratorial publication, Music in Leicester is a place where art and music is discussed and explored. The very nature of Tri Subversion and punk in general is so entwined with ideology that it necessitates discussion. Regardless of personal judgement, art must be considered maturely and not dismissed out of hand solely on whether it aligns with your views or not.
Of course I, the resident Talking Heads fan, can’t be tasked with writing reviews on more songs about buildings and food, instead I’m thrown the curveball of lockdown skepticism, the fusion of government and multinational corporations, the World Economic Forum, chem-trails, distrust of climate change, Klaus Schwarb and the Great Reset. Lucky me, my career is over before it even started. If you think these themes are taboo, provocative or dangerous (no shit, it’s punk rock) then Tri Subversion may well be too subversive for you (no shit, it’s in the name).
Personally, the contents of their songs didn’t add or take away from my enjoyment of the set, however it did intrigue me. Tri Subversion is a part of a wider schism within the punk scene; regarding authority with skepticism when society would view that rhetoric as reckless. In my view, even when it is finally revealed that Obama actually is a lizard, it doesn’t change the material condition of the ordinary person and is thus a distraction from the appalling institutional rot and managed decline spurred on by successive British governments. It’s only right to be angry but do not waste your passions, channel them into something tangible.
Speaking of music, let’s get back to that. They say the drums are the beating heart of bands and Clive Standish’s proficiency easily vindicates this perspective. Channeling the best of bands like ‘Joy Division’ and ‘The Descendents’, every stroke, fill and beat only complimented his bandmates, giving the entire set a propulsion that never let up for over 50 minutes. As one audience member heckled after a song went a little awry “10 out of 10 for the drummer.”
While neither is a flawless vocalist, Clive Wojcik-Hale and Julian each played to their individual strengths and managed to create a cohesive whole. Clive’s growling, guttural vocals thrives on tracks like Eat Data, underscoring their concerns about 5G and chemtrails. His gruffness compliments Julian’s stronger melodic inclination, especially his impressive sustained singing on my personal favourite cut, Real Eyes Realise. Beyond the paranoid but nonetheless witty lyricism of Clive and Julian’s songs, the use of guitar pedals and effects allowed for a nice bit of experimentation. I’d like to highlight the solo of Ignorant Bliss and the outro of Take Control in particular. Regardless of what anyone thinks about their music, their style or their controversial message, they remain unabashedly themselves and frankly, that’s literally the point – they’re controversial but at least they’re sincere. As they sing in the opening track (Freedom is War) of their 2023 album You Are The Carbon: “fu** the consequences.”
Another three piece band named Produkty featuring Andy on guitar and vocals, Kerry on bass, Nikki on drums and a dinky little stand adorning a folder full of lyrics and chords followed the vendetta-driven, adrenaline rush of Tri Subversion. Although their 2024 output could be comfortably called alt-rock, their first release of the year Stay Home is almost a love letter to Siouxsie and The Banshees’ gothic-rock. I’d be very happy to see them embrace this pivot, with it quickly becoming one of my favourite songs from the gig; showcasing the best of Andy’s soft, melodic vocals and catchy lyricism.
Despite suffering from a cold during the gig, Andy wasn’t noticeably constrained by this and the band seemed completely at ease in front of a packed audience. ‘Top bants’ were aplenty when one member demanded Andy stop playing with ‘his knobs’ (on the amp, don’t worry). Andy is clearly the group’s charismatic core but I remain adamant that the importance of a band’s rhythm section cannot be downplayed – unfortunately I’d argue it was the single thing that held Produkty back, mainly regarding the drumming. Almost every song consisted exclusively of one beat on the snare and the next on the tom with only the occasional cymbal crash for variety. While this in itself isn’t bad for one song, it was the same for every track; consequently after 45-minutes the set really began to drag. The basics are sorted and the output solid but this constriction prevents Produkty from matching the energy of their contemporaries, instead as the set continued their songs felt slow and plodding. A greater degree of risk and experimentation is needed to truly make their songs the best they can be, I hope this can be taken on constructively as they clearly have great potential.
I’d also like to take this time to repeat the band’s appeal for aid after Nikki accidentally broke one of her sticks and these apparently don’t come cheap – finding out a pair cost £14 was outrageous. You can donate to this humanitarian cause via their Bandcamp.
If Produkty suffered from a lack of variety, The Cars That Ate Paris may well have suffered from too much. As soon as the multi-coloured tophats adorned with googly eyes appeared I saw ‘The B-52s’ and ‘The Cramps’ written all over this quirky outfit. Adorning the hats were guitarist Rob and keyboardist Mat, who stood on the outside of guitarist Sarah and vocalist Maria with drummer Lauren and bassist Steve, cooped closely behind on the cramped stage.
‘The Cars…’ pride themselves on their stripped back, purposefully amateurish, lo-fi sound. Lacking any extravagant equipment they instead ride the coattails of their material. Whether it be crazed, mad scientists or their best friend Jane (noticeably absent from the gig), their insistence on introducing every song as based on a true story regardless of their absurdity was quite funny. A lack of equipment certainly doesn’t mean a lack of talent, Lauren’s impressive ability to provide lead vocals while playing the drums wasn’t lost on me and Steve was incredibly consistent throughout even when the band fell out of time with one-another.
The band seemed to relish in their uncompromising absurdity, while perhaps alienating, perseverance is key to looking past things like the occasionally piercing microphone feedback or the obtuse cacophony of sound. Music isn’t tailored for you individually, so sometimes it’s nice to take a band as they are and just enjoy the mayhem as much as they do.
Their self-titled debut album gives a fairly good indication of their brand of psychedelic, art-rock. I could say the band asks you to leave your expectations at the door or opine on how art must inherently challenge because of the human experience, etcetera, etcetera, but I’d just be skirting around the point. While I appreciate CBGB’s as much as anyone, I suppose this is just a bridge too far for me personally. Bands like ‘The Cars…’ are fascinating to me specifically because I feel I’m missing something and will desperately clutch for some kind of meaning, often still missing the point. People do things for a laugh and have a damn good time doing it, there’s a lesson for me there for that is basically the very reason that Goatfest exists. Instead of being so critical, sometimes it’s nice to relish a community of people united by music, to kick back and enjoy the show, to indulge in a pint courtesy of Kevin (thank you Kevin (photographer)), to put on a top hat with googly eyes and just revel in a bit of whimsy.
After this personal revelation came the final band on the night, Spitting Feathers. Frontwoman Gemma and backing band of Ash, Mike, Mick and Roger graced us with a setlist of familiar classics, from Kim Wilde’s Kids in America to a medley composed of Boney M.’s Daddy Cool and Deee-Lite’s Groove is in the Heart. Spitting Feathers thrived alongside the receptive audience, the groups internal shenanigans on stage, whether it be accidentally interrupting one-another or skipping songs in the setlist only adds to the sense of fun. Their ability to take songs from the 70s and 80s and add their own stripped back, garage-twist was well-done; the highly cohesive backing band did their setlist justice. Gemma’s range was particularly impressive, from intimate melodious serenading to belting, high-energy bellows.
By this time the audience had shrunk but remained noticeably strong, the front of the audience turned into a gaggle of dancers as the less intoxicated members of the audience watched from afar. A particular highlight for me was their cover of Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer. Despite reading the lyrics off her phone, I was just happy to see some representation of a band that made it clear: sometimes it’s good to ‘stop making sense’. This cover, however, was party to another outrageous moment (a close second to the £14 drumsticks) the entire bridge (sung in French) was notably absent. I was absolutely perplexed by the exclusion, as was the older gentleman who stood by my side in the still relatively packed pub – it’s not like there were any French people to take offence at the complete bastardisation of their language. As his wife joined the group that had congregated at the front of the stage to dance, he and I wrapped our arms around one another’s shoulders and happily belted the lyrics ourselves. You could say, “nous y sommes allés, vers la gloire” (that 5 in GCSE French is coming in handy for once).
As I stepped out of Duffy’s and into a snowy tundra, I prepared for the long walk home, content with what had been a fairly revelatory night for me. These bands aren’t motivated by money or fame – I genuinely believe they do it for the love of the game. The joy of coming together and enjoying not just the music but one another’s company. As Tri Subversion’s co-frontman Clive regaled, Leicester’s local music scene has struggled enough with a lack of exposure and declining venues, for those who have a passion for music it’s been hard to watch it languish. To see such a diverse array of groups come together to celebrate despite the circumstances is commendable, for it to be a damn good time is another level entirely.
The only band that was unable to play was Gestalt with their drummer falling ill to the norovirus; from all of us at Music in Leicester, we wish him a speedy recovery. If you want a dose of post-punk I’d suggest you listen to their 2023 album Krank Disko. Further, I’d like to take this time to give a special mention to Goatfest’s unsung hero, DJ Stu who kept the night alive in between acts, as the audience customarily filed out to refill their pints.
These bands thrive primarily through word of mouth and after starting off the year strong, I hope they continue to go from strength to strength throughout 2025. As the ever hospitable and personable Clive told me, “don’t be part of the problem, be part of the solution,” so let me be the first to say; if any of these bands have piqued your interest, I’d recommend supporting them directly through their individual Bandcamp pages.
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