Cockney Rejects, Auckland NZ, 2019

Cockney Rejects

20th October 2019
Galatos, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Richard Myburgh.

It only took forty odd years and two postponements, but on Sunday night The Cockney Rejects finally made it to Auckland. And their fans were ready and waiting.

Such an auspicious occasion however requires a night to be made of it, so not one, but two support bands joined the bill along with DJ RGBargy to spin some appropriate tunes, keeping in with the theme of the night like. First out to warm up the dancefloor were Nagasaki Tan who laid down a decidedly punk rock set that included a cover that more than just a few people recognised immediately; ‘I Am A Rabbit’ from Proud Scum, soon setting off a roaring chorus of voices.

A rare treat followed in the form of The Bludgers, a three-piece band formed in 2004 and originally from Hamilton, their debut album – no doubt featured in the personal music collection of the fans front row and centre – All Night Drinking was released five years later.

With live shows being like bloody hen’s teeth now days, their set truly was a special one; lead singer and guitarist Mike Bludger kicking it all off with ‘Debt’s to Pay’ while accompanied by Moosefucker on bass and Jello on drums. Having loved The Rejects since he was thirteen years old, this support slot was rather a meaningful one for Bludger, and the crowd showed their respects by turning up in force for the band that incorporates punk, Oi and HC into their music depending on the song. Bludgers gravelly voice and phlegmatic demeanour were just the right combination, especially when they smashed out a cover of the 4 Skins ‘A.C.A.B’ which generated one of the first mosh pits of the evening. With tracks such as ‘Shit Factory’ and ‘Friday Night’ (despite it being a Sunday) The Bludgers soon had the room primed and ready for the arrival of The Rejects.

As the stage was swiftly turned over DJ RGBargy flexed her skills with the vinyl (none of that laptop carry on here thanks), ‘Short Haired Rock n Roll’ from New Zealand’s own Terrorways who headlined Punk It Up IV earlier this year sharing the air with everyone from the Angelic Upstarts to The Business with ‘Real Enemy’; ‘Turn You Round Again’ by Motorhead getting some heads nodding while ‘Hurry Up Harry’ from Sham 69 provided a wee bit of a sing-a-long for all.

By the time The Rejects arrived on stage, Galatos was packed, the crowd hailing their arrival like long lost heroes returning from battle. Though the line-ups have changed along the years, to see Stinky Turner AKA Jeff Geggus, Mick Geggus and Vince Riordan (formally of The Tickets) together on stage was a beautiful thing – Joe Perry Sansome making up the quartet on the drums. Lifelong loyal West Ham fans, the Geggus brothers couldn’t keep the smiles from their faces as they looked out over the crowd and saw several fans proudly wearing their West Ham United FC shirts, their arms raised and crossed in representation of the infamous irons.

Having lost none of that liveliness he was always so well known for, Jeff literally came out fighting, arms raised, his punches perfectly measured, he air-boxed his way into the opener ‘War on the Terraces’, Mick and Vince hanging back and taking it all in their stride. Leaning out over the lip of the stage, Jeff would periodically shove the mic into the faces of those in attendance, a mini tidal wave of bodies surging forward each and every time as fans clamoured the chorus lines. The Rejects have always stated that they give 110% at their live shows, and they weren’t kidding.

Feeding off of each other’s energy, track after track was rolled out, glued together by Mick’s mouth-watering guitar solos and Jeff’s animated storytelling and boxing workouts; Sansome behind the kit an absolute machine as he pounded out the beats of every fast-paced song. Taking it back to the beginning ‘Flares and Slippers’ soon led into the more riotous ‘We are the Firm’, ‘Headbanger’ eclipsing everything before it.

There was an authenticity to the set, a hunger that prowled the stage like a caged tiger; just like the heady days of their youth, where often their reputation proceeded them, The Rejects still fanned the flames within, no phoned in performances to be found here. Continuing to rev the fans up, ‘The Rocker’, ‘On the Streets’ and the beguiling ‘The Greatest Cockney Rip Off’ soon culminated in Jeff yelling the iconic line “Freedom, there ain’t no fucking freedom!” into the microphone as Mick delivered the opening riff of the frenetic ‘Police Car’ which brought the set to a close. Both parties understanding that it wasn’t truly the end, The Rejects returning for a rousing version of ‘I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles’ which for a moment turned Galatos into an East London Pub and of course ‘Oi! Oi! Oi!’.

Worth the wait – you best believe it.

Were you there at Galatos for this high energy punk gig? Or have you seen Cockney Rejects perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. War On The Terraces
2. Someone Like You
3. Flares And Slippers
4. We Are The Firm
5. Subculture
6. The Power And The Glory
7. Sitting In A Cell
8. We Can Do Anything
9. I’m Not A Fool
10. Headbanger
11. On The Run
12. East End
13. The Rocker
14. Join The Rejects
15. On The Streets Again
16. Bad Man
17. The Greatest Cockney Rip Off
18. Hate Of The City
19. Police Car
20. I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles
21. Oi! Oi! Oi!

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