The Bravo Uniform Mikes + The Flash Harrys
23rd March 2024
Common Room, Hastings, New Zealand
Review by Rob Harbers, with photography by Andrew Caldwell.
It was a criminally small audience who were treated to a visit by Poneke’s Bravo Uniform Mikes and The Flash Harrys to the iconic Common Room. Those who did bother to make the effort to get off their asses were rewarded with a performance that was enough to blow out any cobwebs, and threatened the foundations of the venerable building – these mofos were LOUD! And in the miserable, miserly, self-induced climate of selfishness induced by our current elected (?) coalition of death-dealers, anything that allows an escape is to be applauded, at the risk of hearing damage though it may be!
This was a game of three halves, with the opening salvo provided by a set of “acoustic punk” from the Flash Harrys, one that lacked nothing in intensity as compared with a full-fat version! With a brace of acoustic guitars and a drum kit, the trio gave us songs that covered a range of topics, from physical violence under the golden arches, neophyte encounters with sex workers, through to the joys of parenthood and residential co-existence with rodent populations! All delivered at a pace and length perfectly described by themselves as “short, fast and furious”. Not necessarily an approach that’s going to get a man far in all spheres of life, but just what was ordered here!
With the stage having been set nicely by this fast and frenetic introduction, it was time for The Bravo Uniform Mikes to come on, introducing themselves as “Sorry (not sorry) for being noisy”! Celebrating the recent release of their first EP, this dynamic duo pumped up the volume and let rip with a set that continued the quick’n’dirty zeitgeist in fine form. Pounding out the rhythm as if his young life depended on it (and perhaps it might – founder Nick Potts burns through drummers at a higher frequency than Spinal Tap!), 19-year old Tomas tested the resilience of the kit to a massive extent, with it surviving, surprisingly, largely unscathed! This was all in the service of the set of largely original material, including the crowd favourite, and opportunity for audience participation, “Mothafucka”, the title of which was repeated with a frequency that would be enough to give Samuel L a warm glow! When there were covers, they were played in the same vein as the rest, including perhaps the fastest, and loudest, “Folsom Prison Blues” ever. Got to wonder, though, if anyone would’ve actually been able to hear that train a comin’, while Pottsy was rolling thunder and pouring rain, with Tomas coming on like a hurricane! The speed did dial back a little for the cover of “Voodoo Chile” that paid homage to a fellow guitarist who turned it upside down and played it left hand, and constituted the set closer, giving ears a brief pause from the (hugely enjoyable) onslaught, before the return of the Flashers in full effect. Time to sink another drink and wait for faces to reconstitute from being melted…
And just as the hearing was beginning to recover, back on to the stage bounded the Flash Harrys. The kind of three-legged power-sharing arrangement that we want to see, and won’t fuck over the country in support of a return for its donors! This time around the guitars were electric, with PGA Ray’s bass and Ricky Rocktapussy’s drums backing up Cyclone Gotlieb’s lead. All of which made for a shitload of fun and rhythm – I was even nearly tempted to get up for a jump around! There’s no pretension towards any of kind of serious messaging going on here, just balls-to-the-wall songs about the joys of onanism, olfactory lingerie sampling, and other such joyous subjects, including a few songs repeated from the first set. No thought, just pure puerile fun, in the best tradition. A tradition that’s given its due throughout the performance, with covers of songs by such luminaries of the genre as GG Allin, Black Flag, and the great Hüsker Dü. As they describe themselves in charmingly self-deprecating fashion, they’re “free from the constraints of intellectualism, pretension and musical ability”, which in simple terms means a rip shit and bust load of pure enjoyment!
The bottom line here is that both of these bands are a lot of fun in their own right, and together make for a great night’s entertainment. They’re both doing the rounds over the next few months, either of them definitely worth the effort, and if you’re lucky enough to encounter a double bill, cancel all other plans and feel the rock in your socks!
The Flash Harrys:
The Bravo Uniform Mikes:
Were you there at Common Room for this loud and fast gig? Or have you seen The Bravo Uniform Mikes or The Flash Harrys perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only.
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