Bad for Lazarus LIVE @ The Old Blue Last 03.09.2013

There stood the Brighton based quintet Bad for Lazarus under the haze of the red lights on the hot and cramped stage of The Old Blue Last. The band omit a pent up energy as they jitter about and shake loose, eager to give the audience one hell of a performance.  

Bad for Lazarus’ sound is the bastard child of Richard Hell and Captain Beefheart on acid. On top of their chaotic nature Bad for Lazarus display a knack for writing killer riffs and utilize keyboard sounds from 60’s Motown pop to create heavy and sinister psychedelic pop.  

When the band played ‘Bad Stallion’ they went into a mad frenzy of messy garage rock.  They then delivered the hook laden ‘Old Rats on a New Ship’ with a confident swagger and intensity as sweat dripped from the band members long unkept hair while they wildly bounced around the stage. The real highlight of the show was new single ‘Burnt’, a song which sums up the reasons why I really enjoy this band. The song is carried by a big nasty riff that roars out of the fuzzed out bass and the vocals are delivered manically with a crazed wide eyed stare that really captures the intensity of their live show.

At the beginning the audience stood a bit distant while sipping on their pints and quietly bobbing their heads to the music, but as the show went on they fed off the band’s frantic contagious energy and intensity and really got into the show.

Bad for Lazarus’ are a band that are really worth keeping an eye on and their live show does not disappoint.

Trygve Hjelle