This is a four-man punk band from Colchester in Essex. They performed their new album ‘Ibiza in winter’ for their first Welsh audience in Clwb Ifor Bach on December the 7th.
The venue was small and intermate, but brothers Johnny and George Marriott filled the room with their vocals and Jack Lock skilfully played the drums whilst Rich Gutierrez accompanied them on bass. They all worked well together and had a great stage presence.
But before their set, ‘Bridget’ a singer, song writer also from Colchester, was their support act. She sang her most popular song ‘Deflate’ and my personal favourite, ‘The Drive.’ This was one of my favourites because she really interacted with the crowd and got them singing her lyrics back to her. So, this really got the audience warmed up for Pet Needs. She also stayed after her set, and I got the chance to chat to her and she was lovely!
Pet Need’s set started at 9pm and lasted just over an hour. But they managed to sing a variety of songs from their albums. Starting with, ‘Lost again’, ‘Pavlovian’ and ‘Kayak’. Then on to the album title, ‘Ibiza in winter’ followed by a crowd favourite, ‘Punk isn’t dead; it’s just up for sale.’ The audience went wild when they heard this, and they screamed back every word to the equally excited band members. ‘Wales, we love you, thanks for having us!!!’ They said.
In between the songs the band told funny stories about their experiences in Wales, their families and shone some light into their personal lives. This really suited the venue because it was small and intimate, you felt like you were friends with the band rather than fans, so it was nice for them to have been as chatty as they were.
An emotional song ‘Dear Abi’ was played for the first time, was completely striped back and took the audience by surprise because it was the opposite of their usual punk, rock genre. However, the sentimental and thoughtful song went down a treat and the crowd loved it and took in every word. – especially all the ‘Abi’s’ in the room.
But the vibe soon picked up and was back to their punk rock genre as Bridget came back on stage for a duet with the band, to sing ‘The argument’. This was great to watch and both artists put their heart and souls into the performance and the song, which looked like it meant a lot to both. Bridget then left the stage, and they played a couple more songs, including, ‘Spirals’ and ‘Toothpaste.’ With a welsh accent attempt from Rich and an audience member jokingly saying, ‘you can stop doing that now.’ The show soon came to an end…
Until, the crowd repeatedly roared, ‘encore’, ‘encore’, they came rushing back on to sing, 3 more songs, including their most popular one, ‘Tracey Emin’s Bed’. And it was defiantly worth the wait.
They are on tour till early 2023, so if you get the chance to see this energetic and talented band I would recommend. And with an equally male and female audience with all ages, everyone would have a great time. So, go get your tickets, they are as cheap as £10!
