Ugly Kid Joe
Thursday night gigs are always a bit of a danger zone for me. Not quite the weekend, but close enough to feel like it is, Thursdays always seem to magnify and embody my general lack of willpower and self-control. It was with this in mind that I went out intending to ‘keep it school night’, but also made sure I had a hearty dinner just in case it all went a bit… sideways.
Support was provided firstly from local southern rock merchants Bad Touch who got the groove going with a polished set of original-yet-retro-sounding tunes, and secondly from Aussie acousto-comedy maestro Tim McMillan, whose blend of surreal comedy anecdotes mixed in with his own particular style of “athletic” guitar skills make his one man act something truly original and a joy to witness. I was enjoying myself so much at this point, that Friday was already seeming less and less important by the pint.
By the time Ugly Kid Joe came on the stage, I was ready, the crowd was ready - we were all ready. So were the band, who jammed straight into fan favourite Neighbour, much to the delight of everyone. By the time we knocking on the door of the second chorus, the crowd were in great voice and showed why bands like this like Norwich, because all false modesty aside, we know how it’s done, and boy did we prove it tonight. By the time that UKJ got to their cover of Cat’s in the Cradle, frontman Whitfield Crane was taking a vocal back seat to the audience and looked genuinely emotional at the noisy love being sang at him from the Thursday night giggers gathered in the room. But I’ve skipped ahead a few songs/pints – let me go back.
The last time I saw Ugly Kid Joe, they were playing a double headline bill with smelly leather warblers Skid Row, and the whole thing had more than a whiff of nostalgia about it. It was great, they were great, and everyone had a blast. This time, however, they included more material from their more recent releases alongside the 90s classics that established them way back when, and some of the lesser known songs from all the albums. So, nestled nicely in between songs like Panhandlin Prince and Goddamn Devil were tunes like She’s Already Gone, I’m Alright and No One Survives. They even showed us something different by bringing Tim McMillan back on stage to do a couple of acoustic numbers including a stripped back version of Come Tomorrow, and some serious off-the-cuff riffage from guitarist Klaus Eichstadt.
Skip forward again six pints to UKJ absolutely smashing a cover of Ace of Spades, and you get an idea of the kind of show that we had been treated to - a well-planned, expertly executed set that showed that Ugly Kid Joe are a band with a future as well as a past. If you’re reading this thinking “ah, I liked Ugly Kid Joe back in the day”, then you need to change the tense of that thought, my friend, because the chances are that if you liked them then, you’ll love them now. I do, and I’d do it all again in a second. Only can we do it on a weekend next time? I’m getting too old for this Thursday bullshit.
8/10
