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Ahead of appearing at this year’s edition of Slam Dunk, Nashville punks WINONA FIGHTER are playing a few warm up shows with tonight’s stop at a sold out, bound to be sweaty Black Heart.
“We are not WINONA FIGHTER,” YOUNG FATIGUE grin at the start of their set. The UK punks are from the wrong continent to be them for starters, but stylistically it’s not a million miles away. There’s an undercurrent of pop-punk to them, particularly from when it was first finding its feet, meaning punk is still fairly firmly in their DNA. They’re down one usual member tonight, a stand-in drummer in place of their usual who’s been delayed returning to the UK. Despite this there’s no hint of friction or slip-ups, no mean feat given the band explain they only had one rehearsal for him to learn it. Although the room is rammed for them, it feels like only half the room is interested in what’s going on onstage, with the front nodding their heads appreciatively and a lot of people at the back talking throughout. It’s a shame because despite the band’s setback, it’s a solid outing.
Rating: 7/10
Though they’ve only just released debut album My Apologies To the Chef, WINONA FIGHTER are building something of a reputation already on the live circuit. In fact as they told us earlier this year, the album was really a happy accident, the result of needing new material for their live set but not intending to write a full record. It’s a mixed crowd too, people sporting tees for a multitude of punk bands alongside LINKIN PARK or BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE; an odd mix, but refreshing to see. WINONA FIGHTER themselves come on to a packed room, Coco Kinnon yelling “what the fuck is up, London?” before they launch into You Look Like A Drunk Phoebe Bridgers. It’s an electrifying start with the crowd bellowing back its woah-oh refrain before they rip straight into I Think You Should Leave. Subaru and Attention go off massively with the crowd yelling back, pitting and dancing. The band are clearly overwhelmed by the reception too, engaging with a crowd member as he yells about circle pits – which the rest of the crowd do take up the offer of. Although they’ll soon be on a much bigger stage at Slam Dunk, there’s no doubt WINONA FIGHTER are at their best in a small room’s sweaty confines, feeding off the energy there and bantering with the crowd they can actually see most of. Most importantly, it’s clear both they and the rest of the room are having a blast.
Rating: 9/10
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The post LIVE REVIEW: Winona Fighter @ The Black Heart, London appeared first on Distorted Sound Magazine.
