It’s really hard to review a Twat Union gig because if you haven’t seen them live yet, I really don’t want to spoil it for you! On the flip side, if you haven’t seen them live yet – you really, really should, so I need to entice you somehow without ruining the surprise!
Saturday at The Lexington was a momentous occasion. Twat Union have just released their EP Don’t Look It In The Eye (our EP of the month!) the day before and they have officially sold out the London venue, marking their biggest headlining gig to date – emotions were riding high and the downstairs of The Lexington was steadily filling up with people sporting pink and fishnets in all the combinations you can think of and some that you can’t!
We got some hints about Pea.S from the Twats social media in the lead up to the gig – but nothing could have prepared me for the first opening act of the night, which was essentially a… ballet in the vein of Swan Lake, but it’s peas in a pod vs a fork…? It set us all up perfectly for what was to come – a lot of great comedy and full on belly laughs.
Frankie Thompson dubbed ‘the queen of cats’ was the main support – and once again we were out of the left field with a solid dose of abstract comedy from her Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre show ‘CAttS’. We had some throw backs to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical mashed up with clips of Postman Pat’s puss Jess, there was some lip-syncing along to Elaine Paige and a prepubescent Jacob Rees-Mogg, and a whole sequence from Bake Off about baking the perfect scone to Paul Hollywood’s recipe. Frankie’s absurd comedy is very physical – she would convulse around the stage as if possessed, repeatedly apologising to all of us for the spectacle. Each bit of the soundtrack was masterfully put together and enriched by audience participation, which warmed us perfectly for Twat Union.
And now the bit I am nervous about because I don’t want to spoil anyone’s future enjoyment – Twat Union. They opened with “Little Pink Drill’, the first track from Don’t Look It In The Eye, and we were off with the props and the hijinks – from the titular little pink drill via some tiny shorts to The Towel, Twat Union mastered the sub genre no one knew we desperately needed, which can be described as stand up punk comedy. I could tell that some of my front row neighbours were seeing them for the first time based on the angle of them folding themselves in half while laughing out lout at a perfectly executed joke. Kate, Alice, Lucie, Beth, Tessa and Harrison matched in various hues of pink, ripped fishnets and harnesses – with Kate navigating multiple outfit reveals through a set full of feminist punk energy and ‘funny because it’s true’ relatable lyrics delivered against a backdrop of masterful musicianship.
! Spoiler Alert ! – I cannot possibly write about my favourite moment from every Twat Union gig I’ve ever been to without some spoilers, so please skip this part or proceed at your peril. During ‘Singer Of The Band’ – the first single from the EP, they always invite an unassuming man up on the stage, give them a tambourine and while they’re joyfully shaking it away, the track that’s deeply relatable to any woman who has ever performed and inevitably encountered sexism goes on behind them. On Saturday we had a twist though, because we got not one but two eager tambourine players! Such was the crowd’s enthusiasm that the participating men switched half way through the song! Absolutely iconic.
We did get some surprises peppered in between the EP tracks with a song about tiny shorts, The Witch tackling the ever relatable topic of PMS and an encore simply called ‘Twats’, which got amazing audience participation. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Twat Union gig without the appearance of ‘Period Sex’ and the ballad ‘Thigh Chafe’ that made some audience members get the torches out. We were all given red strips of fabric to wave during ‘Red Flags’, we all hid away from the ‘Danger Boob’ and we all cheered on Beth when she chugged cranberry juice during ‘UTI’.
But one cannot simply sum up a Twat Union gig by listing the songs performed. It’s an experience that everyone should attempt to witness in person if you’re able to. There are a few dates remaining this week and they will also play a LOUD WOMEN matinee show in Brighton on the 27th April. Run, do not walk for the last tickets, no red flags there!
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