Isle of Wight “jank-punk” trio The Pill, played a sold-out and sweaty The Grace, on a very hot night in June and proceeded to burn the place up!
What is it about the Isle of Wight? They have no shortage of female musical talent, who are adept at witty social commentary whilst cranking out catchy pop hooks and fierce punk energy.
The Pill are Lily Hutchings, (guitar and vocals), Lottie Massey (bass and vocals) and Rufus Reader (drums) and they were more than thrilled to be headlining their sold-out show at The Grace.
Bursting onto stage to the recorded intro of the Absolutely Fabulous single, it was clear we were going to have a fun and frenetic night. First song ‘Scaffolding Man’, about the joys of being unintentionally discovered naked by the scaffolding man, set the tone with tongue-in-cheek lyrics such as:
Would you like to stay this evening?
Cause you know I caught you peeping
(His name is Tom, his name is Tom)
I hope he likes what I am wearing
Is that a wedding ring he’s bearing?
They played the entirety of their latest release The EP, with such gems as ‘Problem’ and ‘Money Mullet’, during which an audience member with a mullet was found and elicited Lottie to say ‘I’m sure you are lovely, but your haircut is not’.
Other musical highlights included ‘Leo’ about a certain movie star and ’16-60′ about online grooming, both infused with punk-tastic guitar riffs, and pulversing bass and catchy choruses.
Closing song ‘POSH’, with its frantic guitars, frenzied drums, edgy bass and nonchalant vocals was the perfect end to the night and got the whole moshpit going despite the heat.
Their songs are so catchy that it’s easy to forget that The Pill tackle some serious issues that women face today, dressed up in satire, irony and raw punk energy.
Whatever the ailment, the world is ready for The Pill.
Follow The Pill on website | instagram | youtube | tiktok | facebook
South London slacker-grunge four piece Hot Wife kicked off the evening with the energetic ‘K.O.T.B’, showcasing their raw energy and tongue in cheek lyrics. We later found out that each member of the band is from a different country in the UK, which encapsulates the cultural mish-mash that pervades their tunes and reminds you just how talented all the whole of the UK is.
The band consists of Rachel Sneddon (vocals, guitar), Claire Brown (bass, vocals), Ethan Woodfin (lead guitar) and James Clubbe (drums) and on this hottest of June nights, they entertained us with their poppy hooks and heavy guitars and let us into their world of comics and animals with ‘Monkey Scientist’ and ‘Doberman’.
Other musical highlights included recent singles, ‘queen’ a raw, cathartic tale of a terrible ex, culminating in Rachel and Claire’s powerful screams and ‘buffy summers’ which paid homage to their 90s pop culture roots and Riot Grrrl influences, with driving bass and grunge-tastic guitars to boot.
They finished their set with the anthemic ‘(Not) Totally OK’, which could easily be a staple at this summer’s festivals. I’m already looking forward to their next release.
Follow Hot Wife on instagram | website | bandcamp
Catch them at LOUD WOMEN Fest London on 6 September.
