A sold-out show at The Lexington, and the room was unified by shared beliefs, yet weighed down with emotion, as if the presence of Piss vocalist Taylor Zantingh had stolen our souls, then fuelled us with anguish over the issues people face every day but no one chooses to talk about, and powered us with her screams. This headline performance by Vancouver-based band Piss was part of their spring tour, which sees its last UK date on 14 May at The Great Escape Festival.
A call out for the short people to push to the front was an excellent way to start their headline performance. Making the audience feel seen and noticed, it felt like a warm embrace for everyone in the room, and more artists should make this a part of their live shows — including trigger warnings and exit plans for the audience.
Lyrically, Piss take a poetic direction with their punk rock songwriting. Their music flows like a story — or, more accurately, a nightmare about the consequences of living in a world run by patriarchy. This is especially felt in songs like “Blocking a Scene You Cant Remember”, which begins in the style of a news report talking about why we can’t blame boys for their actions because it’s their upbringing that is responsible for their behaviour, whilst women are left to deal with the consequences. And this is represented perfectly in their live performance.
Rhythmic melodies curated by the rest of the band not only fit perfectly with the emotions conveyed in the lyrics of each song, but also control how the audience experiences the music. Moments of calm electric tones are quickly contrasted with thunderous drums, making your heart beat what feels like ten times faster, as not only does the rhythm of the music increase, but Taylor’s voice turns into screams. Screams of anger, screams of anguish, screams that make you feel seen and not alone.
Piss were supported by the extremely energetic band Frenzee, who stepped onto a UK stage for the very first time. And honestly, where have they been? Well, the answer is Greece — although they don’t sound Greek. Having an Australian mum has meant their accents are entirely Australian. Not confusing at all. But we need them and their energy back in the UK ASAP.
The energy they brought as a support act was just the right amount of fun, electrifying and meaningful. But that’s the beauty of punk — you get more than just a song, you get a performance, you get to feel like part of the act. And with lead singer Apollonia stepping down from the stage to join the crowd every other second, you were definitely made to feel like part of the story.
Piss continue their tour:
Sat. May 16 – Amsterdam, NL – London Calling Festival
Sun. May 17 – Brussels, BE – Les Nuits Botanique Festival
Tue. May 19 – Paris, FR – Le Klub
Wed. May 20 – Rennes, FR – Antipode
Sat. May 23 – Bristol, UK – Dot to Dot Festival
Sun. May 24 – Nottingham, UK – Dot to Dot Festival
Thu. Jul. 30 – Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon
Sat. Aug. 01 – Sackville, NB – Sappyfest
Fri. Aug. 28 – Eindhoven, NL – Hit The City Festival
Fri. Sep. 04 – Brighton, UK – Brighton Psych Fest Festival
Sun. Sep. 06 – Salisbury, UK – End of the Road Festival
Thu. Nov 05 – Reykjavik, IS – Iceland Airwaves
Find out more here: Instagram
And so do Frenzee! Find out more here: Instagram