Graveyard Johnnys Gig review 13th July 2019 w/Pizzatramp & The Blue Carpet band

The Bristol Nomad has written a review for the Graveyard Johnnys Gig review 13th July 2019 w/Pizzatramp & The Blue Carpet band that happened last week at the Louisiana.

Saturday the 13th of July 2019 proved a number of things. Rock n Roll isn’t dead, punk lives & The Graveyard Johnnys never fail to get a room jumping.

If you ever needed confirmation that Bristol’s iconic live music scene is alive and well this was it.

A sold out crowd foregoing a beautiful, warm summers evening. Instead packing themselves like sardines into the upstairs of one of Bristol’s most famous music venues speaks volumes about the pull the Johnnys still command after more than 10 years doing their thing.

However first things first….

The Blue Carpet Band, arriving on stage with a blistering rock n roll energy that made you wonder if they were channelling the spirt of The Yardbirds. And a front man in Djamel Abina that would have given a young Mick Jagger a run for his money. Bags of sass and charisma oozing from every sweaty pore.

We all know the drill at gigs… Politely watch the opening act do their thing. Loosen up a bit more with the aid of a few beverages for the main support. And by the time the headliners turn comes you are ready to let loose.

The Blue Carpet band threw those clichés out of the window and into a dustbin. A dustbin that they promptly kicked down the street whilst belting out tunes from their debut album “Relaid”.

This band are definitely one to watch over the next 12 to 18 months.

Middle of the card on Saturday were valley boys Jimmy No Whammy, Sammy Two Cabs and Danny Banger. Collectively known as Pizzatramp (Pete’s a tramp).

Pizzatramp might as well be adopted sons of Bristol such is their popularity on this side of the bridge and the frequency they play in and around the local area.

Walking on to stage with Wayne’s world hats, drugs t-shirts and the best haircut I’ve seen this side of retro Netflix show Stranger Things. You might be forgiven for thinking these guys have just escaped from a 48 hour lock-in at a local Wetherspoons.

But make no mistake these Welsh Dirty Sanchez extras can play their instruments, hold a tune and write some brilliant lyrics.

From lad down the pub humour to borderline social commentary and political activism. Pizzatramp have it all down.

And its delivered at a machine gun pace that only slows when they look at each other and fall about laughing, along with the crowd.

A crowd that they had eating out of the palm of their hand.

No holds barred with these guys. And expect the crowd to pick up on this and invite themselves on stage to dive back into a moshing mess.

Entertaining, funny and talented.

On to our headliners…..

You don’t become veterans on the tour circuit unless you can A) bring the crowds in and B) Bring the house down. The Graveyard Johnnys do this each and every time.

The sold out crowd were primed and ready from the first note, first slap of the bass and first smash of the drums. “For tonight” kicks in and the floor immediately begins to shake as 120 pairs of feet jump in unison.

Anyone wearing a fit-bit would be in for a huge step count by the time the set was done.

The boys hadn’t played The Louisiana in some 4 years and Bristol in general for a fair while, such is their demand across Europe and for various festivals. They hadn’t lost a beat in the time away and you could see them feed off the energy of the crowd.

Foot stomper after foot stomper, crowd pleaser after crowd pleaser … “The Poison”, “Dead Transmission”, “Cherylene” whipped the crowd into a Rockabilly frenzy.

The introduction of Joe playing a few tracks on bass guitar was enough to keep things feeling fresh and the crowd lapped it up.

From front to back and everywhere in between drinks were spilt, toes were jumped on and the only thing you could see were the smiles of 120 people having a great time with a band that put everything they have into their live gigs.

By the time the last chord of Radar Love was struck Joe was slumped in the corner all energy spent. And band mates Thom and Callum were puffing out cheeks trying to catch any kind of oxygen left in the room. Such is the level of intensity they put in to making sure every person leaving has had the best night.

Come back soon The Graveyard Johnnys, Bristol will be waiting.

Written by The Bristol Nomad. More from the Bristol Gig Guide here.