let’s wrestle live in london

As any regular reader knows, Let’s Wrestle are something of a house band around these parts. We all love them uncontrollably, and think you should, too. A few weeks ago our own reader/pal Prof B (familiar ’round these parts as Mr. B) caught them at the Old Blue Last in London. I begged for a report of the show, and last night he sent one. Here’s what the lucky jerk had to say:

I knew when I first read the write up of Let’s Wrestle’s EP In Loving Memory that they were my sort of band. I also knew that going to see them live was going to be fraught — expectations can get the better of you sometimes. Now I’m a seasoned sort of guy and I’ve heard a few bands and seen a few live shows and what I’ve learnt is never to expect too much from any band live. Studio trickery creates the mask of many a fine recording artist but get them on a stage and you quickly see past the smoke and mirrors and wished you never come out.

Tonight there was a buzz of excitement and fun in the air for not only was it a single launch party, but it was the world premiere of the film Death of the Blue Ninja. This turned out to be a hilarious Z-grade kung fu flick featuring most of the audience and the band as a bunch of karate chopping henchmen. When the band came on after the screening everyone was in good spirits and it was more like a gig in someone’s student digs then at a pub.

When they took the stage a shambolic, carefree cloak draped them and it felt like at any point the whole gig could go tits up. After the wonky tunage of the first song it was clear the bassist hadn’t tuned up, nor did he know how to. But thankfully their relaxed manner and cheering, heckling mates at the front provided some good banter to pass the guitar roadie-ing duties. And so the gig went, a whole new batch of songs played with a very loosey-goosey off key singing and sloppiness that was so charming and warming like a favourite jumper to the more urgent, more played, more rehearsed favourites, “I Won’t Lie to You,” “Music Is My Girlfriend,” “Joe Remmington” (who was at the gig!!) and “Song For Man With Pica Syndrome.”

Being a single launch the band played both tunes, ending with “Let’s Wrestle,” their very own tongue-in-cheek theme song which provoked a very cramped stage invasion of around three to four people. During the claustrophobic moshing additional people attempted to jump onstage only managing to unplug singer Welsey Patrick Gonzalez’s guitar.

Thankfully, rhythm section Darkus Bishop and Mike Lightning played on, chanting the chorus, “Let’s Wrestle” while lead ends where found. At this point I though the game was up, the wheels had fallen off. Surely they couldn’t hold it together now. But then, Wesley plugs in and the band clicks back into a chugging D-tuned metal groove. Synced and locked in Wesley starts screaming, “LEEEETTT’SSSSSS WWRREESSSTLE, LET’S FUCKING WRESTLE” and the on stage dancing gets even more frenzied with the drum kit being kicked over the kit and mic stands used as jousting lances. A mess. A beautiful, beautiful mess.