Last week came with a lovely treat, an announcement of the new Osees album, A Foul Form, which drops on the 12th of August via the band’s own Castle Face Records. For a band more prolific than Genghis Khan, it’s surprising that this will be their first release since 2020. The man himself describes it as, “Brain stem cracking scum-punk recorded tersely in the basement of my home.” Sounds grand to us! We headed down south to catch them at the Electric Brixton.
The evening began in a familiar fashion, on the streets necking cheap Polish lager and smoking expensive British cigarettes as fast as possible in order to avoid the hellish prices of the standard London venue. This time though, it came at a cost as we missed Crack Cloud’s set. Bollocks. We promptly purchased four cans of Kronenberg to soothe the pain, coming in at a sphincter-clenching £22. Thankfully, they’ll be back around these parts in the summer. Definitely a mistake that won’t be reprised.
Osees take to the stage and dive straight into a cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Interstellar Overdrive’. Covers don’t get much more appropriate than this really, do they? From there, things take a step up and we get a classic in the form of ‘I Come From the Mountain’. The band has had a settled lineup for a while now and it shows. Dan Rincon and Paul Quattrone’s double drums, as furious as they are relentless, are awe-inspiring as always. There really is no respite for the pair, save for ‘Sticky Hulks’ where things take a slower, more meditative turn, if only for a moment. Still, their synchrony is hypnotic. They’ve consistently been one of the best live bands going and tonight is no exception to that rule.
‘Funeral Solution’ gives us a taste of what’s to come on the new album. Straight-up hardcore punk, it would seem. Who’s complaining? Dwyer really gets things going, flailing around like a true maniac. He must get ever so parched during these shows. A combination of pouring sweat, and covering everything around him in gob, must call for immediate post-show rehydration.
The real joy of a band so proactive as this is the variety of their live shows. With such a massive back catalogue they have so much room to play. Every show is a fresh experience and a total rollercoaster. The set spans tracks from a decade and more – with numerous lineups in that time it’s amazing the sound feels so authentic to the five musicians on stage. Quite the feat.
A Foul Form is due out on 12th August via Castle Face Records – pre-Order on Bandcamp
Find out more on OSEES official website
Review & Photography by Sarah Lisgo & Duncan Clark
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