Chain And The Gang

Tufnell Park Dome, London NW5

4/5

TONIGHT is a continuation as Ian Svenonious — punk, provocateur, polemicist and showman — resumes the spectacle he so provocatively unleashed some two decades ago. 

From the separatist “political party” organ of The Nation Of Ulysses through to the Gospel Yeh-Yeh sound of The Make-Up, Svenonious has carved a sharp leftist groove through the underground music scene for half his life.

But at this gig Svenonious (pictured) is here to entertain, dance and offer sassy polemics to a sage crowd of rhythm hive followers. In tow Chain, personified by Svenonious, brings his gang — four of the tightest players, all women, from the US underground punk scene — who bop and surge around the stage accoutred in matching sparkly silver suits.

It is a set of divine, interwoven melody and jazz-soul fusion, a clash of urgent sounds stolen from only the best garage-punk 45s of Svenonious’s record collection.  

He shouts through Down With Liberty, Up With Chains, discusses when  is Nuff Said and the dialectical materialism of What Is A Dollar? and tells us how uninterested he is in Being Interesting.

We dance until our legs feel loose as minds get blown with ideas and heavy dance-hall grooves. Svenonious is a rapture to watch and if you want to bow to his untouchable sound, his new album Minimum Rock’n’Roll is out now.

Minimum Rock’n’Roll is available on Fortuna Pop.

Aaron Batley