Free gig by The Darts, a garage rock quartet from Seattle, at Mean-Eyed Cat in Newcastle upon Tyne.
The Darts are playing Mean-Eyed Cat on Friday 6 November, a garage rock quartet coming over from Seattle, Washington. They're a four-piece, and they describe their own sound as 'spooky kitten garagepunk' — which puts them somewhere between garage rock, punk, and power pop.
They've picked up a fair bit of attention from people who usually don't agree on much. Rolling Stone credited them with getting 'even the most apathetic nerds moshing', and Stephen King reviewed their song 'Take What I Need'. Dave Vanian of The Damned called them 'one of my new favourite bands', and Alternative Tentacles Records added that 'everyone here is a fan, from Jello Biafra to the newest intern'. That's a wide spread, from the punk old guard to the newer crowd, and it gives you a decent idea of where they sit: loud, fast, and with a bit of a wink.
It's a single-band bill, so the whole night is built around them. They're a long way from home, too — Seattle to Newcastle is a fair trek, so this is one of those dates that brings a US band right into the city rather than just the usual tour circuit. If you've never heard them, the 'garagepunk' label is the best place to start: think raw guitars, a driving beat, and that sort of high-energy, stripped-back sound that works best in a room like this.
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The show starts at 7:00 PM at Mean-Eyed Cat, 1 St Thomas' St, NE1 4LE. It's a free show, though donations are encouraged at the door, so you can just turn up and decide what you want to put in.
