Fucked Up, Brighton Freebutt

We’re in a sauna. The Brighton Freebutt isn’t even sold out and, on walking into the room, I already feel like twelve large blokes have breathed heavily on me. The place is dark, but I can still make out the faces in the crowd. Man faces. There is probably one girl for every ten guys. Fucked Up are kind of a big deal: since 2002, they’ve been bashing out hardcore choons à la Minor Threat and have picked up a true-to-them fanbase. ‘The Chemistry Of Common Life’ is the band’s second album; surprising really, considering they’ve been around so long, but then they have a real punk ethos to them - they just make music and whack it out on 7”. No hassle.

I wiggle my way to the front and position myself next to the speakers: I fully intend on damaging my hearing tonight. I need an experience. Frontman Pink Eyes, drummer Mr. Jo and guitarist Young Governor are already onstage. Soon bassist Sandy and rhythm guitarist Concentration Camp (Josh Zucker) emerge, and finally 10,000 Marbles, founding member of Fucked Up and lead guitarist, comes through the crowd and gets up in front of us. They stand there tuning for a couple of minutes while Pink Eyes (Damian Abraham) does his stand up routine and then immediately crash into it. A failed attempt at starting a mosh pit during the first chords of the opening track confines everyone to fervent head banging in their places and jittering of legs. The excitement is static, restrained. Why?

A Fucked Up show is so much more than just a generic gig, it’s a whole show. Comedy, violence, sex - you name it, it’s there. ‘I am sex appeal.’ asserts Pink Eyes, while rubbing his hands all over his topless torso, drenched in sweat. Mmm. He isn’t even the only naked dude; drums upstages him by performing in only his underwear, which leaves little to the imagination.

The set gives us a collection of tracks from first album ‘Hidden World’: the much loved ‘Manquelier Man’, ‘Two Snakes’ and ‘Fate of Fates’ blur one into the other. It’s like when you fast forward a film, everyone is moving that bit faster, the music is a tad more speedy and the three guitarists arms disappear in their movement. New album ‘The Chemistry Of Common Life’ gets its fair share of the spotlight with ‘Black Albino Bones’ and ‘Days Of Last’, amongst others. The climax announces itself with the final, aptly chosen song: ‘Crusades’ lurches everyone into full blown moshing mode. About time too. Wedged between a large man and a pillar, I feel the exhilaration I had been expecting from the start. Finally. Why did it take so long?

Was it something in the air at The Freebutt, or are the Brighton fans not as die-hard as they should be? The last time I saw Fucked Up play was at London’s Madame Jojo’s. Smaller venue, but better crowd. The audience were bouncing off the walls - Pink Eyes was comfortable enough to come down amongst us and wrap us up in his microphone wire. The sound wasn’t anything different, the band are always solidly good, but the reception was. It’s a reception that I was hoping to rediscover and relish a second time over, the band are the soundtrack.