The Orwells, 100 Club, London

Chicago young punks The Orwells burst onto the scene early last year with the raucously melodic ‘Other Voices’; an enthralling, thrill a minute, no holds barred introduction to their brand of messily memorable garage punk. Their career trajectory has been on a pretty steady incline ever since, seeing them sign a record deal with Atlantic, release two hit-packed EPs, and make THAT infamous appearance on Letterman.

Tonight at the 100 Club, it’s clear nothing has changed from The Orwells’ early days. They’re still ridiculously young and reckless, they’re still just the right amount of arrogant, and they’re still an irresistible, charming mess. They’re exactly what you’d hoped they would be, basically.

Opening with the instantly recognisable howl from ‘Other Voices’, singer Mario Cuomo commands the stage with the unabashed confidence and carefree abandon that belies his 18 years of life experience. Never one to shy away from eye contact, he frequently glares at the audience with an unwavering stare and devious grin. It’s difficult to know whether to be terrified or mesmerised.

And that’s only the beginning. Cuomo continues to strut and patrol the stage with increasing ferocity, now swigging liberally from a bottle of cheap red wine. Fans begin to storm the stage during a rendition of ‘Mallrats (La La La)’, shortly followed by bassist Grant Brinner throwing himself into the crowd unannounced (bass and all), as Cuomo opts to hoist up a female stage invader and proceed in a full five-minute makeout session. It’s absolute pandemonium.

Amid such pure, unadulterated chaos, it’s easy to forget The Orwells actually make superb music. ‘Other Voices’, ‘Who Needs You’, and ‘Blood Bubbles’ all sound huge tonight, and showcase their brilliant knack for blending edgy, punk instrumentation with memorable pop melodies. They’ve absolutely got it in spades. It makes their covers of ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’ and The Stooges ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ seem surplus to requirements, but they suffice in keeping the crowd entertained nonetheless.