Dead Naked Hippies, Melwood: Jacaranda, Liverpool

Dead Naked Hippies

Dead Naked Hippies played a return visit to the Jacaranda, as did Getintothis’ Peter Goodbody who was keen to see the Leeds trio do their thing again.

Lucie Jowett and co have been working hard recently and doing a good job of getting noticed.

New single, Eyes Wide follows a summer of festival slots and gigs supporting Dream Wife, IDLES and Queen Zee.

This headline tour, the band’s biggest solo jaunt to date, is further evidence they are a force to be reckoned with.

Tonight’s visit to the Jacaranda is their second Liverpool gig this year and, indeed, is a return to the same venue in which they impressed us back in March. So, we’re expecting good things.

Melwood kick it all off with plenty of energy and jumping around the L shaped stage.

Vocalist, Tom was suffering, though, and it kind of showed. “Does anyone want to come up on stage and have a crack at some vocals?” There aren’t any takers, which is probably for the best, even despite Tom’s by now struggling voice.

He made it to the end and that in itself was worth the applause from audience. As a project, it probably needs a bit more polish, but their short 5 song set was good to set the scene for tonight’s punk leaning line up.

“Hello, Liverpool. We are Dead Naked Hippies“. Lucy has her arms held up high, her usual extra long mic cable wrapped around them as the band starts to assault us with first single Lights Out.

Most of the front of the stage has been cleared to give Lucy the space to march and prowl around. The drums and guitar have been pushed as far to the side as possible.

It works, of course. Lucy Jowett is a massive personality and she needs the room in which to express herself.

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She’s not one for standing still behind a mic stand. Surprisingly, perhaps we have to wait until the fourth song of the set before we get a trademark Lucy walkabout into the audience as she gets up close and shouty in the faces of a(n) (un)lucky few.

The recently released single, Eyes Wide marks the mid point of the set. It’s full of punch and grit.

Followed by new song, Talk About It, there’s then a race to the line with DNH’s best known tunes – Guillotine, Rare and Curiosity as a finale.

After 40 minutes it’s done. That’s fine.

Their set is a kind of metaphor to most of their songs. Short, to the point and demanding of your attention. Dead Naked Hippies managed that alright.

Images by Getintothis’ Sarah Sidwell