Mean Jeans

support Wayl + Them Bailers
author PP date 25/07/16 venue UnderWerket, Copenhagen, DEN

It's a common myth that just because you wait 45 minutes before starting the show, more people will magically show up and the headliners will have a bigger audience. Actually, the opposite is true, especially on weekday nights. The organizers should take this into account; tonight it comes at the cost of a reduced crowd for headliners Mean Jeans who don't start their set until 23:50 on a Monday night. As usual, the venue is the basement venue UnderWerket, an ideal venue for smaller punk bands given its intimate surroundings, creating an environment where even 25-30 people attending will result in a decent show. That is also the case tonight.

Them Bailers

Them Bailers

First up is brand new local hardcore punk band Them Bailers, who feature three out of four members of scene darlings The No Go Girls. They play a particularly brutal brand of d-beat hardcore characterized by dual vocals that range from yelps and barks to straight forward screams. That's about the only positive you can say about the vocals, because frankly, they are terrible and result in an entirely monotone expression that, together with the bass-heavy execution and grindcore influence, sounds like one endless song with zero variety. The only memorable moment of the show comes during a brief semi-clean singing moment, but otherwise, there are few grooves, catchy vocal passages, nor any other notable features. Sure, the band play with their hearts out, but that's not good enough without the songs to show for it, at least from a critic's perspective.

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Wayl

Wayl

"What do you even do with the Pokemon? Do you stomp them down or what?", asks vocalist Peter Espersen of Wayl on stage, before elaborating his views on the popular trend by crushing an imaginary creature with his foot. Once again, the so-called house support band for punk shows in Copenhagen, have improved to a slightly funnier and tighter version of themselves on stage. Better yet, their songs, which draw from a variety of NOFX, Pennywise, NUFAN, et al bands, also sound like they're just about ready to go on an actual record in due time. Tonight, they're in a particularly talkative mood, attempting to build a pyramid in front of the stage, constantly joking around, and having a local punk fan (Alan) guest on stage for a song. It's an upbeat set that suggests that we should start taking these guys seriously going forward, especially because the new songs are on par with the Copenhagen punk scene classic "Stand Your Ground", which as usual finishes their entertaining set in style.

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Mean Jeans

Mean Jeans

"We're Mean Jeans and this song is called Croozin'". The no-frills pop punkers waste no time in getting the party going with a catchy upbeat anthem, which is followed by "Born On A Saturday Night" that sees the band rock out with infectious energy on stage, despite the low turnout tonight. Much like Wayl before them, they are chatty and there are constant interruptions in between songs, such as when guitarist 'Billy Jeans' lets us know that the bassist is in a good mood now, and all that it required was about 14 beers, which brings about laughter and an overall good mood in the audience. The songs are evenly balanced between the polished and upbeat new album "Tight New Dimension", and the slightly grittier older songs like "Anybody Out There?" from "On Mars". As such, "Long Dumb Road" and "Nite Vision" are some of the highlights given their catchy nature, but really there are no complaint given that most songs are played in tight fashion and spliced with fun commentary and brief remarks about the band members themselves, the tour, or the people in the room. It's an upbeat and fun dynamic, even if it's nothing particularly extravagant. In other words, exactly what you want from no-frills pop punk. Laid back vibes and catchy vocal hooks.

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Photos by: Philip B. Hansen

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