‘BLOOD, LUBE AND SALAD’ – THE FAT WHITE FAMILY RIDE THE MERSEY INTO POST PUNK OBLIVION

LIVE REVIEW | THE FAT WHITE FAMILY | LIVERPOOL HANGER 34 | 12/06/24 by Tom Whittleton

Brixton’s post punk antagonists The Fat White Family are blazing a trail of righteous filth and fury across the country this summer In celebration of their newest album Forgiveness is Yours; the groups 4th studio outing following along from the feverish cult classic Serfs up.

Chaotic lineup changes and the collapse of the bands core songwriting duo of Lias Saoudi and Saul Adamczewski has pushed the band into new territory with the album leaning towards the electronic elements of their previous releases.

Tonight, it’s Liverpool’s turn for a sermon from on high, the congregation stands waiting in the venue. Hangar 34 sits in the Baltic triangle area of the city its cavernous black interior is the perfect staging area for the madness to come. The band having flown the flag for maximum artistic expression have held strong in the current drought of uncompromising music, their fanbase reflects this dedication as a mix of young music fanatics and old guard veterans stand shoulder to shoulder.

Support was provided by Celtic Folk songwriter John Francis Flynn  whose atmospheric one man show flickered with droning repetition bringing  the audiences full attention to his Irish drawl.

Aspects of his music combine John Cale drones with Celtic folks’ mournful lyrical content. His final track ‘Kitty‘ stood out in its beauty with a soft but gravelly vocal performance and distant percussion ringing out through the hangar. “Good night and may god guide you forever” he sang as it echoed out from the speakers.

With a brief introduction courtesy of Angels by Robbie Williams, The Fat Whites stalk out from behind the stage, dressed in a combination of fishermans jackets, army shirts and Saxophone player Alex White in a lonsdale jockstrap straddling his Sax. Lias Saoudi appears glistening with baby oil in a pair of women’s spanx “Right that’s enough of that shit” he growls as they launch into their first track.

‘John Lennon‘ from the newest album starts the set with a kraut rock keyboard heavy jump as the crowd begins to sway. The track details a meeting with Yoko Ono in New York and a ketamine fuelled encounter with the malevolent spirit of Lennon himself, the perfect opener for a Merseyside gig. Alex White’s flute layers the song. “Christ 1980 that was fucking ages ago” snarls Saoudi as the song reaches its peak. The volume of this gig cannot be understated, the thump of keys rattled my ribcage.

The swinging jazz drums of Without Consent slowly builds into absolute carnage as Lias flew over the barrier dripping with sweat and lubricant breathing heavily into the microphone dragging himself through the audience with a demonic look in his eyes. Onlookers form almost ritualist circles around the singer as if not wanting to get too close to an otherworldly entity.

‘Polygamy is for the Chief‘ Is when the audience really starts to groove and dig into the synth that  fills the air with haunting backing vocals. Lias begins convulsing on stage in a burst of rage and energy before attacking the mic: “Godlike power, Godlike loneliness” is the opening lyric which the audience sings back with ferocity. The song reaches a burning breakdown of feedback and primal screaming as the group charge around the stage.

“We’ve got a special guest” Lias informs the eager crowd, “Saul Adamczewski!”.  Everyone goes ballistic hoping for an original lineup reunion from the estranged comrades. “Absolutley not , not over my fucking mutilated corpse”.

Fan favourite and early single ‘Touch the leather‘ comes next with Lias now firmly planted in the audience reaching over to me and a few others steadying himself and dousing me in a large quantity of the glittery oil mixture which has now permanently stuck to my t-shirt, cheers Lias. Adam Harmers rockabilly guitar jangles blow out from the amps with his head down in hyper focus he brings an element of control in the eye of the Fat Whites storm. 

The band where not done whipping us into lean punk shape yet, ‘I am Mark E Smith’ begins, a tongue in cheek breakdown of rock and roll fanaticism and how the Falls crooning goblin singer is lauded as a hero of his time, “I am Mark E Smith i’ve got the paperwork to prove it” is the catchy chorus line which Lias declares with a balled up fist in revolutionary stance.

We finally get a chance to breathe standing to watch Lias deliver a spoken word ramble on the gruesome topic of his brother’s circumcision in Algeria ‘Today you become man‘ is a hilarious yet dark interlude.

The set is drawing to a close but not without one last blowout, at the barrier now and feeling parched I politely heckle Adam Harmer into a swig of his tequila he obliges and hands the bottle over. ‘Feet‘ is next and to Fat Whites fans is an absolute classic followed in quick succession by ‘work‘ – one of the new albums highlights.

Lias mounts the barrier, blood pouring from his body revealing a bag of salad and pouring it out into the mouths of fans. “Salad for the masses!” he cries as he fills my mouth with seasonal leaf.

The audience demands a closer , and they saved the best till last ‘Bomb Disneyland‘ begins. The song is a thrashing explosion which gives us one last opportunity to go positively bonkers. We are now riding a wave into the Realm of The Fat Whites, peak psychedelic surrealist imagery and a cacophony of saxophone send the band on their way.

‘Forgiveness is yours‘ out now on all platforms.

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