Partybaby Play An Energetic Show In Bristol

Partybaby should really just be another forgettable punk-pop band, but instead they are unique and refreshing. For a start, not many bands have their beginnings writing songs for Christina Aguilera. Nor have many bands had a lead duo with the experience Partybaby have; guitarist Noah Gersh used to be a member of Portugal. The Man, whilst lead singer and guitarist Jamie Schefman worked on the two most recent Thirty Seconds to Mars records. Frustration led to creation - an album of huge, uplifting pop songs, September’s The Golden Age of Bullshit, which received five stars from DIY magazine. Partybaby are currently touring the UK with another up and coming band, Vant, with a few of their own shows on the side, including Monday’s gig at The Louisiana.

However, before Partybaby took to the stage we were treated to two promising local acts in the form of Leeches and Van Zeller. The latter, Van Zeller, specialise in high-octane punk and their energy was infectious. At last, Partybaby came onstage, and while The Louisiana may not have been bursting at the seams, the performance was worthy of stadiums. Diving into early single I Don’t Wanna Wait and the colossal California, it’s difficult to see why they haven’t gathered as large a fan base on this side of the pond. Following this was the first new song of the evening, Loverbones, which struck all the right chords in the already-electrified crowd.

Second single Everything’s All Right saw Schefman jumping into the crowd with his mic and singing with audience members. Next up was The Golden Age of Bullshit which ironically didn’t make the record, despite acting as the name for the album anyway. As the name suggests, the band has a disillusioned view of society, and this came out both lyrically, and between songs. Partybaby have been particularly vocal in their dislike for Donald Trump in the wake of the election, and mid-gig apologised to us on behalf of their country, and calling him a “misogynistic, racist reality TV star”. They followed this up with another new song, Problems, which is essentially the sonic form of a middle finger to the President-Elect.

The band closed the set with a couple of highlights from The Golden Age of Bullshit with Your Old Man and Overload, the climax of which again saw Schefman in the crowd, this time with both his mic and guitar, moshing briefly with the crowd-members. And while the gig was over, Noah and Jamie still had the time of day for the fans, sticking around to have drinks and a chat – all-round top blokes, and brilliant gig.