Live Review + Gallery | MIDDLEMAN @ Fish Factory, Penryn

---

MIDDLEMAN | Dogspit | Broken Arrow | Wreck Rebirth

Fish Factory, Penryn

28th September 2024

Photography by Molly Gildner (@mediabymo_)

---

---

London garage rock outfit MIDDLEMAN make the journey to Cornwall to accompany 3 beloved local bands

Nestled in sleepy old Penryn lies an art space that has a bad habit of putting on brilliant band nights. It goes by the name of The Fish Factory and this night was yet another for the history books. Awe-inspiring displays came from Wreck Rebirth, Broken Arrow, MIDDLEMAN and Dogspit. A fine blend of grimy punk and indie arose from the concoction of influences and sounds being produced by these acts, so there is a fair bit to unpack here.

---

Wreck Rebirth

Slashing guitars and cutting vocals, pure tension and anxiety being released onto you in a heavily sonic catharsis; Wreck Rebirth were top notch start to finish. Their set bleeds anger, anxiety and despair, creating a lasting impact on an audience and leaving them good and ready for the rest of the evening’s proceedings.

Lead Singer K’s vocal range is something else, ranging from a punky cry to intense screams while bassist Miguel and drummer Matt (also of the local band Ducks) held down the rhythm section masterfully. My personal favourite moments were their slightly out of character, yet incredibly well done, cover of Ween’s ‘Ocean Man‘ along with their original tunes ‘I Still Need You’ and ‘Let me Breathe’ which epitomised their unique and room-shaking sound.

Clearly, Wreck Rebirth are a band that takes their sound very seriously. I think they are yet to make their full impact on this scene and beyond, but those days are not far away whatsoever.

Listen to Wreck Rebirth here.

---

Broken Arrow

Three words: true punk rockers. According to lead vocalist/guitarist Ed, their influences include Wire, X and The Adolescents, all formulating in a wonderful angular, punk-infused indie sound underlying undeniably brilliant tunes.

Nifty guitar work at the hands of Hannah really helped fill out the sound of the band, whilst the rhythm section held host to some seriously pumping bass parts and smashing drums throughout. Dan on bass and Cassius on drums are a deadly combo together, truly. To put it simply, Broken Arrow rocked the house well and truly tonight.

Sadly, they delivered the news that this event would be their final gig together, so we all had our final dance to their tunes to give them the greatest send off possible. They performed with sheer effortless confidence and each musician on that stage excelled in their display for their final showing as a band. Whatever musical path these individuals find themselves on in the future, they are bound to be successful. Never forget that they were a product of this epic Cornish music scene though!

Regardless, Broken Arrow still have released material on bandcamp you can gorge yourselves on here.

---

Middleman

The aggression of garage punk and the melodes of any of your favourite indie bands, all rolled into one. Middleman dropped the jaws of all present at this event with their raw and unfiltered sound. From what I can gather, this was their first show in Cornwall, and in my books they are welcome back anytime!

They played tracks from their newest EP ‘John DIllinger Died For You’, whilst I also picked up their 2022 EP ‘Cut Out The Middleman’ on 7″ vinyl at the merch stand. Consider me a Middleman fan completely. Their sound at this event was mega and their released music conveys the live sound of the group really well. Highlights included ‘Morning All The Time’, ‘Falls Apart’, ‘Imitation Blues’ and ‘Train Man’ – a collection of tracks that incorporate the best parts of punk, garage and indie.

They are made even more distinct by vocalist and guitarist Noah Alves’ punchy lyrical delivery and cadence, which, along with the sharp guitar lines of lead guitarist Rory White and hard-hitting bass licks of Harper Maury, creates a classic garage distortion wave played at the speed of lightning. Of course, Drummer Ted Foster cannot be left out; that dude was under a full body workout for the entirety of their set. Punk music does a number on the drummer, you’ve got to have some serious endurance to do that stuff perfectly for a long time.

After the dust settled, it was clear that Middleman had now made their mark in the South West, especially by spilling a can of Korev midway through their set. They’re practically part of the family!

---

Dogspit

Dogspit are becoming something of a local legend around the Falmouth and Penryn scene. Their eclectic heavy rock and punk noise, driven by masses of effects and feedback, make for a sonic rollercoaster that transports you into the minds of the musicians on stage. Charlie, singer and guitarist, sits front and centre of the whole fiasco. She bellows spurts of emotionally charged frustration into the microphone whilst utilising her instrument in perhaps one of the most insanely cool fashions I’ve seen live in this scene.

She mutes the strings right at the bottom of the neck and drags away at the strings, whilst throwing in the occasional janky little chord or two to add to the jittery and hard-edged vibe of Dogspit. Every sound this group produced provided something completely different from the last – everything from intense buildups and crescendos to all out power characterised their set.

Bass player Connor produces some extremely funky grooves, complimenting the janky guitar extremely well, whilst drummer Billy just went practically mental behind that kit, which was brilliant to watch. Guitarist Finn, also of REDRØ, created an unmatched tone with his use of pedals and overall highly skilled guitar work, finishing off the talented crew that is Dogspit.

On a closing note, the group are keeping up their parade of the Falmouth venues throughout October, playing The Chintz on the 17th and The Cornish Bank on the 26th October. Keep those dates in mind if you too wish to be violently serenaded by Dogspit’s 4-piece orchestra.

---

Dogspit ended the event on a fantastic note, concluding a night of some otherworldly musical performances both from the local scene and all the way to the capital. It was, I am ashamed to admit, my first gig at the Fish Factory in Penryn, and what an introduction these four bands gave me. Each act offered a brashly unique and eye-opening performance into the sheer depth of this scene, for which I am forever grateful to be a part of. Until next time, Fish Factory!

Photography by Molly Gildner (@mediabymo_)

---