Cherry Glazerr
If you want to see the lead singer crawl her way across the stage at the opening of a jam, or have not yet heard the rendition of “Grilled Cheese” with melodic synth, Cherry Glazerr is the band you next want to see.
Since the release of their second album, Apocalipstick, graced the charts back in January, Cherry Glazerr has been around the world and back it seems. It was their second-to-last show on the UK/Europe leg of the tour at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, West Yorkshire, and they had graduated from the aptly-named “games room” (featuring pin-ball and gambling machines) to the main stage from last time, which was duly deserved.
Dream Nails, self-described “feminist punk witches,” hail from London and offer a great selection of powerhouse tunes such as “Vagina Police” (“a song about reproductive rights”), “Joke Choke” (a song about “people who think rape is a joke”), and “Deep Heat” (their only song released on Spotify and “a hex on misogynistic politicians”). With the political situation being as it is in the UK right now – read: Labour versus Tory – it’s important to hear such politically active voices from the younger generation, especially girls. They hold the DIY scene important in their eyes, and the strong-knit community of women artists around the world drives them to create music supporting inclusivity and equality with the drive and vibe of Bikini Kill and Kathleen Hanna.
With a loud scream, Cherry Glazerr’s synth player Sasami Ashworth launches herself onstage, shortly followed by bassist and drummer. As was promised by various shaky phone videos online – and having seen them two days earlier at Dot to Dot in Nottingham – lead singer and guitarist Clementine Creevy, in all the spirit and weird enthusiasm she’s built up over the years in the band, crawls across the stage and hoists herself up to the microphone. A hanging note from all four, dissonant noise echoing around the full-to-the-brim room, before they break into “Sip ‘o Poison.”
“Last time we were in Leeds I mentioned something about London and it did not go down well,” narrates Clem as she adjusts her microphone between songs. “Some guy in the crowd was like, ‘FUCK LONDON,’” she screams, both middle fingers held high. I cannot deny that, after nine months of living here, that this wouldn’t be expected. The feud between the north and the south rages continuously.
The banter between band and crowd members continues as they cover a song “originally by Kiss, then covered by Melvins, then covered by us, Father John Misty,” and they do cover it well. Clem’s animated facial expressions and movements across the stage complement perfectly the high-tempo songs Cherry Glazerr has to offer in their repertoire; “Grilled Cheese” and “Trick or Treat Dancefloor” are some oldies but goodies, having been originally released on their first album, Papa Cremp, and, as mentioned earlier, Sasami’s synth only adds to their magnificence. Some unreleased gems are also often played at their live gigs that are worth going to listen to.
The band members leave the stage with an unceremonious bang, which seems appropriate considering the wildness of their set, with the end of their unreleased song “White” and people pour out into the night.