The Menzingers @ QMU, Glasgow (11th February 2020)

with: Spanish Love Songs and Mannequin Pussy

Hosted by: No One Knows Records

WORDS: Joanne Gray

Scranton, Pennsylvania's best-loved punks The Menzingers have grown to be one of my favourite bands on the planet in the years since they released 2017's After The Party. There was no question then that I was going to see them for a third time once they announced a show in Glasgow. (You can see my review of their Slam Dunk show over here as well). 

After bringing out the amazing PUP on tour with them the last time around, I didn't really expect them to exceed that lineup here, but then Spanish Love Songs were added to the bill... This was a band I've been dying to see play in Glasgow since they brought out my favourite album of 2018 with Schmaltz. Absolutely massive shout out to the promoters for getting a hold of them for this one to make one of my most anticipated gigs of the year even more tantalising! 

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First up though were the Philly band Mannequin Pussy, who I was completely unfamiliar with before the gig. As the band were on the same label as The Menzingers and they had shared the same producer on their latest album, I went into their set with the expectation that they would be sonically similar to the rest of the bands that night. But as the band launched into the 2016 track 'Romantic', that idea was immediately thrown out of the window.

Mixing the fuzzy sounds of 90s alt rock bands like Sonic Youth, The Breeders and Dinosaur Jr. with a bit of dreamy shoegaze and indie meant that the band reminded me a fair bit of Milk Teeth on their older material. Over on the drums, Kaleen Reading was incredibly hard hitting and kept the band in line while Colins Regisford's chunky bass tone give their songs a wonderful rumbling low end sound. Guitarist Athanasios Paul would occasionally provide some frantic picking up and down the neck in true grunge fashion in between layering up the fuzzy rhythm guitar effectively. 

The most attention-grabbing aspect of the band had to be vocalist and guitarist Marisa Dabice though.

Sounding like an intriguing mix of Paramore's Hayley Williams, Adventures' Reba Meyers and Rolo Tomassi's Eva Korman on her higher-pitched, delicate cleans and with a hint of Brutus' Stefanie Mannaerts in the more raucious screams, Dabice instantly made this band even more of an interesting proposition. And then she would float, dance and sometimes convulse oddly with the music in a way that really reminded me of Marmozets' Becca Macintyre. Colour me intrigued. 

After a few songs, it became clear to me that the 14-song setlist I had seen beforehand wasn't just for the band's headline material. "We're Mannequin Pussy and we play short songs" came softly from Dabrice before the band launched into a thrashier tune that was 20-30 seconds long. Several of these snappier songs- which were by far the heaviest and grungiest songs we would hear that night- were placed in between the longer, dreamier tunes to give a real overview of their varying sounds. 

Although this worked well for me though, it seemed that some in the crowd were a bit less keen. As is sometimes the case when a support band is pretty different from the other acts, there were definitely a few people around me who looked on in slight bewilderment. The general unfamiliarity also lead to some rather awkward interactions between band and audience, where some quirky stage banter fell a bit flat. I have no doubt that this would translate better at their own shows though, as this seemed to be more an issue of the band being so different from what people expected than the quality that was on show here. 

Certainly as they went through their set, they seemed to gradually convert more people until there only seemed to be a few people that were still unfazed. On the whole, I was very impressed with the band, as they are very up my street sonically and they delivered their particular sound really well in the live environment. I'll need to check them out more and try to catch them at their own show in the future.

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Up next, Spanish Love Songs faced very few of the above issues when they then took to the stage. With Schmaltz gaining the previously small LA band some major plaudits among the pop punk/emo scene, there was a sense of familiarity and anticipation for SLS even as they strolled onstage. 

Delving straight into the recently released album Brave Faces Everyone's first single 'Losers', one hell of a great impression was made of the new material, and of the band more generally. The interstellar hooks and outward looking songwriting on this song makes their brand of Springsteen-meets-The Wonder Years even more irresistible to fans of The Menzingers who are looking for an emo slant on the sound. In an ever growing catalogue of absolutely huge sounding songs, this song may be up there in sounding the biggest of them all, and this was even more evident in the live environment. 

This carried forward into the rest of the band's set, as they played some of the most anthemic songs from Schmaltz. On 'Bellyache' the sounds of Dylan Slocum's emotionally charged, almost-bordering-on-tears vocals were even more raw live than on record, giving the whole thing an added sense of authenticity. This is something that makes Spanish Love Songs resonate with so many people, and it was really heartening to see a large portion of the crowd singing away to every word as if it was the last thing they would ever do. This was even more evident in 'Sequels, Remakes, & Adaptions' which added a bit of pacey, pop punk energy to get people moving. Extremely impressive for a support band, and even more so for their first trip to this city. 

Although the crowd were more familiar with the songs from Schmaltz, it was the songs from the upcoming album that really showed off the band's great songwriting the most though. The outward looking lyrics on songs like 'Routine Pain', 'Kick' and 'Losers, Pt. 2' meant that the song's themes of depression, loneliness and struggling to get by felt even more resonant for a crowd of people this size. This was aided by the extra sense of scale brought about by just how huge everything sounded. Particular shout out here has to go to Meredith Van Woert on the keyboards for helping to give the songs here such an epic, almost power pop sort of feel. Spanish Love Songs really have a special ability to make songs about dark topics feel utterly cathartic and joyous to experience, and this was reflected by the enthusiastic response of both audience and band alike. 

This was best shown when the band went back to Schmaltz material for the last few songs of the set. 'The Boy Considers His Haircut' was a particular highlight as it seemed like every single person who knew the band was singing along to every second. The mid section where everything dropped back to just vocals and a guitar was met by some of the loudest singing I've heard for a support band before. Keeping up the pace, 'It's Not Interesting' really brought serious Menzingers vibes and got the crowd bouncing along with the pounding bass. Cue yet another absolutely massive singalong section for the "Nothing you feel is real" line and the band totally had the audience in the palm of their hands. Magic. 

The punkier offerings of 'Beer & Nyquil (Hold It Together)' then saw the band out in rollicking fashion. Giving a shout out to guitarist Kyle McAuley's Scottish cousins who were bouncing about in the crowd and professing that it was great to finally play in this city was a particularly cool touch to an already incredible set. After one more big beer-drenched singalong, the final power chords and rolling drums ended things in stellar fashion. 

As could be seen throughout the set, Spanish Love Songs have really connected with a lot of people, and they could have probably not have asked for a better first show in Glasgow (and first show for me in general). Whenever they come back to the UK, they need to make space for a headline show up here and you should definitely check them out if you're into pop punk or emo at all. One of the best bands of their kind at the moment, for sure.

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Even though Spanish Love Songs got an incredible response from the crowd, this would still pale in comparison to the band who inspire them in the first place though. You could just sense the anticipation from the packed room as the minutes counted down. After what felt like the longest five minutes after their scheduled start time, the band wandered onstage while David Bowie's 'Rebel Rebel' played in the background. 

Instead of waiting until the song finished, the band unexpectedly launched into Hello Exile's massive first single 'Anna' just after the chorus finished. Immediately, co-guitarist and vocalist Tom May was bouncing away like a hyperactive child in a toy shop with a huge grin on his face, while the crowd hummed away with the opening melodic trebly line. Taking the reins for one of many songs that evening though, Greg Barnett was a more grounded figure who would gently sway as he delivered the incredible hooks. As would be seen within many of the songs here, Barnett's vocal delivery is quite different live and his cadence has a mind of its own. In other genres, this could have the effect of sounding a bit out of tune with the instruments, but in songs like these which are built on their heart and emotion, it really didn't matter at all to the crowd who sang every word back to the band with vigour. 

It wasn't until the band went back to their seminal 2012 release On The Impossible Past that things would really get nuts though. A huge cheer went up as the initial jagged notes of the rather more ramshackle 'The Obituaries' stabbed into the crowd, and it was here that the centre of the room became a jumpy pit for the first time of the evening. Delving into the more throaty shouts Barnett is so earnest at, the "I will fuck this up, I fucking know it" chorus exploded into an incredible expression of catharsis. Due to the band's rather impressive back catalogue to delve into and a new album to promote though, we got a nice mix of songs from the band's last four albums. Sure, there will be some out there who prefer the heavier tunes from their first two releases, but when you have albums like After The Party... Come on... 

Holding back the most anthemic and life affirming of these songs until later, it was first over to 'House on Fire' where May would take the centre stage for the first time. As the song is a bit less instantaneous and more reflective than some of the others here, the crowd slowed down a bit to take a breather. Even while he was more fully placed behind the mic though, May's infectious spirit in this song (and the later tracks 'Portland' and 'Last To Know') was still a complete joy to watch. It is this passionate delivery and energy that really helped soften the transition between these slower, fist raising tracks and the punchy offerings of 'Rodent', 'Good Things' and 'Burn After Writing', which fully kicked things into gear again. 

With the exception of a few songs, the rest of the set felt like pretty much the ideal greatest hits Menzingers set. The bounce of 'Thick As Thieves' got the entire room to jump up and down in unison while the newer track 'High School Friend' got an incredible reaction, just proving that it is one of the biggest and most resonant songs on the album. In typical fashion, it was over to the punky ode to aging, 'Tellin' Lies', to provide the most exhilarating rush of exuberance of the night as screams of "where are we gonna go now that our twenties are over" almost drowned out the band in their entirety and the whole crowd ran out of breath jumping. In comparison, the softer strums of the floaty barroom tune 'Last To Know' felt less familiar and prompted a vast energy drop within the room that was quite noticeable. Perhaps this seemingly odd choice was deliberate though, as the pace then picked up considerably for the next few songs so maybe this was another chance for the crowd to re-catch their breaths.

As someone who hasn't quite clicked with 'Strangers Forever' in a way that most people seem to, it was a surprise to me just how good it sounded live. With the erasure of the distant, underwater vocal effect and a more punchy delivery here, there was a sense of vitality that I felt was kind of missing on its recorded version. Of course, 'Your Wild Years'- like so much of the After The Party's material- didn't need to add any extra crunch to make it one of the set highlights. Showcasing the band's Springsteen influences perhaps more than any other song, seeing this song live only solidifies the injustice that this isn't one of the biggest rock songs on the planet. Incredible, as always.

Keeping the anthemic feels going, the more socially conscious 'America (You're Freaking Me Out)' had even more of an emotional resonance when everyone sang along to the ginormous chorus. But Rented World's 'I Don't Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore' made that the previous song seem like child's play in comparison. Proving just why this song is perhaps the band's most well-known song to date, the scrappy tune got the pit jumping like crazy and everyone screaming along with Barnett and the throat tearing howls of the mosh-encouraging chorus. 

'Nice Things' was another track that has more of a punk sensibility when it kicks off, but the shifts between gentler, reverb driven and more crunchy tones meant that this one never quite really blasted off in a way that I anticipated. Somewhat similar was the newer pick of 'Strain Your Memory', which got an appreciative enough response, but only a few people really seemed to know the song well to sing along. Upon looking at setlists beforehand I had expected (and hoped for) 'London Drugs' to make an appearance but it seems The Menzingers have been switching it up between these two picks on this tour. Bloody typical of them to pick two of my favourite songs on the album to do this switcheroo with. Ugh, they should've just played both instead of 'Last To Know' or the cover of The Clash's 'Death of Glory'. Don't get me wrong, this was a pretty fun cover, but I had my heart set on 'London Drugs'. The struggles of watching a band who have so many great songs, I guess...

Speaking of which, the last few songs were absolute stunners. Closing off the main set, the wistful, part-ballad, part rocker 'Looker' prompted one of the biggest singalongs of the night. When the bouncing guitars kick during the romantic verses only to lead to that absolute earworm of a chorus? One of those moments that's hard to describe in words and a perfect way to end the main set, that's for sure. Thankfully there were still two more songs to go though, and they couldn't have been any better selected. Getting the crowd fired up once again to bounce around and shout the lyrics as loudly as any of the On The Impossible Past's material, 'In Remission' was thunderous. Particularly in the last third of the song where everyone in the room was a collective body of voices. 

Ending things off in the best possible way though, 'After The Party' was the anthem to end all anthems. Combining the band's ability to combine a heartfelt sense of nostalgia, punk energy and utterly triumphant melodies, this song is the best in the band's entire catalogue for me. It felt like many people around me also had the same opinion too, as the full room erupted all the way from the opening distorted chords all the way to the final emotive chorus and gentle fade out. During the other times I've seen The Menzingers, they've always played the song somewhere in the middle of the set, so I'm insanely glad that they've decided to leave it until the end of the set now as it is exactly where it needs to be. I really hope this is where this song stays as well, as I can't see any set closer topping this one in the future. 

Honestly, getting swept up in the moment and deciding to crowd surf for the first time in 2 years to one of my favourite songs of the decade felt like the best thing in the world. And that sense of catharsis was something that was present from the start of this show all the way to the very end. For me and so many others, The Menzingers one of the best live bands to experience on this planet because of the personal reactions they tap into, and I already can't wait to see them again. With the addition of two killer support acts here, the rest of this year's gigs have a hell of a lot to live up to...

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Thanks to you for checking out this review of The Menzingers' gig at the QMU! Feel free to leave a comment below or you can help support RWEI by giving us a like/follow on the socials. As always, we're open to submissions and/or contributions from bands and writers in Glasgow and beyond so give us an email or message if you're interested. 

Cheers!