The Hip Priests – Preaching Their Gospel at The Hope and Anchor! : Gig Review.

May 30, 2023 rocknews

If Iggy Pop and Beki Bondage had a love child, the result would be wild-eyed singer Nathan Von Cruz. Von Cruz is the epitome of punk with his signature black eye make-up and jet-black hair, he just oozes that defiant punk attitude. With Austin Rocket on Guitar and backing vocals (not so much as an Axeman, more a chainsaw welding maniac), Rickenbacker clad Lee Love on Bass and backing vocals, Gentle Ben (who is anything but gentle) on Guitar and the relentless bare-chested Des Bomber on Drums, this band are a punk rock powerhouse. As the Priests take to the stage at the Rockaway Beach club night at the Hope and Anchor, the venue is packed, hot and sweaty, rammed with punks and rockers all out to have a good time! This is everything a proper punk rock ‘n’ roll gig should be!

The Hope and Anchor is one of those venues that has become a bit an institution among rock’n’rolla’s, a hot sweaty den of debauchery and heavy metal thunder, a fitting venue for a night of punk rock mayhem and The Priests didn’t disappoint!

Supported by two ridiculously great bands, Vicious Love (a full throttle swaggering three-piece punk rock band fronted by Billy King, a man who can only be described as the reincarnation of Sid Vicious) and the mighty Death Punk rockers Bitch Queens (an edgy glitter clad four piece from Sweden}, from the onset there was no doubt about it! This was going to be one hell of a night!!

As The Priests kicked off their set with their hit song ‘Stand for Nothing’ from the album of the same name, with it’s searing guitar sound, pounding drums and punchy punk vocals, The Priests sounded like some kind of punk rock Sex Pistol / Damned highbred and the venue literally erupted!! As King’s raw vocal and his x-rated lyrics rang out across the venue, it exploded in applause and it was clear to see that five albums in, The Priests are hotter and better than ever!

Tracks like ‘Instant Delinquent’ reeked of teenage rebellion with its catchy chorus and crunching guitar solo and they had the crowd eating out of their hands. ‘Shakin’ Ain’t Fakin’ from their album ‘Roden House Blues’ was a fast and furious hot sweaty ride on a rollercoaster of raw unadulterated punk!! Catchy as hell and simply glorious! The Priests are pure punk mavericks who tore up the stage with their own special brand of punk bedlam with zero fucks given!

Tracks like ‘Cheers to Me’, with its angry lyrics and balls to the wall wailing guitar sound were masterpieces! A journey into the realms of chaos and the crowd absolutely loved it! This band made the audience feel like they were at one big punk rock party! As frontman Von Cruz stormed into the crowd, singing and hugging the audience, making them feel like they were part of the show, anarchy at its best!

Kick arse tracks like ‘Pissed on Power’ and ‘Wired, Amped, And Skulled’ were gnarly and magnificent. Fast and frantic, proving to the audience that this band are more authentic and more ‘punk’ than ever!

Patti Smith once said that punk rock is freedom, the freedom to be who you are, and this is just what you get from a Priests gig! The audience a diverse mix of rockers and rollers of all ages, from the rebel teenagers to the die-hard punk rockers, they were all loving The Priests!

And this rock’n’roll machine relentlessly delivered track after track of die hard and rock harder punk tunes!! They were on fire, not just hot but a towering inferno of crazy punk rock madness and the audience were loving it!! As The Priests left the stage after closing the show with the high octane, ‘Juiced Up ‘N’ Loose’ with its thumping drums, the atmosphere was insane! This is everything punk is meant to be and more! And there’s one thing for sure, that fire ain’t going out anytime soon!