Gig Review: Ugly Kid Joe @ Concorde 2, Brighton

Ugly Kid Joe @ Concorde 2, Brighton 4/11

It was a 90s nostalgia trip for most of the crowd in Brighton last night as Californian rockers Ugly Kid Joe were in town. They are a band I never thought I’d get to see live. Enjoying the height of their success in the early 90s, the band split in 1997, ending a chance to see them before I’d heard of them. It would have been a shame because their 1992 debut album ‘America’s Least Wanted’ is one of my favourite albums. Not only did it have the classics ‘Everything about You’ and ‘Cats in the Cradle’ but also the epic ‘Panhandlin Prince’ and ‘Mr Recordman’. It’s a brilliant album from start to finish.  However in 2010 there were rumours of a reunion and new material. Roll forward three years and they rock up in the UK alongside Skid Row for a co-headline tour, so of course I had to be there.

First up were Australian band Dead City Ruins, and to tell the truth they were bloody brilliant. Australia sure knows how to produce a good rock band, and these guys continue the trend. With crunching riffs, epic solos and howling vocals, it didn’t take them long to win over the crowd. They may have only had a short set, but they were the perfect openers for the night.

Ugly Kid Joe were on next and they were on top form.  You would never have guessed that they had been away for the best part of 15 years.  Whitfield Crane is a fantastic frontman and had the crowd in the palm of his hand from the very beginning. Be it clapping, cheering or bouncing up and down, they followed every word.

Playing songs mosty from their first two albums, songs such as ‘Neighbor’, ‘C.U.S.T.’, ‘Panhandlin’ Prince’ and ‘So Damn Cool’ were very well received. ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ was sung loud and proud, with the crowd going solo on the chorus with ‘Milkman’s Son’ and ‘Goddamn Devil’ also going down very well. They finished their set with the classic ‘Everything About You’, again with full crowd participation, before ending with a brilliant cover of the legendary Motorhead song ‘Ace of Spades’.  It’s a shame they didn’t include ‘Mr Recordman’ as, even though it’s an acoustic track, it’s one of their best songs. Talking of best songs, I can’t remember if they played ‘Busy Bee’. I think they did and if they didn’t they should have.

I am glad I finally got to see Ugly Kid Joe. They are such a fun bad, especially in live environment. Crane bounces around the stage with youthful energy while Klaus Eichstadt is a vastly underrated guitarist. Not only was the crowd loving it but the band was clearly having a great time as well, with Crane thanking the crowd more than once. They are a band that don’t take themselves too seriously but at the same time are very talented at what they do. It’s a good combination to have as they put on a great show and leaves you with a smile on your face.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to see Skid Row as I had leave after UKJ finished to catch a train home because I had a night shift at work to attend to. I’d seen the band I’d come to see though and they more than warranted the price of the ticket.