Rich

Jim Lindberg may have departed, this show at the Shepherds Bush Empire however presented powerful evidence that Pennywise is still a band that is well worth watching. Ignite’s Zoli Teglas is now on vocal duties and this is a time of great change for Pennywise, all the passion is still there though, and the band is still clearly very keen on putting on energetic and exciting punk rock shows.

Having missed first support band Project North I therefore can’t comment, next up was A Wilhelm Scream however and thankfully I wasn’t too late to catch them. Drummer Nick Angelini may have had a hangover, that didn’t hold him back though as A Wilhelm Scream put on a strong set featuring a number of top tracks. The sound quality could have been better, the music of A Wilhelm Scream went down well nonetheless though, with the band belting out a number of classics including ‘The King is Dead’ and ‘Killing It’ as well as many more. Pennywise with Zoli Teglas was always the main attraction here, A Wilhelm Scream started to get the crowd on its feet though, had a number of people singing along, and warmed the stage well ready for Strike Anywhere to take to it.

Following on from A Wilhelm Scream, Strike Anywhere seemed to take a bit of time to warm up, a few songs into the set though and the band seemed to be well and truly in its stride as it began to get the crowd moving. Strike Anywhere will be back in August for Reading and Leeds, for this evening they were concentrating on pleasing the London crowd at the Shepherds Bush Empire however, demonstrating strong onstage energy and making sure that the crowd was having a good time. Drummer Eric Kane seemed to have his head down quite a bit as he drummed so perhaps he was feeling a little worse for wear after a hard night with Nick Angelini; I’m not really sure on that one, he was definitely on top form with his beats though and all in all Strike Anywhere certainly impressed.

So three bands had now taken to the Shepherds Bush Empire stage, the crowd was ready and waiting, and Pennywise was soon to appear to belt through a fine collection of classics. There was a vibrant mood in the venue and rightly so; I think the audience knew that they were about to witness something rather special, and Pennywise put on what was without doubt one of my favourite punk rock performances for years.

‘Every Single Day’ was the track that Pennywise chose to open with, and right from the word go the band had the crowd’s full undivided attention as they tore through the track before launching into many more. Some idiot thought it was a smart idea to throw a pint of water on stage just as Pennywise was coming on and this therefore caused a few problems to start with as Zoli slipped over and towels had to be brought on to clear up the wet, the singer seemed to take it all in good heart however and it certainly didn’t stop the band from putting on a show to remember.

With tracks such as ‘Society’, ‘Fuck Authority’, and ‘Can’t Believe It’ being played, there was therefore plenty to get excited about throughout the set, and never for a second did the Pennywise sound disappoint. The band was obviously having a lot of fun on stage, and the audience also was clearly feeling it in a big way as the evening flashed by. There was even room for the band’s ‘Stand By Me’ cover in the set, a song that really did seem to suit Zoli Teglas’ vocal tone well; the track was as energy packed as the rest and fitted in supremely well in what was a very impressive set.

As well as putting on an excellent show, Zoli Teglas also used the gig as an opportunity to raise awareness of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, of which he is an active supporter. In particular, Operation Blue Rage was spoken about, a project to protect the bluefin tuna. The Sea Shepherd Society will be sending out the Steve Irwin vessel to the Mediterranean this summer in order to stand against the illegal overfishing of bluefin tuna, and if you share in Zoli Teglas’ passion for marine conservation then you can read more about it here.

Pennywise managed to get about as close to perfection as possible in this show at the Shepherds Bush Empire, and when the night was over I’m sure that the entire crowd would have happily kept watching for several hours more. Ending with the brilliant ‘Bro Hymn’ the band really did impress hugely, and there were many arms raised in the air around the venue as the band passionately played through its final song.

Work has already begun on Pennywise album number ten, and although some may be sceptical of what the band can offer in the absence of Jim Lindberg, people should not forget that Zoli Teglas has seventeen years experience behind him as the vocalist for Ignite, and I for one am extremely excited to hear what the band can offer with its next studio release. A new vocalist may now have been acquired, going forward Pennywise is still a band that is as relevant as ever however, and although the loss of a vocalist of more than 20 years is tough to come to terms with, Pennywise seems to be doing just fine without Jim Lindberg and we’ll no doubt be hearing plenty more from the band in the future.

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