The Bronx at ULU
The Bronx – ULU – 19 May 2009
Words by Brendan Monteiro / photo’s by Marcus Maschwitz
The Bronx supporting themselves tonight is rather commendable, the fact that they are doing so as a Mariachi band is testament to their sheer musicianship. Rumour has it that the Mariachi El Bronx idea started when one of the members of the band bought a Cadillac, and that the radio was stuck on a Mexican Mariachi station. As they make their way on stage in full charro outfits, a hefty amount of whistles and a small proportion of the gathering shouting “ARIBA” (colloquial Mexican Spanish for Hurry up! From the cartoon ‘Speedy Gonzales) greet them. The Mexican style acoustics seep in amongst the crowd and within moments the soulfullness of it all encompasses the crowd. They so fit the part as a Mariachi outfit, not only visually but sonically too, and by the end of the set they possibly have every tattoo wearing hardcore fan cheering like it was there girlfriend’s Quinceañera (a girl’s fifteenth birthday celebration). If you thought things couldn’t get any more bizarre, you would undoubtedly be mistaken. As a sort of interval between sets a magician takes to the stage, enter the freak show that is Simon Subvert. With a deformed version of ‘Mad World’ etching him on while he shockingly begins swallowing razor blades. Blade after blade goes down the hatch, eventually followed by a ball of cotton. Soon enough he is pulling the cotton back up his gullet, which is neatly clutching all the blades. Well executed but still a very ghastly looking trick.
The Bronx emerges from the shadows and jolt the crowd with ‘They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy)’. They lash out riff by riff of pure punk rock fury, quickly whipping the crowd into an agitated frenzy. Gleaming from ear to ear constantly, Matt seems to be on top of the world. They bring on the funk in the form of ‘Shitty Future’ that doesn’t leave a single person motionless Tonight is stage dive night at the ULU, the Bronx enticing the fervent fans along with ‘Past Lives’ and ‘Six Days a Week’. By the time ‘Knifeman’ kicks in it looks as if the people are base jumping off the stage at heights that should legally call for them to be wearing parachutes. It’s an absolute miracle that no one in the front is out for the count. Halfway in and Matt eases the crowd down a tad with the heartfelt ‘Dirty Leaves’, only to unleash another assault of the almighty rock they posses. Highlight of the night has to be a woman clambering onto the stage in what Matt best described as a “Sunday dress”. “It’s not something we usually see at a punk show” he says after witnessing the said lady racing off the stage with high heels on, and hurling herself probably higher than anyone else. Nothing could be more fitting tonight, and just goes to show that real music can change the world.
May 26th, 2009
[...] – My photos were used in a review on the show and you can check that out by Clicking Here. Tagged: Mariachi El Bronx, Simon Subvert, The Bronx, ULU, University of London Union, White [...]