Cherry Glazerr - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Cherry Glazerr is clearly a band on the way up; taking regular play on 6Music and glowing album reviews in their stride. And while their latest LP, the wonderfully titled Apocalipstick is certainly something of a party starter, it’s the bands live show where things get really exciting. The Los Angeles four-piece began life about 4 years ago, releasing their debut album Papa Cremp with a 15 year old Clementine Creevy at the helm.

Tonight, the 19 year old Creevy is almost literally bouncing-off-the-walls of the Brudenell Social Club as she puts in one of the most energetic performances I’ve seen in a long time. Imagine the band you were in at 15 turning out to be as good as this?

Before Creevy and Co can claim their rightful place on stage we’re introduced to tonight’s support, London’s Dream Nails. Bursting with energy, anger and enthusiasm the self-described “DIY feminist punk witches” don’t hold anything back as they plough into a set of inspired punk-rock paeans to positivity and the DIY dream.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a band so upfront about what they stand for that it’s genuinely thrilling to watch them cut through the bullshit and deliver a two-fingered salute to bully girls, sexism and the kind of people who make rape ‘jokes’. It’s a fun performance with a strong message and ultimately isn’t that what punk is all about?

There’s a lot of humour in what the band do too with the mantra, “nobody cares if your dick is on fire” from the excellent misogynistic-politician-baiting ‘Deep Heat’ receiving more than a few smiles and nods of agreement. If all this wasn’t fantastic enough they even lead us through a communal chant of “Hey Theresa/ I wanna know/ how do you sleep at night?” Inspired and out-to-inspire; Dream Nails feel absolutely vital tonight.

While the bands most recent singles have certainly caught my attention, there’s nothing there that can really prepare you for a Cherry Glazerr live show. The whole band is on fire from the very start but it’s Clementine that really pulls you in with a wonderfully feral, wide-eyed performance. She’s utterly magnetic and completely unstoppable. After one song she yells, “Shut the fuck up” at the audience as they applaud, a decidedly mischievous glint in her eye.

At one point my friend seems concerned that she might actually have a heart attack. She’s all your favourite female singers with a penchant for punk-rock (Courtney Love/ Teri Gender Bender) all rolled into one irrepressible rock ‘n’ roll priestess. There’s nothing remotely half-baked about a Cherry Glazerr performance, that’s for sure.

With the energy levels turned all the way up to eleven the band piles into a set of songs from the sprightly Apocalipstick LP. Presented in their rawest form and delivered with conviction, the likes of ‘Told You I’d be with the Guys’ become bigger, louder and considerably wilder than their recorded counterparts. Here’s a band that really understands how to kick out the jams.

Some songs end with an extended barrage of riffs, the band channelling their love of the Melvins and rocking-out in a manner that King Buzzo himself would undoubtedly approve of. As if to further acknowledge their appreciation of Washington’s finest they play a Kiss song previously covered by the sludge rock pioneers- Clementine fully embracing her inner Gene Simmons with some first-class ‘guitar solo’ faces.

Presumably because Clementine need’s a break, we’re treated to a brief intermission of sorts when keyboardist Sasami Ashworth plays a passage of rather lovely ambient tones. It’s not long before the others are back on stage though, Tabor Allen’s drums nearly taking the roof off the venue as Clementine engages in some form of mid-show tai-chi. Without knowing all that much about them before I came to the show I’ve left as an absolute convert to the cause, Cherry Glazerr is here to show you how it’s done. And by ‘it’ I mean pure, uncontrollable rock ‘n’ roll.