Working Men’s Club playing YES in Manchester (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
You used to be able to tell a lot about a band by their entrance music.
It was a scene setter, a way of managing expectations, and often the choice was akin to the live music that was to follow. In 2019 we are all very self-aware, and therefore subverting expectations is the new norm.
Working Men’s Club are advocates of this approach, taking to the stage to It’s Raining Men, The Weather Girls’ classic from 1982. A pop anthem, full of uninhibited joy. What follows from the Yorkshire mob is not constricted, but nor is it especially joyful.
This isn’t a criticism; Working Men’s Club have created an intense world of their own which is not for the faint of heart. It’s one of those gigs where you can feel the crackle of anticipation amongst the sold-out crowd before the explosion of noise hits.
They’ve already moved on from their debut single Bad Blood, which has now evolved into a swirling, effects-pedal driven, righteous noise. Set closer and recent single Teeth is more in line with the rest of the yet-to-be-released set, incessant and industrial techno alongside Mary Chain guitars.
For ones so young (all in their late teens), they have a demonstrably evolved sound with smatterings of recognisable guitar influences. Some jangly guitar here, some phased bass there. Often there’s nu-rave mixed with psyche-rock. Yet the one act that keeps coming to mind is Underworld; singer Sydney Minsky-Sargeant spouts monotone monologues very much like Karl Hyde, above never unpleasantly over-bearing electronica. He’s uncompromising in his confrontation of the audience, in much the same way the music is. His deep, instructive voice perfectly suits the cacophony, and as he strips down to the waist the other males in the band follow suit, as if falling under his spell.
Their analogue instruments work alongside an arsenal of electronics, and as such there’s now no requirement for a drummer. In truth, one would run the risk of being drowned out amidst the epic and unsettling chaos which feels like trying to play ping-pong in a moving truck. It sounds like The Human League covering Neu and then letting the Prodigy remix it all. And it’s glorious.
It will be a shame when Working Men’s Club move on from intimate venues such as this, as their music has its natural home in the underground and in the dark. But it’s inevitable.