Nearly three years ago, indie Brit-rockers Pint Shot Riot played two sold-out shows at the Kasbah in their native city of Coventry. Over a thousand fans turned out for each concert, many of them teenagers, and all in attendance were rabid and ready to witness their hometown heroes seize a moment of that magnitude. Their performance was impeccable, the kids went crazy, and the whole scene was detailed and documented in the music video for their 2008 single ‘Holes’.
Let’s just say the scene last Thursday night at the Whisky was slightly different. West Hollywood is a long way from Coventry, and to state that the sparse early evening crowd was well short of a sell-out would be an overwhelming underestimation. Very few had ever heard of the group before, and even less could name a tune to their credit. With a bill bloated with too many bands, the sets were short and the attention spans shorter.
Good thing none of that mattered to Pint Shot Riot.
The four-piece blasted out an energized eight songs, either unaware or incapable of knowing the difference between the jam-packed Kasbah and the wide open Whisky. Where some bands simply go through the motions when under less than ideal circumstances, these guys let the motions go through them. Singer-guitarist Rocket stomped around the stage between verses. Drummer Mini Rocket’s arms seemed to never stop flailing. Lead guitarist Rob Clements ripped off a set of skittish solos, while bassist Baby Dave bounced back and forth, frantically finger-picking his way across the fretboard.
Even the songs themselves piled up on top of each other, as each one ran right into the next in rapid succession. By the time opener ‘Somebody Save Me‘ rang out, Rocket was already heading in with the first few chords of ‘Not Thinking Straight‘. Baby Dave followed soon after with rolling bass intro to ‘Nothing From You‘, before Clements jumped in with a high range riff that seemed to lift the shout-along song straight off the stage.
Towards the end of the set, the upbeat dance-rock balladry of ‘Come Back To Me‘ seeped into the raging garage romp of ‘10 Different Ways‘, and only then did the band finally take a breather so Rocket could thank the crowd before they closed out with the slowed-down groove of ‘Twisted Soul‘.
Although they may seem a bit out of their element across the pond, it doesn’t take much for Pint Shot Riot to make themselves at home. If anything, they bring their home with them. From the Union Jack draped around the main mic stand to their unmistakable accents, they carry a distinctly British style and sound made up of distinctly British influences. These influences don’t stand out so much as they blend in.
The caffeinated power punk of the Buzzcocks bleeds together with the subtle pop sensibility of early Supergrass, while the stadium rock aspiration of Oasis gets smothered by a raucous working-man’s roar suitable for soccer hooliganism. The latter description is apt and important, as Pint Shot Riot has seen their stock rise back home due not only to a spot on the FIFA 10 video game soundtrack, but also to having several songs featured on the popular talk show Soccer AM.
Still, Pint Shot Riot has much more to offer the American music scene than just being British. Their songs are catchy, their energy is infectious, and their utter lack of pretension has helped to build an impressive work ethic that they are no doubt going to need as they continue to bring their brand to more half-empty clubs further and further away from the comfort of Coventry. After somehow sustaining a successful seven-year career on the strength of singles alone, their full-length debut ‘Spell It Out‘ was finally released a few months ago, and it will be interesting to see the direction in which it takes them.
Whether that direction is out into the unknown abyss of other countries or deeper into the bloodstream of the UK, it once again won’t really matter to Pint Shot Riot. They’ll be ready either way.
(Beau De Lang)