Review: Fat Dog, Rough Trade – ‘Supercharged electro-punk meets heady rave’

Fat Dog are a live phenomenon.

A Brixton-based band born out of lockdown in 2021, it’s unsurprising that the group’s supercharged electro-punk shows provoke a sense of pent-up energy and cathartic release.

In lesser hands this Sunday evening record store gig, two months ahead of their tour show at Thekla, could have felt like just another excuse to sell copies of debut album WOOF. That’s not very Fat Dog though, and instead they brought a condensed version of their thrilling live show, in a sweaty, intimate environment.

The band hit the stage in darkness amid brooding. bass-heavy space-disco squall with a countdown to lift-off; the crowd is ready to erupt.

Drummer Johnny ‘Doghead’ Hutch embodies the Fat Dog spirit

The lights flash up to reveal the five-piece, the drummer’s characteristic Alsatian mask with tongue lolling out adding a demented, sinister dimension to the clutch of mismatched misfits glaring from the stage.

They launch full power into All the Same and a bristling circle forms to welcome frontman Joe Love as he stalks into the crowd: a prowling beast ready to strike, intoning and exploding in furious energy as fans mimic his idiosyncratic hand gestures in cult-like fashion. So far, so very Melt Yourself Down.

When King of the Slugs comes round the room goes wild, throwing itself into the mosh.

There’s relentless bass – held down solidly despite bassist Jacqui suffering sound issues throughout – driving synth, ferocious, impeccable drumming and the desperate cries of a saxophone in danger.

Chris Hughes is on synth, guitar and sci-fi vocals; Morgan Wallace on sax and keys

The band are an odd bunch – sporting, between them, a Siberian-style furry earflap hat, the aforementioned dog mask, sportswear paired with ill-fitting cargo pants and, for Love, a padded North Face jacket atop what can only be described as a Dad jumper.

It’s a look which matches the sound of the scene Fat Dog is undoubtedly a part of, the DIY-style loosey-goosey post-punk with a decidedly ‘don’t give a f**k’ attitude that isn’t afraid to be serious and silly in turns – a scene headed up so magnificently by bands like Opus Kink, Viagra Boys and Big Special.

Singer Joe Love has the energy of a mad preacher and often sports the cowboy hat to match, though tonight he’s in a furry affair more suitable for Siberia than the sweaty confines of Rough Trade’s back room

These acts fuse unexpected instruments, like sax, with electronica, heavy bass and thunderous drums, producing a noise – rather than riff – based sound of defiance that tackles the issues of the day or builds new, imaginary worlds with the right balance of conviction and chaos to whip crowds into an almighty frenzy.

They’re also huge amounts of fun. Fat Dog incorporate synchronised dancing and a retro sci-fi vocal riff about the space-time continuum (or something) into their show which ultimately  – for all its storytelling, soundcraft and bombast – is designed purely to get people dancing.

Hughes’ retro sci-fi vocal riff is a performance art spectacle

It’s a scene which feels vibrant, alive and of these exact times; and Fat Dog’s show certainly feels urgent, apocalyptic and exhilarating – ‘between a rave and a riot’, as described elsewhere.

Closer Running is a brooding beast of a number that surges and crashes, Love a mad preacher leading his cult in a merrily demonic dance, as they throw themselves into this last chance with gleeful abandon.

The album – which, by the way, comes in at a slight 30-odd minutes – is getting mixed reviews since its release on Friday, but after witnessing them in action, there’s no denying Fat Dog are a thrilling live act and appreciated as such by this room – and countless others – of ecstatic fans.

Perhaps the record isn’t the art for this band, it’s merely a vehicle for them to continue to fund the live career, produced in the knowledge these mega-fans will buy a record to support the band they love regardless of what critics say.

It seems unlikely that a few lukewarm reviews will stop this high-octane act just feeling into its power, which clearly has enough juice under the hood to fuel many more live shows.

Fat Dog: definitely one to watch.

All images: Simon Alexander

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