WINGMEN

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Warming up the audience wonderfully, J C Carroll ( The Members) played a solo semi-acoustic set of his own songs, cover songs and of course a few Members classics. The band couldn’t have chosen a better variety of cover songs – we had Bowie’s ‘ Hang On To Yourself’, a fabulously adapted ‘ The Model’ by Kraftwerk, and a punk banger in the form of The Stooges’ ‘ I Got A Right’. We had no idea where this project might take us; an idea born out of frustration became a full band within 24 hours, words and riffs and much tuneage followed, beers and jolly banter ensued when we finally met up to mix the results, a record companysaid “yes please! Flanked by the epitome of cool Paul Gray’s mighty bass sound, and the lively Leigh Heggarty’s skilful slide guitar, the three at the front of the formation gave an exemplary performance on guitars and vocals.

Wingmen triumph! | Punktuation! Live gig review: Wingmen triumph! | Punktuation!

Over to Paul Gray: “Yes chums, at long last I’m thrilled to say it’s “chocs away” for that top secret lockdown project I’ve been teasing about …Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about it is that the whole writing and recording process – apart from the drums, which were added last of all – was undertaken remotely, with us pinging songs and ideas and overdubs to each other from our respective abodes. The music is more interesting than the back story, but potted, it goes like this: The country had gone into lockdown (I’ve got views on that, ask me later) and Johnny Moped’s drummer Marty Love rings The Damned’s Paul Gray and asks him if he fancies doing something (they’d worked on an album previously). Only Marty and I had worked together before, so it was a complete leap into the unknown,' says Paul.a new legacy now lives on with a great album full of songs from a collective of post-punk legends which will be music to the ears of any fans of the likes of The Stranglers and The Damned. Backstage At The Opera” continues in the same vein, only this time social media “experts” are in the crosshairs, the “me, me, me” culture and Warne’s rant against “selfish northern smartarse bastards” at the end is genuinely fantastic. Wingmen, the new band formed in pandemic lockdown isolation by Baz Warne ( The Stranglers), Paul Gray ( The Damned), Leigh Heggarty ( Ruts DC) and Marty Love ( Johnny Moped), are excited to finally take their studio bound creations out on the road and have announced a UK tour for January 2023. As someone pointed out, the only ironic thing about Alanis Morrisette’s “Ironic” was that there was no irony in it at all. A superb cover of David Bowie’s ‘ Lady Stardust’ graced the set, along with a folk version of the Sex Pistols’ ‘ Anarchy in the UK’ (you had to be there!

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Due to be released January 27 th via Cadiz Music, it’s important to stress that at no point during the recording of this debut Wingmen album were the musicians ever in the same room playing together.Not a particularly jolly subject I know, but the music suggested a fairly dark lyric and the song just kinda ended up writing itself”. My first impression of the album was that it sounded like a hybrid mix of the Stranglers and The Godfathers. Gray’s bass is the building block for the acerbic takedown of serial complainers “Brits”, has the wonderful couplet: “you complain when its pudding, you complain when its pie” and if you think that’s spot on, then I give you one of the shining jewels in this crown.

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As for the future of Wingmen, well that remains to be seen, so take the opportunity to see them now if you can. For those of us who’d been listening to the album, it was an absolute treat to hear the songs live – if anything they sound even better! We had no idea where this project might take us; an idea born out of frustration became a full band within 24 hours, words and riffs and much tuneage followed, beers and jolly banter ensued when we finally met up to mix the results, a record company said “yes please!

Afterwards, all of the band members graciously came out to speak with the fans, sign merch and pose for selfies – they are genuinely ecstatic at the positive reception the album has had, and the public enthusiasm for this tour. No rehearsals, no pre-production, just us wingingideas toand fro, with the drums going on last of all in the studio – which is completelythe opposite of how things are usually done, of course. But this is definitely an album that grew on me with each listen and the sound that the Wingmen have created inevitably draws on the collective influences of all their respective bands, with so many sonic nuances bleeding out from the rhythms and melodies weaved through each of the songs.