Penetration, Teasing Lulu, Pussycat.

Lev 1 and 2 Esquires Bedford. 25th October 2008.

One of the true female icons of the seventies punk movement is the star of the show as Pauline Murray and Penetration arrive in Bedford as part of their short tour. She draws a good turn out and the resulting atmosphere is at all times heady.

As PENETRATION arrive on stage, the predominantly middle-aged crowd move to the front. The diminutive Ms Murray is bolstered by seventies style 3" thick soled shoes! She wears a smart white blouse and brighly coloured tie, although loosely worn. As the hot lights take effect midway through the set, she removes the garment and proudly performs in a Penetration T shirt. Her face has naturally aged from what we remember of those Melody Maker or Record Mirror shots of thirty summers past, but the gestures and stage movements bring the memories continually flooding to mind.

They open with the apt ‘Shout above the noise’ and then its ‘Feeling’. Oh yes, what a feeling! The sound is good, and the years roll back especially when ‘Lovers of Outrage’ quickly followed by ‘Life's a gamble’ are aired. They are from their 1978 debut album ‘Moving targets’. This probably represented their biggest achievement, but since they reformed in 2001 they have, unlike so many of their punk peers, continued to write new material. The likes of ‘Guilty’ and forthcoming B-side ‘Sea Song’ seem to sit well with the old established classics of the past. However, as good as the new stuff seems to be, the old folks have come to hear the oldies, and with a cracking guitar intro ‘Movement’ gets the Saturday night party truly ignited. The crowd contribute to an epic finale.

Pauline Murray has a reputation for being slightly shy, but this sassy Geordie lass knows how to put down a drunk heckler who cheekily asks for ‘Don't Dictate’! In her no nonsense retort she tells him "to wait"! As she performs ‘Danger Signs’, Pauline picks up one of the brightest spotlights perched on the stage and shines it directly in to the crowd. Arms are raised in acknowledgment by a cheering mass of people. She reveals that ‘Free Money’ is a song she totally identifies with. It has a a slow start that only fools everyone for a short period before its all out explosive conclusion. The cheeky glint in Pauline's eye is never more evident than prior to ‘Silent Community’. She spars verbally with the gents in attendance.

Inevitably, the loudest cheer of the evening comes when Penetration perform ‘Don't dictate’. Practically everyone sings along to the bands most well known song. Her facial expressions are a picture! Just as well with all the camera phones clicking away. With the ironically titled ‘Nostalgia’ drawing the set to a close, the roar of approval is well deserved. There is, of course, time for a quick encore. One of which is the forthcoming single out on 17th November, called ‘Our World’.

Supporting are, firstly, TEASING LULU. Based in Brighton, they are predominantly Lucy Dalton (vocals, guitar) and Louisa Carr (bass, vocals). They are also joined by a drummer. Lucy takes on most of the singing. Their sound is very Elastica circa 1995, especially on ‘You Ain't My Baby’. It's not surprising to report that J J Burnel, or 'Mr Smoothy' as the girls call him, produced their debut album ‘Black summer’. The dirty 'Stranglers' bass sound holds my attention. Even ‘Cat and Mouse’ with it's ‘meow-meow!’ chorus seems to work. Previous single ‘Waste of Time’ earns one lucky dancer a free T shirt. Louisa takes the lead on ‘Burning Out’ with its very catchy "Get burning now" chorus. All very enjoyable.

From Norwich came gritty and glamourous punk quartet COMPACT PUSSYCAT. They stick rigidly to old skool roots. The vocalist, bless her, seemed to have continual mic problems, but the short sharp spiky songs are well presented. Especially ‘Two way mirror’ and my favourite, the menacing ‘Inside out’. Their final offering ‘Modification’ was, as they reveal, written in ten minutes when they were slightly inebriated!