The Chapman Family / Frontiers @ The Wheelbarrow

Tonight Camden's Wheelbarrow plays host to one of Teeside's finest bands and Artrocker faves, The Chapman Family. The pub/venue which is new to me, has a long bar running down the left hand side with a tiny stage at the far end, and an hour before the support band are due on it’s already looking like it’s going to get cosy.

Frontiers are first up to entertain us and a mighty fine job they do too. They rip through an energetic half hour of post punk with the lead singer, whose stage presence reminds me of OMD’s Andy McCluskey, alternating between synth and guitar. Meanwhile the lead guitarist struggles to find room to manoeuvre on the tiny stage, several time nearly getting a whack from his mate’s guitar. It’s a surprisingly confident and tight set from the young band who are so new they are yet to release a record, and on the strength of the songs I’ve heard tonight and the appreciation from the crowd, they’re a band to watch out for.

After a short break while instruments are dismantled and replaced people start to cram into the small area at the front in anticipation of what’s about to come. The Chapman Family take to the stage and launch straight into new song 'No More Tears'. It's been a couple of years since I last saw this band, and there's been some personal changes; extra guitarist Owen has been added to beef up the sound an already bulldozer like sound, Phil has been replaced by Scott on drums and Pop has been replaced by Russell Brand on bass.

Happily though it very quickly becomes clear that not only have Kingsley and Paul lost any of their intensity but the new members play with equal ferociousness. It’s down to this that the band manage to break most, if not all of their instruments; both Paul, who inexplicably has clingfilm wrapped round his right arm, and Owen have to resort to sitting down towards the end of the set as after getting by for several songs with as little as three strings they go on to break all their straps too. Meanwhile Kingsley, gripping the mic like Homer strangling Bart, sings, spits and snarls through a set that includes 'Anxiety', 'Sound Of The Radio' and a blistering rendition of 'Lies'.

Expectations are always high for these guys but they manage to deliver an exhilarating performance, peppered with Kingsley’s seemingly fruitless attempts to get the apathetic crowd to give a shit about what the governments austerity cuts are doing to people.

Sadly there's no encore, possibly due to the lack of working guitars, but even worse they fail to play my favourite song Million Dollars. I'd ask for my money back but Kingsley looks a bit intimidating with his his newly shaven head!

Despite the lack of space the atmosphere tonight has been electric and the pub’s sound system is stunning, it's no wonder the Chapman Family chose to play here.