Mario Cuomo is mere inches from my face and we’re both screaming the lyrics to ‘Mallrats (La La La)’: “La La La La La La La La” (don’t worry I know it’s tricky, but after a few listens you should be able to pick it up). There are two security guards sweating profusely as they attempt to prevent a mass stage invasion. Whoever decided that Leadmill’s smaller stage would be big enough to host the Orwells and their fanbase was wrong. Dead wrong.
With an air of complete coolness, seemingly oblivious to the sea of chaos before him, frontman Mario Cuomo tells us not to worry and to carry on and do our thing. For a fair portion of the crowd, this means crowd surfing, pushing, falling over and even at one or two points in the set, forming a circle pit. The audience is a whirlpool of energy and lyrics are being shouted in conjunction with the infectious melodies that the Orwells churn out, one by one, completely defiant of the evident distress the band’s security are under. In fact, Mario Cuomo laughs like an evil genius at several points and it’s clear to see from the glint in his eyes that he loves this: this is what Orwells shows are all about.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQKvtWcojik?rel=0]
They put on a tight, slick performance and even though it’s complete bedlam in front of the stage, their set seems to be over remarkably quickly. Perhaps this is due to the fact that their catalogue is not extensive; comprised only of 2012’s Remember When and Disgraceland, which was released in June of this year. Highlights include opener ‘Southern Comfort’, which has people across the room shouting “Give me a smile and then take off your pants!” in a carefree daze; previously mentioned ‘Mallrats (La La La)’, which due to the simplicity is a dead cert for full audience participation, as well as raucous ‘In My Bed’. Every song is a highlight, in fact, but these have that bit more ‘oomph’.
The crowning gem of the night, though, is without a doubt ‘Let It Burn’. Despite all their shenanigans with fire extinguishers at other shows, I don’t doubt for one moment that the band would set the place on fire if they could. Their music elicits an anarchic fire in the listener, and their live performance only wafts the blaze. I go to a lot of gigs and I see a lot of musicians come on stage and play their tunes and that’s that. But Orwells take it one step further. They don’t just play some catchy songs and walk away; they dive right into the crowd. Their music is our music – and it’s bloody good music, too!
Words by Beth Kirkbride