Romp at Ranga Records

When I first came to Imperial last year, I was excited to discover what London’s live music scene had to offer. Ranga Records – the independent promoter showcasing London’s grassroots talent - might be exactly what I was looking for.

On 8^th  October, AMS (Alt Music Society) was invited down to The Social by Wish, a partially Imperial-based band headlining Ranga Records’ first show at the venue (which has hosted acts ranging from Jack White to Wolf Alice, and Aphex Twin to Black Country New Road). 

As we arrived at The Social, we were sent down to the basement, where Model Citizen were playing their set. While mostly a cover band, Model Citizen does a solid job at keeping 70s rock alive. From Led Zeppelin to The Clash, the band is bringing what was once part of the counter-culture to today’s London indie scene. A highlight of the night was their performance of Black Sabbath’s “Sabbra Cadabra”, dedicated to the late Ozzy Osbourne (made all the more special by the fact that the bassist’s grandmother used to see them when they were just a small band playing around Birmingham).

Up next was Flat Party, a London-based indie band who dazzled the audience with their cohesive indie rock sound. It came as no surprise that they had toured with English Teacher last year, the two bands being quite similar: punchy guitar riffs, sharp, edgy vocals; all that we’ve come to expect from the post-punk and britpop revival of the 2010s-20s. Vocalist and acoustic guitarist Jack Lawther (who sported a rather performative moustache), added a welcomed folk component to what was otherwise a rock-dominated set, resulting at times in a swaying, dreamy quality reminiscent of Mac DeMarco. Adding to that, Jack’s rather flamboyant, glam-adjacent stage presence made Flat Party quite the memorable act. I look forward to finding out what they get up to in the future.

The final act, Wish, describe themselves as a “space groove rock quartet”, encapsulating their truly unique style: a combination of groovy riffs and ethereal, psychedelic soundscapes. Drawing from Andalusian, Irish and Balkan folk traditions, the four piece band brings to the stage a very interesting mix in terms of both rhythm and instrumentation. Most distinctly, the saxophone, played by Imperial Biomedicine PhD candidate Rosie, clearly demarks these unusual rhythms, while also providing a drone-like quality that reminded me of Maruja and others in the punk-jazz fusion scene.

Much like Maruja, Wish clearly establish themselves as a punk-oriented band not only through their sound but also through the political ethos that permeates their performances. One number was referred to as being about “metaphorically killing all of those in power”, and was followed by a speech condemning the government’s complicity in genocide and chants of “Free Palestine” and  “Fuck Keir Starmer”. While urging the audience to “keep talking about it cause it’s pretty fucking important”, Wish refreshingly point out the inherently political nature of music and its potential as a means of collective resistance.

The chaotic energy exuding from the stage only made the show more enjoyable. Sporting a pair of edgy sunglasses (which came off mid-performance as the show approached its climax), and what appeared to be a bat-eared hood, the vocalist, Milo, captivated the audience. At the start of the show, he claimed to have recently been discharged from  the hospital due to  testicular torsion and, at one point during the performance, lamented not having lost one of his testicles as he would have loved to keep it in a jar. Whilst the veracity of the anecdote remains unknown, his largely nonchalant attitude towards the whole affair made for quite the humorous performance.

All in all, this inconspicuous Wednesday evening show at the small Marylebone venue turned out to be one of the best nights of live music I’ve had in a while. Having introduced us to some of the most exciting acts emerging in the London music scene, we hope to make The Social and Ranga Records regular stops for AMS gig nights to come.