Thank You, Fuck You - Joe & The Shitboys Live Report
Words: Oshen Douglas McCormick , Photography: Patrick Gunning / patrickgunning.com
Bisexual vegan shitpunk; if that sounds up your alley then Joe and the Shitboys are the band for you! The raucous four piece are everything you would expect from a punk band; loud, obnoxious, confrontational… but what truly sets them apart is an ability to turn softness into a strength. Hailing from the small, conservative communities of the Faroe Islands, the band are becoming known for providing an unmistakable mix of joy, rage and three chord madness wherever they go.
Photography by Patrick Gunning at Green Man Festival
An unassuming Thursday rolls around, and crowds gather outside East London’s Sebright Arms. Despite the drizzle, punk lovers of all ages appear in force to witness the band that’s been throwing insults and flashing nipples from the Faroe Islands to the lengths of Europe on their hilariously coined ‘Manspreadatour’.
In the support slot, Cowboyy bring a energy completely of their own, with a rhythm section that makes our heads spin and a vocalist who drawls socially aware poetry through the mic to the curious onlookers.
After a short break, Joe and the Shitboys assemble roll-call style onstage, Joe sporting his signature red lippy and the shitboys clad in blue dungarees. Throwing himself about the stage and moving through the crowd, Joe is a natural performer, the charisma dripping from him almost as emphatically as the sweat dripping from the basement ceiling. He banters savagely with the crowd, chucking jibes left, right and centre and in the same breath telling the sweaty moshers how ‘fucking beautiful’ they look tonight. It’s a confrontation rooted in comradery, he has a way of making us feel as though we’re in it together. “Fuck everybody!” We all scream in sync with the band, a cathartic release.
Ziggy Shit, Ollie Shit and Harry Shit slam their instruments ferociously, in clear brotherly synchronicity and the crowd match the energy instantly. The Shitboys move through their set hurricane-style, relentlessly tearing from one social and political issue to the next with notable titles such as ‘Drugs R’4 Kidz’, ‘Save The Planet, You Dumb Shit’ and ‘Closeted HomoFObe’, the poorly mixed sound only adding to the purposely janky outpouring of noise (it is ‘shitpunk’ after all). No holds barred thrash punk gives way to danceable grooves, one minute we’re thrown about the room, the next we give Shakira’s hips a run for their money.
From manspreaders to carnivores, no one is safe from the Shitboys, yet notably their shows feel like some of the most inclusive punk gigs we’ve seen in years. Actively encouraging the crowd to sing along to every song, Joe is purposeful in his crowd participation, seeming to prioritise non-men in the crowd as he hands out the mic. The moshpit, for once, is chock full of various sizes and genders as opposed to the usual suspiciously violent white dude demographic that frequent many UK punk shows.
Photography by Patrick Gunning at Green Man Festival
As the ‘Shitboys Theme’ comes to a close, smiles plaster the faces of the soggy crowd and we all raise our middle fingers to the sky as Joe yells “Thank you, Fuck You, Goodnight!” As much as Joe and the Shitboys find their roots in humour, they leave us with a distinct feeling that there is something important brewing here, something that spits in the face of traditional masculinity, capitalism, discrimination and everyone who upholds these systems. This is the only kind of masculinity that has a place in 2022, the kind that screams “EAT ASS YOU FUCKING COWARDS.”
You can find Joe & The Shitboys on instagram, Spotify and youtube.
You can see what’s on at The Sebright Arms on their website or instagram.