MARMOZETS / QUEEN ZEE | LIVE REVIEW
Tramshed, Cardiff, Fri 2 Feb
Four years after releasing their debut album The Weird And Wonderful…, Marmozets have returned. Their second album, Knowing What You Know Now, had a lot to live up to and although it won’t ever be better than their debut, it is definitely on a par and it really shows how hard they worked to get where they are now. It’s been a long, hard journey to get their second album done but tonight, you aren’t able to tell.
On this tour, promoting album two, Marmozets recruited Queen Zee for support. Previously known as Queen Zee And The Sasstones, this five-piece from Liverpool stole the show. Their heavy-punk-pop sound and phenomenal stage presence blew me away and I was disappointed that the crowd were so unresponsive. Leading lady Zee yelled “come on Cardiff, look alive” and quite honestly, I felt like the only one that was dancing and showing them the warm Welsh welcome that is the norm. Zee dedicated the last song to the 50 people that died in Orlando in 2016 and made it clear that no homophobia or transphobia would be tolerated tonight. An incredible band, made up of great music, relevant lyrics and LGBTQ+ representation.
If the crowd wasn’t a thousand times better when Marmozets were on, I don’t think the headliners would have topped Queen Zee’s set. Storming through tracks off the first and second album, Marmozets turned Tramshed into a sweaty sea of jumping bodies. Lead singer Becca Macintyre used every inch of the stage and impressed with her unique voice, which sounded exactly as it did on record. Fan favourites such as Weird And Wonderful, Why Do You Hate Me? and Move, Shake, Hide received a very warm welcome and the energy was maintained for new tracks such as Major System Error and Lost In Translation. Even slow track Insomnia went down a treat.
The entire band know exactly how to keep the crowd interested: drummer Josh Macintyre made sure he was seen by standing up on his kit and getting the crowd to clap along and guitarist Sam Macintyre instructed the crowd to get as close to the stage as possible and to try and get onstage (much to the security’s dismay). Marmozets’ second set of siblings – bassist Will and lead guitarist Jack Bottomley – bounced around the stage, and likewise the crowd stayed full of energy right until the very last minute.
words CONNIE MATTHEWS photos AMY FARRER