QUEEN ZEE | LIVE REVIEW
Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, Fri 20 Apr
All-colourful pop-punk band Queen Zee [above] travel back to Cardiff after recently supporting Marmozets, but this time on their first UK headline tour – and those at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach embrace their return. Salt Bath [below] open the show, a kayfabe music duo from Newport who present themselves in character through expression with makeup and clothing. Living up to their self-description of “loud queer bass/drums”, Jo Sheehy and Josh Brimble display their talent with a switchup of band roles. The set draws from their 2017 album Uncomfortable Choices, such as the 40-second Ghosted – all songs a short burst of energy that challenge the performers’ abilities. Salt Bath end the set pondering over their image, “if George A Romero directed drag queens”.
Next up is Chroma [below], south Wales favourites who own the floor of the up-close-and-personal downstairs room here, beginning the set with three fast-paced songs. The trio debut a new song, White Queen from their imminent second EP, and Girls Talk, whose important message on the treatment of women is made clear by vocalist Katie Hall in the form of a set of rules. The frontwoman deems the performance as one of her favourite gigs in a while, asking the audience, “Does anyone feel like they’ve done that yoga? When it’s in a really hot room?” Recent rising temperatures, and of course a fire performance, explains Hall’s honest humour.
From the moment Queen Zee enter the room, they exude sass, the word even emblazoned on a hanging behind drummer Dave Bloom. The attitude of the night is made clear with the opening cover of Electric Six’s Gay Bar, frontwoman Zee’s TRANS POWER leg tattoo and “this machine kills fascists” stickered on the drums. It’s clear that the five-piece are much more than just a band – they are using their platform to send a message, bring people together and remove the stigma surrounding the issue of gender and sexuality.
“Cardiff, I love you, so we’re gonna sing you a love song about Satan,” Zee announces, and the crowd are sure in for a treat. The band’s song topics take you on a relatable journey: Porno is about the kind of bad sex it seems most people here can connect with. Zee comfortably struts around the stage in just shorts after removing a hat with the word DADDY printed on it and a leather rocker waistcoat, warning the crowd to “hydrate or dydrate” after the heat rises with songs like Sass Or Die.
Queen Zee keep the covers coming, but with their own sassy spin: Beastie Boys’ Sabotage, which sparks a salsa-dancing-only ‘wall of love’, and Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal, unwanted by some but loved by many. Interacting with fans after the show, the band should be applauded not just for their music, but for their hearts of gold. After their huge stage debut on this, the Inaugural Tour, Queen Zee are set for big things.
words and photos AMY FARRER