Heavy masterpieces performed with the requisite pantomime menace – THERAPY? live at Tramshed

So much for So Much For The 30 Year Plan, the name of Therapy?’s celebratory tour (and also the title of their official biography). Postponed by the pandemic, it’s twice been rebranded as a result. But, to the enormous relief of everyone assembled at Tramshed tonight, Therapy? live is finally happening. That trademark whipcrack sniper-rifle snare of never sounded so good.

Born in Belfast in the midst of the Troubles, Therapy? were always misfits – too poppy for metal, too metal for punk, too British for grunge, too fond of choruses for noiserock. 1994’s Troublegum – which, by their own admission, drew on a love of everyone from Big Black to Genesis, via Helmet, Fugazi, Metallica, Pixies and REM – was stuffed with outsider anthems, its razor-sharp riffage, blunt lyrics and dialled-up angst striking a chord with awkward teens everywhere. Overblown, bonkers follow-up Infernal Love saw them lose the plot in the best possible way (“Cocaine is one hell of a drug”, was vocalist/guitarist Andy Cairns’ summary) and, with a couple of lineup changes, they’ve admirably continued to plough their own furrow in the face of the mainstream music press’ disinterest ever since.

Tonight’s set includes two tracks from 2018’s Cleave (Kakistocracy and Callow) and, at the start of the encore, they debut a track called I’m Ugly from what will be their 16th album, recorded during lockdown. But the focus of this 32-year retrospective inevitably falls on the first decade of their career – beginning where it all started, with first single Meat Abstract, released in 1990. Stories feels a little skewed and messy, but, just as I’m starting to fear that they might be out of shape following the long lay-off, along comes Die Laughing – dedicated, to the delight of the crowd, to the Manics’ James Dean Bradfield – to set things straight.

Therapy? were always a great singles band, and playing Trigger Inside and Church Of Noise back to back is just showing off. Loose (“about taking ecstasy in Belfast and trying on your girlfriend’s clothes and getting stopped at gunpoint by the gardai – good times”) is followed by a cover of Hüsker Dü’s Diane that’s considerably more faithful to the original than the baroque orchestral version on Infernal Love. No sooner has the dentist’s drill riff of Teethgrinder finished boring a hole in your head than they’re into another fan favourite, “old Irish folk song” Potato Junkie. All together now: “I’M BITTER! I’M TWISTED! JAMES JOYCE IS FUCKING MY SISTER!”

The encore delivers the Troublegum treble of Knives, Nowhere and Screamager – all hook-heavy masterpieces performed with the requisite pantomime menace – and then Therapy? are gone, off into the night in search of some Penderyn whisky to toast drummer Neil Cooper’s birthday. We’re left hoping there will be many happy returns to come.

Tramshed, Cardiff, Wed 23 Mar

words and photos BEN WOOLHEAD