NEGATIVE APPROACH @ OSLO, LONDON

Making a rare visit to the UK and Europe, John Brannon brought his nostalgia project to live again, playing material from his first hardcore punk band, Negative Approach, one of the first punk bands on the Detroit scene.

They played from their only studio album, 1983’s ‘Tied Down’, as well as their eponymous EP, ‘Negative Approach’, with favourites such as ‘Why Be Something That You’re Not’ featuring the galloping riffs of the band’s guitarist, who performed with his back to the crowd for the entire set; ‘Pressure’, the funky ‘Evacuate’ and their single, ‘Dead Stop’, with its drum intro that caused a commotion and plenty of fans to jump off the stage.

Negative Approach then performed more from their album with the roar of ‘Live Your Life’ and screaming horror of ‘Genocide’; its noise winding down to slow bashing drums and simmering guitar feedback which came to a bludgeoning finish. The band included some covers in their set including Sham 69’s ‘Borstal Breakout’, Iggy and The Stooges’ ‘I Got a Right’ and ‘Solitary Confinement’ by The Weirdos, the vocals of which were of course barely audible as Brannon screamed his way through the set. They also played their eponymous album track, ‘Tied Down’ and ‘Lead Song’, with its higher pitched guitar riff.

30/05/24: Negative Approach @ Oslo, London.