The band released their new album ‘Neo Noir’ in July and following a sell-out night at MOTH Club at the time, they now embarked on a rare UK tour to promote the release. The lineup is headed by Ken Scott (vocals, keyboard) with co-founding member Rocco Barker (guitar, backing vocals) alongside Sabrina Amade (bass), Josef Rosam (guitar, backing vocals, percussion) and Alan Temple (drums).
Wasted Youth performed their cult classics amongst plenty of new tracks, opening with the punky ‘Paris, France’, from their 1983 album ‘Beginning of the End’, which finished on a touch of electronics. They played another track from the same album, ‘Little Jack’, with a stripped down drum intro and Joy Division-like guitar. A new song from their latest album, ‘Fishes’ featured both light and thick, dark riffs.
‘Maybe’ had a crazy white noise and howling guitar feedback finish; they then played another new song, ‘I’m in Love Again’, which saw a unique duet between rough under-combing guitar and high pitched keyboard, while Scott wailed his way through. The grungy 1980 single ‘Jealousy’ which was re-recorded as a funk version for the new album had intense feedback while glockenspiel guitar tones encapsulated the track.
The band performed their anthemic new single, ‘This is Your Day’, although not that spectacular it was followed by another newly re-recorded song, ‘Man Found Dead in Graveyard’; despite being performed live many times before as an older release, on this occasion it was played as a novel extended version with a paranoid guitar and keyboard duet then a longer vocal ending. They ended their set on their 1981 debut album with ‘Survivors Pt. 2’, again contrasting with a combination of whistling synths and rough guitar.
Wasted Youth returned for an encore of ‘I Wish I Was a Girl’, with Barker’s snaking guitar solo introduction and further experimentation, a cover of Wire’s ’12XU’ and 1982 single ‘(Do the) Caveman’.
06/12/25: Wasted Youth @ The Lexington, London.
Photos © Peter Tainsh.
© Ayisha Khan.