Live Review: Radkey at The Dingwalls Camden, London (11/01/19)

Hitting up the Dingwalls in Camden, London on the release day of their new EP collections, No Strange Cats…Spiders, Missouri band Radkey are in fine form. It’s not the busiest you’ll see the Dingwalls but it’s still heartening to see it as full as it is and those in attendance so full of vigor. Bouncing is the right word although we do get a pit or two during the more frantically heavy moments of the band.

What a great band Radkey are and it’s almost disgraceful just how young they are! Being mostly unfamiliar with their work, it doesn’t take much to drag me in to their feel-good rock and roll mixed with punk style. So energetic, even tired feet can’t stop themselves from tapping along.

Confidence is a major key to keeping people engaged and Radkey have it in bucket-loads. Isaiah Radke even gets a nosebleed early on and is forced to play the majority of the band’s set with tissue stuffed up his nose! It doesn’t seem to faze him or the band in the slightest.

The sound is immense, the variety that makes Radkey so memorable breaking up a punkier-set nicely. Even the softer stuff sounds far heavier live. They blast through track after track looking cool as cucumbers with very little said. Often only pipping up to introduce the next song, make a joke or ask for a tissue!

There’s no fluff, no wasted time…just a golden opportunity for the hard-working youngsters to show just why they’re so loved. The future was already pretty bright but with even more heads turned in London, things can surely only get better.