Once in a blue moon, you come across a band that ticks all the right boxes. Unique, raw and fresh – this instantly describes The Computers.
You’d be forgiven in assuming by the name and appearance of this band (with their trademark white suit get-ups) that they’re stereotypical electro dudes. Nothing can be further from the truth.
This four-piece Exeter band represent rock, punk, blues, soul, indie and grit all in one bag; they’re raw talent. They can’t fall under the one label and don’t deserve to be typecasted.
Singer Alex Kershaw is electrifying and mesmerising, he's the ultimate punk and rock ‘n’ roll frontman. He spends most of the set at King Tut’s in Glasgow singing his gravelly, punk-fuelled voice from the top of his lungs, transfixing the crowd with his unrelenting energy and crowd surfing, while still singing and playing his guitar in true “rock on” fashion.
The Computers play songs from their debut album 'We Are The Computers'. A firm favourite of the night is 'Rhythm Revue', which has a similar hook to the work of 'The Killer' Jerry Lee Lewis, with Alex's power-driven voice and rock ‘n’ roll guitar strumming. Close your eyes and you could be in the 1950s; open your eyes and you have Alex jumping around the venue like a jack in a box, brandishing his endless supply of tattoos and shaking about his nutty professor hair. Yeah, I think we prefer the modern day 1950s if it includes him in our lives.
Another crowd pleaser is 'Blood Is Thicker' which encapsulates the true essence of rock, soul, rhythm and blues – fast-paced drumming in tandem with the guitar beat. Alex is at his contagiously craziest during this song, shouting to the audience: "Make way. There’s one thing I want from you people and it is this: I want you to give yourselves up, absolutely, completely, mind, body and soul, to the big, big sound of The Computers!" The crowd are going wild for this band, and who can blame them.
They close the night with the psychedelic, punk enthused ‘Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, But…’ and Alex does one last crowd surf just for good measure. It has such a contagious riff and his screaming vocals give the song a total power surge and adrenaline rush which catapults the whole audience into a frenzy. Overall, the song has a rocky beat and attitude personified lyrics which personifies the whole sound that The Computers bring. Alex then announces: “Let’s go to Nice ‘N’ Sleazy’s afterwards and get fucked up.” Yes please.
The Computers have a unique and spellbinding quality with their music. They've gone into unchartered territories and are producing music that not many bands are coming close to. The Computers are snubbing the mainstream status-quo and giving our ears something absolutely mind-blowing to listen to. Long may it continue.
Words and photo by Morven MacNeil