Cherubs & Rid Of Me @ Ramsgate Music Hall, 31st October 2024

For most, Halloween is a celebration of all things spooky. For some, it’s horror films and Trick Or Treat, while for others it’s a celebration of Samhain and a more spiritual journey. For me, it’s usually lights off with a couple of scary films, but not this year. The 31st of October 2024 will forever more be Cherubs and Rid Of Me day at Ramsgate Music Hall, a day that will go down in history for incredible events at the venue.

With Ramsgate Music Hall being the setting for the final Mother Brain show of the year, it had all the hallmarks of being one insane evening altogether, and it didn’t disappoint. The night consisted of not one, but two astounding underground American acts, both of whom were on their maiden adventures in the UK. 

Cherubs, a long serving noise-rock band with three decades of heritage, who somehow, surprisingly were playing their first ever show in the UK. Along for the ride were fellow American noiseniks Rid Of Me, a band who I had been keen to see perform for quite a while.

Not really needing the excuse of it being Halloween, Ramsgate Music Hall was appropriately dressed in all its spooky finery, the perfect scene for such a momentous occasion, and the home for the evening for such a formidable paring.

Kicking things off, Philadelphian quartet Rid Of Me swaggered in at just after 8:15, ready to rumble with anyone willing to take the risk. The set consisted predominantly of tracks from their most recent release, 2023s stellar Access To The Lonely, an absolute powerhouse of an album. A scuzzy punk masterclass in garage rock, a real diamond in the rough.

Suitably whipping the audience up in to a frenzy, Itarya Rosenberg and guys hit the ground running, and a blistering set ensued. Punk rock at its core, with elements of grunge and garage rock, the band tore through their set and warmed the crowd up accordingly in the process. For me, I got to hear Hell Of It and Rid Of Me at their rawest, so I was a happy camper by the time they left the stage. For forty-ish minutes they dominated the environment and what a forty minutes it was. It was a hot and sweaty occasion, as band and audience were pretty much on top of each other for the whole set.

After a brief intermission, fellow America cohorts Cherubs took to the stage at around 9:15 and wasted no time in setting the place alight with an impassioned display.

The Texan trio, Pete Shore, Kevin Whitley and Brent Prager were suitably appropriate for the evening, complete with Halloween paraphernalia, and put on a spectacle which was just as unique as the trio themselves. For a band who are celebrating their thirty-year anniversary with their milestone 1994 album Heroin Man, they showed no signs of feeling anywhere near that long ago when their landmark long-player was released.

As for the set itself, it was heavily covering Heroin Man, of course it would be, such a milestone deserves a fitting anniversary, and Cherubs were here to party. There were also some nuggets of gold from their various other releases, but the band and the fans were here equally to celebrate this iconic album’s birthday.

Having never played the UK before, it was quite the honour for it to be Ramsgate Music Hall as the bands cherry popping arrival, but there could have been no other venue fitting of such an important moment, and they absolutely stormed through a ferocious set to mark the occasion.

Crowd favourites were lovingly welcomed, and there was a lot of love for this obscure band from the US, who really played up to the crowd, getting involved, and making the audience part of the performance too. The small stage and enclosed environment were just perfect for a really intimate feel, and often it ended up with band and audience entwined, such was the vibe this evening.

As for Cherubs themselves, they put on one of the most uniquely animated performances I have ever witnessed, a performance which really needs to be seen to be believed, my mere words can hardly describe just how insane the whole event was.

No spring chickens, the guys put a lot of the younger bands to shame with an energetic performance. From the first bars to the dying seconds, it was a thrill ride of energy that the band kicked out, and the audience bounced off. Loud and obnoxious, it was like throwing a lit match into a firework factory, such was the explosion of energy and sound.

Hosted superbly by Mother Brain, even the smallest details were covered; set display to animated backdrop screens, it’s this attention to detail which makes me return to this awesome little venue time and again, and Cherubs really did play up to the vibe.

The sound was incredible, the bands were awesome, and the night was one which will be remembered for a very long time to come.

Cherubs

Rid Of Me

Words & Photos by: Lee Beamish