Off stage, Starcrawler beara remarkable resemblance to any stereotypical teen gang of cult-classics like Freaks And Geeks or Dazed And Confused. Their charming awkwardness and shy personas combined with a throwback fashion sense, have your mind straight back to your favourite on-screen outcasts.
Seventies attire and teen backlashes aside, as soon as the light dims out at Hackney’s Seabright Arms, Starcrawler is actualised as the most deliriously punk experience you’ll ever have. Entering the stage trapped in a straightjacket, Arrow De Wilde is the sun in the Starcrawler solar system. Her extreme approach to live performance channels the best of Iggy Pop and David Bowie in a surreal mix. Crawling on the floor, snarling and screaming, it seems there is no limit to what De Wilde will attempt on stage. Far from the introvert she is in person, her stage persona is larger than life, a frantically mad, devious alter ego that would put the The Runaways’ Cherie Currie to shame.
“I just didn’t want to be boring. I just got tired of watching the same type of band playing every show, and we just wanted to bring back the energy of what bands used to be like”. Arrow De wilde
By her side guitarist Henri Cash feeds on the theatrics, striking grand rock star poses as he hammers out riff after riff. The two naturally plays up against each other. With a tangible chemistry and raw outbursts of energy, De Wilde and Cash propel the show forward.
As the mayhem unravels, the stoic foundation of Starcrawler, Austin Smith and Tim Franco underpins the madness. Keeping a crucial balance in their live set, Starcrawler avoid the punk pitfall of meaningless noise. Their classical rock core grounds a firmer sense of melody, and though they do burst into waves of feedback-noise, there is always a flair of intelligence running through the soundscape.
With a show like no other, and a quality style, Starcrawler is the 2017 punk fueled outburst we didn’t know we needed. De Wilde breaks every rule as she spits blood at the crowd, touches herself and lashes out to the point where some of the audience seem uncomfortable. There are few gigs people leave feeling shock these days, and Starcrawler is bringing back the same vibe that Sex Pistols brought on when they first broke through.
Pushing an audience way out of their comfort zone, the LA rockers prove once and for all that the spirit of Punk is well, alive, and lead by a girl in a glittery jockstrap.
