Bad Sam/The Nanaz/No Murder No Moustache – The Pit @ McCann’s, Newport – 22nd November 2025

Bad Sam/The Nanaz/No Murder No Moustache – The Pit @ McCann’s, Newport – 22nd November 2025

Saturday night in Newport is never that appetising a proposition for yours truly, but when it’s a three-course feast of DIY punk rock on offer, headlined by those scamps Bad Sam launching their third album ‘Trauma’, (you can read the review HERE on RPM), then I’ll certainly be more than happy to tuck in.

For starters, tonight we have Celtic folk punker No Murder No Moustache, followed by local community music project The Nanaz. Both acts are wildly different in what they do; however, both appear to immediately tap into the pulse of what the good people of Newport are looking for on a Saturday night out. The former has the room bouncing to his very own brand of serious yet humorous folk punk, and the latter provides 40 minutes of almost Velvet Underground-like experimental proto-punk, which has The Pit’s dancefloor the fullest I’ve ever seen it. In fact, the Nanaz are probably the most punk thing I’ve seen in quite some time.

“Turn it up cunts.” Dean Beddis and Richard Glover are in da house, people, and suddenly, with drum loops blasting at maximum volume, I could very easily be at some foam party in Ibiza, but of course I’m not, I’m in a basement bar in Newport, and I’m about to get officially traumatised by Bad Sam.

Having successfully teamed up with electro wizard Luke Vibert to remix their recent ‘Popcorn & Blood’ single, and in turn making themselves minor internet sensations, it’s no surprise that the duo choose to open with an extended version of said tune, and almost immediately any memories I might have had of the Bad Sam of old are out the fire exit. Beddis is still barefoot, contorting his body into shapes many frontmen half his age would find unimaginable, barking out his lyrics straight into the faces of the front row, goading and laughing whilst always making you think, meanwhile Glover, now the master of all things wires and valves (as in programming) and not just guitar, opens up his magic box of sounds and together the duo unleash music that would be much more at home on Wax Trax! than Fat Wreck.

Here in the UK it’s Property of The Lost who have in enough belief in Bad Sam to make ‘Trauma’ a reality (in more ways than one) and tonight is all about this record, the band’s long awaited third, with the likes of ‘The Van’, ‘Pedigree Poor’ and ‘Perpetual Consumption’ all following with unyielding intensity.  

The patter between Beddis and Glover and Beddis and the audience helps provide the yin to the musical yang, so to speak, as subjects as diverse as Chinese death vans and getting spunk on your shoes are tackled as only these guys know how.

After a pulsating (I think) yet to be officially titled new track, based on the duo’s council estate roots, we are straight back into ‘Trauma’ for a rip ride through ‘Salute The Media’, and ‘Tupperware Death Party’ before ‘Emotional Hostage’ brings things to a chaotic conclusion.

After four gigs in five days, I’ve seen everything from post-punk and NWOBHM legends to Australian punk rock royalty, yet tonight was the absolute icing on the gig cake for me. Of course, I do wonder if I’ll ever get to hear the likes of ‘American Fat Fucks’ and/or ‘I Love The Port’ live ever again, but right now Bad Sam are all about the ‘Trauma’ of surviving in 2025….and I fucking loves it. 

Buy Bad Sam Here

Author: Johnny Hayward

Scene Killers/Deathtraps/System Reset – The Pit, McCanns, Newport – 22nd October 2022

Scene Killers/Deathtraps/System Reset – The Pit, McCanns, Newport – 22nd October 2022

Part of a short 3 gig sprint across Bristol and south Wales this 3-band bill comprising of Nottingham’s noisy as fuck hardcore mob Scene Killers, Newport’s Action Rock champions Deathtraps, and Abertillery’s melodic hardcore punkers System Reset, is the perfect solution for anyone pissed off with soaring gig ticket prices. 3 quality bands, all with new vinyl to promote, and its £5 on the door. What more could you want?

The Pit, which is downstairs at McCanns Rock Bar in Newport, is about 2/3 full for the arrival of System Reset, for what turns out to be, Stan, the band’s constantly bouncing frontman’s birthday celebrations. Having gigged like bastards throughout the summer their short 30 odd minute set packed with tunes from their recently released ‘Many Hands Make Lies Work’ EP literally flies by, and whilst the songs on the surface are full of melodies you can’t get out of your head, you only have to stop and listen to the subject matters being tackled to realise that the five-piece are one pissed off bunch. Playing ‘Big Business’ as a middle finger to what I alluded to in my intro above, System Reset are the perfect soundtrack for grey Britain, and as if to further reinforce that point it’s also pissing down outside tonight as I step out to get a quick breather between bands.

Taking the stage (or floor as is the case in The Pit) to the strains of Toto’s ‘Hold The Line’, Deathtraps are the Action Rock filling in this mini tour’s otherwise hardcore sandwich, and with album number 3 fresh out the box they waste no time in introducing the crowd to the delights of ‘Appetite For Prescription’ via a blistering ‘Red Eyes and Black Kisses’, and what follows is a lesson in foot to the floor punk rock ‘n’ roll. Vaughan and Fraser spitting out the lyrics to the likes of ‘Rip Em Off’ and ‘Press Darlings’ in venomous fashion, whilst peppering the set with tracks from their ‘Stole Your Rock N Roll’ album via ‘Cool Kids’ and ‘Let’s Fall Out Of Love’ and keeping the travelling fans (of which there are quite a few) very happy indeed. Closing things out with an impromptu cover of Turbonegro’s ‘Denim Demon’ during which Sutton from System Rest and Jesse from Scene Killers join them, Deathtraps are the true shitty sound of south Wales’ steel towns and they sound absolutely fucking glorious.

As the rock world waits with baited breath for the arrival of the next Hip Priests album, their band members have been keeping themselves busy with other musical adventures, frontman Nathan releasing his Hate EP whilst bassist Lee Love went back to his NWONW roots for the ‘Hold Me Down’ EP. Drummer Des popped up providing the backbeat to one of my favourite records of 2021 with Silent Like A Bomb, and guitarist Ben has been depping on second guitar for Swedish metallers Bullet across a series of summer festival shows. Meanwhile, his partner in six string crime, Austin Rocket has assembled a crack unit of musicians to give us Scene Killers, who in the process, have released 2 filthy dirty slabs of hardcore in the shape of 2020’s ‘Rev It Up’ and this year’s ‘Beat Beat Beat’ (an album seemingly so bowel shakingly disturbing in its ferocity that RPM gaffer Dom Daley even managed to get its title wrong in his recent review…ha!).

Joined by members of the awesome TV Crime and fronted by eccentric singer Jesse Luscious (ex of Blatz, The Criminals) Austin’s silhouette provides the only visual link to his other band as sonically speaking Scene Killers are a world away from the Priests’ black denim blitz. Instead, Scene Killers strike a discordant balance between punk and metal, producing short, sharp, 2-minute blasts of music that sound like they might just fall apart at any minute whilst also stabbing you in the eye in the process. Tonight, the initial sound mix in The Pit doesn’t really do the band any favours with ‘Rev It Up’ sounding more like ‘Reverb It Up’, however once that is sorted the tracks from the band’s all new 9 track platter sound absolutely stunning.  It’s impossible to avoid Luscious (who surely would be re-christened “lush hun” here in Newport) as he provokes the audience one on one to singalong to the likes of ‘Gimme Gimme’, ‘Immigrant Eyes’ and savage set closer ‘We’re All Decay’. It’s all over way to quickly in a blur of feedback, distortion and sweat, but it’s the only way we want our gigs to end here at RPM. “Leave them wanting more”, that’s what was say….and at just a deep sea to get in tonight I feel like I’ve just witnessed one of the gig bargains of the year. Result!!!

SK Facebook

Deathtraps Facebook

System Reset Facebook

Author: Johnny ‘ZooportHC’ Hayward!