Gig review: THE KUT – The Six Six Bar, Cambridge, Sunday 20 November 2022

It’s been quite the year for The Kut, with leading light Princess Maha having been awarded two song writing awards and latest album GRIT having hit the Number One spot in the rock charts.

Rounding off 2022 in celebratory style with an extensive tour with Detroit musical alchemists Electric Six, it was to a sold-out, and unusually wild, Cambridge that they arrived at for the first show of the nationwide trek. The band are a fluid collective with Maya the only constant throughout and on this outing she’s joined by Ali on rhythm guitar, Keira on bass and drummer Violet, all adding their own magic to the proceedings.

There’s an untamed energy to The Kut and one that speaks of the same ethos that so informed bands like The Stooges and The Runaways. It’s a primal and exciting thing, a rawness and honesty that distils the pure essence of rock ‘n’ roll into three-minute bites, no bull, no ego. It helps that Maha has written songs with some killer hooks too, the Ramone-sy ‘I Don’t Need Therapy’ kicking off their set in fine, teeth-rattling style.

With a similar riff to the headliners ‘Gay Bar’, ‘I Want You Maniac’ is a dirty blast of pure adrenaline and ‘Hollywood Rock ‘n’ Roll’ puts it foot to the floor, the 100mph hard rocker blistering.

The bouncing rocker and single ‘ANIMO’ is equally powerful, its theme of the strength of women one that’s vital to be heard, the vocals and insistent chorus marking this out as something that blazes with truth and beauty.

The band tear into diamond tipped boogie of ‘If Looks Could Kill’, Maha providing a spectacular solo that highlights her quicksilver skills and an anthemic ‘Satellite’ sees the place lit up by mobile phone lights as the crowd waves from side to side, swaying with the music.

Footie song ‘Fun When You’re Winning’ rolled along on a big groove and the band showed their more commercially orientated side with the perfect pop rock of ‘On My Own’, its punch showing teeth and the backing vocals adding a little sweetness to the undeniable grit. Keira came into her own on ‘Runaways’, her driving bass the nitro in the tank, Violet’s drums adding a whipcrack feel as it tore along in a blur.

With the spiky ‘Bad Man’ and the scything riff and buzzsaw attitude of ‘And One More’ closing the set, the audience expelled the last of the energy they had, things reaching fever pitch the whole place reduced to a mass of frugging bodies and celebratory arms aloft.

A triumphant night and one that points to The Kut’s rise that is both hard won but inevitable. Irrespective of the perceived combined brainpower of this ancient University town, nothing shone brighter than Princess Maha and her cohort for that one, dazzling forty-minute set. Rock ‘n’ roll to change the world.

Review by Paul Monkhouse
Photos by Jeroen Jacobs

Album review (GRIT, 2022)

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 20 October 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 22 October 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 28 October 2024

THE RASMUS Rest In Pieces (Better Noise Music)
THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
STAR CIRCUS Turn The Tide (indie)
DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)

Featured Albums w/c 28 October 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)