LIVE FROM THE PIT: Meryl Streek and Shooting Daggers

Near Oxford street, tucked away from the superficial glitz and glamour, we venture down into the belly of The 100 Club, an iconic venue and beacon for punk-rockers, for MERYL STREEK’s intimate show for the release of his latest album Stories They Don’t Teach You At School, a ferocious album that rips apart the “slimy politics” of today and the disillusionment sweeping through the common people exhausted by constant bad news. This was a night for punks of all ages to get educated and embrace rage.

London-based SHOOTING DAGGERS set us up for the night, combining queercore rock and acidic punk into an explosive sound that should send politicians and bigots running for cover lest they get hit by lyrical shrapnel. With a setlist laden with tracks from their 2024 EP Love & Rage, SHOOTING DAGGERS launched into Dare and its tempo-changing rhythm, using it as more of a warm up for their vivacious energy that sprang out on Not My Rival, a pro-community message told through rampant punk riffs and defiant screams. Vocalist and guitarist Sal Pellegrin leapt about the stage and pumped a fist in the air as bassist Bea Simion screamed into the mic on Smug, before the trio quickly rushed into Wipeout and gave guttural screams on the breakdown. Moving to the EP title track Love & Rage and its slowed tempo, Pellegrin and Simion harmonised clean and raw screams while drummer Raquel Alves kept their steady beat, lost in the poignant words and medley. 

Taking a moment to check in with the crowd, they rocketed back into Loud Mouths, originally recorded with THE MENSTRUAL CRAMPS and still detonating with blasting punk, before descending into the powerful My Oh My!, its weighty rhythm and message accentuated by cries of “Free free Palestine” from the trio and their raised fists echoing across the room. Keeping up the ferocity, they plunged into T.R.L.T. and its unapologetic wildfire sound, taking a moment to thank The 100 Club, Meryl Streek, and the audience for keeping the protest alive, before they closed out with call and response track Liar and their grand finale MIS(S)anDRA from their first 2019 demo, their whole set evidence SHOOTING DAGGERS haven’t swayed in their fight against the machine.

The 100 Club dropped into near darkness, a red glow against the stage backdrop as news segments jumble over each other on Welcome, the opener to Stories They Don’t Teach You At School and Meryl Streek’s entrance bounding onto the stage with a frown fixed on his face. Streek agitatedly paced up and down the wide stage throughout his entire set, filling the space with feverish intensity to match his blistering, scathing words against corrupt politics and apathetic people on Rotten Fruit and The Chancer, refusing to pull his punches against people who, quite frankly, need a few teeth knocked out as they fall off their own pedestals. Streek has switched up his usual one-man punk band approach as he called for applause for his live touring drummer, who joyfully vibed with the music when not attacking the kit while Streek leapt into the crowd and formed a small pit to come face to face with fans as he forcefully yelled about the things that actually matter. 

Streek continued his onslaught of brutal truths and visceral screams demanding people wake up, bringing in older, loved tracks that built the foundations his punk music stands sturdy on, such as Death To The Landlord and Dogs, the venue lights dropping to darkness as he brought out his signature tool of a strobe light torch to add visual emphasis to his set. There were poignant moments that hit hard for the crowd as Streek shared his grief on Paddy, a tribute to his uncle and the small human things that should feel inconsequential but instead remind us of the person who will “always be missed and always be loved”. Venturing back into Stories They Don’t Teach You At School, the opening notes and lyrics to Kelly began, a devastating and infuriating case of 23-year old Kelly Lynch who tragically died and her family’s fight for answers and justice from the Gardaí (Irish police) who initially decided not to treat her death as suspicious, despite mounting evidence that foul play was at work. Streek continues to speak out on behalf of the silenced and bring to light the stories hidden by the public media, let alone our education system, the song Kelly so impactful that the crowd went silent and still to take in the raw emotion pouring out of the punk singer. 

Closing out with If This Is Life and holding the mic out for the crowd to scream along to the electro-punk track, Streek thanked everyone in the room, including the venue sound tech, for giving a platform to political punk and continuing to fight injustice, striding purposefully off stage before returning mere seconds later to meet everyone with genuine gratitude and admiration. The stage is merely a conduit for his passion, but Streek demonstrated his authenticity as a punk rampager and an appreciative friend to everyone who believes in him and Stories They Don’t Teach You At School.

Words and photos: Julia Stark