Duncan Reid and The Big Heads at The Barn, Milton REVIEW: 'The songs get under the skin instantly'

As bass player with The Boys he was there at the dawn of punk. While the band were revered by their peers – they were Joey Ramones’ favourite band – they never achieved the recognition of the likes of The Clash or The Sex Pistols and split in the early ’80s.

Following a successful reunion of The Boys in 1999, Reid once more went his own way and started a new band – The Big Heads.

Billing what they do as ‘heavy-melody power-pop punk’, it’s an apt description.

Even if you’re unfamiliar with their material, the songs get under the skin instantly, and you’ll be singing along with them by the second chorus. In that respect, the song Let’s Skip To The Good Bit is practically a manifesto.

Reid is dapper in a purple suit, but he’s soon sweating up a storm, bouncing around all over the stage, and has to lose the jacket.

Usually a four-piece the frontman tells us one of their guitarists, Nick Hughes, is off moonlighting with Terrorvision, while the other, Sophie K Powers is still healing from an operation.

As a result this a rare outing as a trio with Heidi Cotton stepping in and ‘learning the set in two weeks – and doing the job of two guitarists!’

And an impressive job she does too.

Kudos to drummer Karen Jones as well, who packs a deceptive wallop for someone who looks so sleight.

There’s a nod back to Reid’s early days with The Boys’ Soda Pressing, but with three albums under their belts and a fourth due in May, Reid doesn’t need to trade on former glories.

The power-pop gems come thick and fast, Bombs Away, C’mon Josephine and Montevideo (the latter being a song which earned Reid the civic honour of being given the keys to the titular city) are highlights.

Fittingly, they finish with a cover of The Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop.

This was the band’s first ever visit to Portsmouth. On this showing they’ll be welcome back.