The Londoners deliver an intense and barking mad 55 minutes on the 16th of February.

I am wandering around outside the 02 considering if I want something to eat and almost turn straight into Joe Love, Fat Dog’s lead singer, composer and sometimes guitar player. It is not the first time I have nearly bumped into someone I am off to see on the Cowley Road. It takes a moment after he has passed for me to process the moustache, leather jacket and trapper hat that means it could not have been anybody else. Bizarrely, it ends up not being the closest I get to him on this crazy evening.

Ziplock

This was the only night of the UK tour where Ziplock were supporting. Having realised it was not either of the artists on Spotify of that name I twigged, looking at their Instagram, it was some kind of Fat Dog side project being given a test drive.

Fat Dog’s saxophonist Morgan Wheeler and bassist Jacqui Wheeler indeed front this electronica side-project with keyboards and various boxes for earnest knob-twiddling. One track in the middle was particularly catchy and got people moving along, tapping fingers and nodding heads. Whilst this won’t be threatening to eclipse the day job anytime soon, they might well emerge with a decent album at some point.

Fat Dog

There was a real sense of anticipation in the air the closer it got to show time. Looking around Fat Dog have created a really diverse fanbase at this point. There were plenty of teens and those in their twenties, but also a lot of middle-aged gig-goers and a few older. Some proper old school punks with mohicans and skinheads had even made the trip. Suddenly, ‘Nessun Dorma’ is blaring out from the sound system. Those of us old enough instantly had flashbacks to Gascoigne and Lineker at Italia 90, in all present it summoned the mood of epicness and absurdity – the perfect baseline for a Fat Dog gig. As it crescendoed the band walked out onto stage to rapturous applause.

They blast straight into ‘Vigilante’ minus the long spoken intro, as it reaches the halfway point we achieve lift off and the O2 is bouncing along. Right on the rail I manage to snatch a few photos at the rare points it is calm enough to risk it. ‘Boomtown’ follows, and Chris Hughes, the keyboard player, is straight into the crowd and encouraging the moshers before extricating himself, then ‘All the Same’ is played, possibly the most Depeche Mode-esque of their work, though more industrial.

During ‘King of the Slugs,’ and then onwards, Joe Love begins regularly coming down and singing on the barrier. A number of times I find myself somewhat trapped into his chest while he sings over me, at one point steadying himself with a hand on my head. It wasn’t quite the gig interaction I had been expecting beforehand, and I consider moving further back, but it is overall far too much fun to consider abandoning my post. It is incredibly lively though with various people crashing into me during the 50 odd minutes of the set. At a few points I have to subscribe to atomic molecular theory and bounce along, from old mosh pit experience knowing it better and safer to be moving along and flexible than fixed and rigid.

It is about halfway through that it strikes me that I am watching the spiritual heirs to Madness. Never taking themselves too seriously, always intent on having fun and encouraging the crowd to do the same. Musically there are a few points where the rhythms and Morgan Wallace’s saxophone lead to slightly closer points of comparison.

In one moment, Chris and Morgan start playing rock, paper scissors with Chris feigning death after losing. At another, Chris and the violinist start a press up competition behind Joe Love, they definitely both hit at least 50 at pace which shows the physicality and the drive to back-up the songwriting and show they are very far removed from being a novelty act.

I had thought their drummer was finally happy to play without the latex dog head on but keener eyes than mine spotted it was Ellis D on drumming duty, standing in for Johnny “Doghead” Hutchinson. Johnny is a great drummer but has struggled with playing live and the growth of the band. We wish him all the best and hope he can get back to the band full time soon.

Monumental recent single ‘Peace Song’ signals the beginning of the end. It doesn’t quite have the same umph live but is just about carried off, the ‘Ahhhhhh Ahhhhh’s that were either a group of singers or a synth sound on the recording interpreted here as violin. Then comes the final epic one, two of ‘Wither’ and ‘Running,’ a few snatches of other tracks thrown into the mix.

The 02 has danced, pogoed and moshed itself silly for 55 minutes. ‘Running’ finishes and they are gone. Is there any hope of an encore, another couple of tracks? No, but they have already royally entertained us. They have garnered a reputation as one of the finest live acts in England right now and this absolutely backs that up. Playful, silly, propulsive, intense, epic, quiet, rave influenced, indie, electronica – all things are rolled up into the Fat Dog – howling and pogoing at the Moon but giggling about it at the same time. If you haven’t got to them yet they are a must see.