Dead Men Walking @ Fat Pauly's, Norwich

Dead Men Walking @ Fat Pauly's, Norwich

By SEAN ATKINS

Dead Men Walking is not really a band, it is more like four for the price of one.

The Dead Men, playing Norwich on Saturday towards the end of a six-date tour of the country, are actually Glen Matlock of The Sex Pistols, Kirk Brandon of Spear of Destiny, Mike Peters of The Alarm and Pete Wylie of The Mighty Wah.

These four fairly different musicians are all graduates of punk in their own way and their mutual respect and admiration is clear.

The unusual format involved all four guitar-playing singers sharing the stage, taking turns to perform their own material, with varying degrees of backing from the others.

Brandon drew a terrific response with SoD hit Never Take Me Alive, Matlock showed the strength of his post-Pistols material with Open Mind and Wylie took us back to the 1980s with a stirring Story of the Blues.

For me Peters was strongest, simply because he refuses to act his age, belting out Alarm anthem 68 Guns and Neil Young cover Rockin' in the Free World with great energy.

The music was interspersed with stories and relaxed banter from the Dead Men, who promise to continue their collaboration.

Spurred on by an enthusiastic following at this excellent club venue, the Dead Men finished with storming versions of the Pistols' Pretty Vacant, the Small Faces' All or Nothing and The Who's My Generation.