NEWS: Wesley Gonzalez @ Head of Steam

Former Let’s Wrestle frontman Wesley Gonzalez hits the highways on tour to showcase his recent Wax Limousine album, roaring into Newcastle’s Head of Steam on Friday 18^th November. No longer sticking to the melodic eccentric punk tunes of his former band, now a few albums removed from their highs, Gonzalez expands on his own eclectic musical palette further and he’s an extremely broach church when it comes to paring styles and sounds; it sounds like waking up hungover, where things are slightly off-kilter and fuzzy at the edges.

When he sings there’s that same authoritative, swooning tone of the 80’s that acts like Scritti Politti, Prefab Sprout, Phil Oakey or Edwyn Collins exuded. His confident vocal swells upfront and is backed by various disco pop grooves of synth and Chic-riffed guitars from the same exploratory pop era, anchored by funk bass and glistening in surround sound.

Gonzalez manages to be simultaneously sincere – earnest even – but never too far from being self-deprecating too, and makes his presence strongly felt while baring parts of his soul and thrusting his hips. He delivers his songs with equal quantities of swagger and a fair helping of pathos. We recommend you get up to the front, let yourself go and enjoy the whole sweaty party.

Wesley Gonzalez performs at Head of Steam, Newcastle on Friday 18^th November.