Viagra Boys at Troxy

It may only be eight months since Swedish sextet Viagra Boys last played a rainy night in London, but it sure feels longer. 60 shows, one album and three prime ministers later, the boys – and the rain – are back in town. And for all the changes to occur since last May (including the closure of the Brixton Academy that caused this relocation to the Troxy), the Viagra Boys’ energy is as hard as ever.

The fact they’ve barely put down their instruments all year goes some way to explaining the tightness of a group who keep up a rock-solid, throbbing groove for the best part of two hours, and still look like they could go all night. This time they feel more like a band than simply a bedrock for frontman Sebastian Murphy’s shirtless antics, even getting their own individual moments in the spotlight – namely a skronking sax solo from the hotpants-clad Oscar Carls and some stage roaming by cowboy hat-wearing keyboardist/bongo player Elias Jungqvist.

Make no mistake though, Murphy is front-and-centre and everywhere in between, displaying surprising versatility, if not in his dance moves then certainly in his voice, which veers from detached growls (Punk Rock Loser) to outright hysteria (Creepy Crawlers). Between bouts of motorik post-punk satire (Troglodyte) and infectious keytar jams (Shrimp Shack), his hilarious intros reveal the definitely true stories behind meeting his bandmates (teachers at his posh Swedish school) and the group’s ironic name (“If we’re going to make it in England it needs to reference erectile dysfunction”).

The setlist runs the gamut not only musically (at times they sound like The Stooges, sometimes Roxy Music, occasionally Albert Ayler) but also discographically, positioning their newest (and greatest) album, Cave World, alongside some of their earliest work, including the paranoid drug anthem Research Chemicals and the un-googleable love song Liquids. And, despite the cavernous sound of the Troxy, Viagra Boys prove themselves to be the best Swedish thing since sliced furniture.

Dan Meier
Photos: Miguel de Melo

For further information and future events visit Viagra Boys’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Big Boy here: