I saw an online flyer for this gig by Gum Disease in my adopted home city of York. The band referred to themselves as a queer, clown, punk band. That description piqued my interest and sold the whole event to me, plus it was to be an acoustic set and they are always a little different, right? The venue is a wonderfully laid-out safe space for the LGBTQ+ community and incredibly welcoming to straight allies like me. The gig was actually held in the bookshop rather than the cafe so that a fan in a wheelchair would not miss out. You really should check out the Over The Rainbow Cafe!
Gum Disease was formed back in 2020 and consists of Phoebe Kift, Avery Holdom, and Magnus Vintin. Avery and Phoebe were there, but poor Magnus, the drummer, couldn’t make it as he was unwell. So how good were Gum Disease’s dynamic duo of Avery and Phoebe? Well, frankly they were fucking awesome! With maybe no more than 20 people in the audience this was a truly intimate gig. This two-thirds of Gum Disease perfectly epitomised the DIY attitude of old-school punk and they certainly have a new fan in me. Phoebe’s jokes were as awful and groan-worthy as most of mine and she told them to fill in a couple of times while Avery was trying to remember some chords. But none of this was detrimental to what, for me, was a completely open and honest performance from what is clearly a great band. Songs like “Gender Envy”, “Bowling Alley Carpet” and “Milk” were highlights for me as were the covers, especially the truncated “Teenage Dirtbag”.
Their blurb says that they are Gum Disease and they will make your teeth fall out, they certainly rattled mine, but I guess an acoustic set would not have the tooth removal power of a full-on electric show. It was a very special night for one couple in the audience as there was a beautiful proposal and the resounding YES, meant an actual engagement took place. That even brought a tiny tear to this cynical old man’s eyes! Huge congratulations to the happy couple, how many other people can say that they got engaged at a Gum disease gig?
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