Okay okay. January can be a long month. Whether it’s holding onto New Year resolutions for dear life, freezing your fingers off waiting at the bus stop or staring in fear at your bank balance, the winter blues can be a nightmare. Helpfully, your friendly neighbourhood music magazine (that’s us) are on hand with two nights of stacked line-ups back to back at the iconic 100 Club to shake them firmly off. On Night 1 of Here Comes Your Jan 2026, that’s amplified and then some, with a crunch of riffs ringing the year into another gear.
Dropping the 100 Club firmly into a grunge-soaked haze, ugly ozo is pure excitement. Revelling in the sharp points around the edges, the set feels hypnotic and permanently on the brink of eruption. There’s a sense of momentum throughout, garage-rock energy colliding with tight, driving hooks. It may be early in the night, but pogoing crowds break out as each song lands, ugly ozo ripping straight into the next. Brand new tracks are met with mosh pits (“that’s literally the second ever mosh pit I’ve had at one of my shows,” it’s noted), and the message is clear. ugly ozo isn’t making tentative steps, but confident strides into the spotlight.
Ellis-D is immediate. Whether it’s his stage presence, command of the room or how quickly he ends up in the crowd, there’s a reason the indie underground has been talking about him as one of the best new live acts around. He proves it at the 100 Club tonight, tearing through hook after hook with little let-up. Moving quickly between tracks, he plays with enough force that his guitar strap eventually gives way. By the time closer ‘Drifting’ arrives, the room is left wanting more, and there’s plenty more to come. 2026 already looks set to be a big year for Ellis-D.
Taking the headline spot, Alien Chicks arrive with confidence. Already carrying a reputation as a live band who leave nothing behind, they rip through their set with focus and intent. Moving constantly across the stage and locking in with the crowd, tracks like ‘Steve Buscemi’, ‘Illuminati’ and ‘Cowboy’ land hard, fuelled by a visceral punk energy that keeps mosh pits in motion from the opening moments through to the closing throes of ‘Candlestick Maker’. A band who’ve clearly put the work in, tonight serves as a reminder of Alien Chicks’ ambition. They’re pushing forward fast, and the crowd is right there with them.
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