Mission of Burma @ Birthdays, London 06.12.12

Unsound, released this year, has seen the band continue their ersatz route through alternative guitar music, and a particularly small show at Birthdays, Dalston (250 capacity) is a highlight. From the go, Roger Miller’s drawl of a voice drives their blend of noise and passion, and while some songs are classic, that’s beside the point; people are here to lose their heads. Some almost succeed; headbanging and moshing to bizarre rhythms and guitar lines that barely cling onto the definition of ‘riff’ closer to the front, while a quieter, meditative state takes on most fellows at the rear. It’s a perfect audience-band symbiosis – they trust each other.

At the beginning of their set, they announce “Let’s play some punk rock”. There’s nothing like middle-aged men playing punk music – but then, there’s nothing like Mission of Burma. Apart from the mythology that surrounds them, created in due part by tomes such as Azzerad's This Band Could Be Your Life, they are their own beast. They still sound like kids; perhaps that’s a good thing.