MARKY RAMONE’S BLITZKRIEG + UNCLE JUNIOR @ TUFNELL PARK DOME 21ST JANUARY 2026
I must confess that I’m a little wary about seeing Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg. I know that Marky Ramone was the Ramones’ drummer for many years, but I saw the Ramones back in 1986 (yes, I really am that old), and this can surely only be a pale imitation… right? That question will be answered later. Before that, we’re here to be entertained by Uncle Junior.
I arrive at the Dome knowing very little about Uncle Junior, other than the fact they’re a group of eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds from a small town in Hampshire who’ve relocated to London to chase fame. That’s never been done before! Bassist Patrick Lewis is sporting a Frank Zappa Hot Rats t-shirt, which feels like an encouraging sign. The band is completed by vocalist and guitarist Oli Noble, with Isaac West on drums.
Opening track Baby Shoes arrives drenched in feedback, while PSHE is particularly high-octane. The songs are strikingly unusual, packed with inventive ideas. Each track feels distinct without the band losing their overall identity. With Uncle Junior, you very much expect the unexpected.
Shahanaz opens with a freakbeat-style guitar intro, while Melt Me leans into a slacker US college-radio vibe. If Pavement had been British, this might be what they sounded like in their early days. Blind ramps the pace up considerably. Oli Noble’s vocals carry echoes of Kurt Cobain, but this is far removed from grunge. Dead Horses features a beautifully melodic bass line and a tempo shift in the chorus and middle eight that I’m fairly sure drops into 6/8.
Oli reveals a surprisingly rich baritone on Richard, leaping an octave for the chorus. It’s impossible not to be impressed. When he leans into his lower register, he sounds disturbingly like Iggy Pop. The set closes with I Love You, Kenneth Copeland, which live becomes a full-blown epic. It begins in angular post-punk fashion before slipping into reggae, lulling the audience into a false sense of security. Then Isaac West unleashes a vicious drum solo as Oli tortures his pedals into screaming chaos. When the song resumes, the drum solo seemingly continues. Cataclysmically awesome. What a closer. What a set. I have a strong feeling we’ll be hearing much more from Uncle Junior.
Finally, it’s time to find out whether Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg enhance the Ramones’ legacy, drag it through the mud, or land somewhere in between. The venue is absolutely rammed, expectations sky-high. There are plenty of geezers of a certain age, but also younger faces clearly keen to understand what all the fuss was about — and more women than I expected. A roadie in a CBGBs t-shirt only heightens the anticipation.
The band lope onstage and, without ceremony, tear straight into Bobby Freeman’s Do You Wanna Dance — exactly as the Ramones played it. That, frankly, is the best possible start. At 73, Marky Ramone’s drumming is extraordinary, still blisteringly fast and relentlessly precise.
Guitarist Marcelo Gallo wields a Gibson Les Paul Junior in true Johnny Ramone fashion, while bassist Martin Sauan bellows a rapid-fire “1-2-3-4!” between songs — largely theatrical, as the tempos don’t always align with the count-ins. Vocalist Inaki ‘Pela’ Urbizu is tall, lanky and convincingly Joey-esque, with the voice and movements to sell it completely. Whether guitarist Marcelo has stolen his girl remains unclear, but perhaps that’s taking historical accuracy a step too far. If you’re unsure what I mean, The KKK Took My Baby Away — played tonight — tells the tale.
The Ramones always had a knack for covers, and their take on The Trashmen’s Surfin’ Bird still hits hard. Tonight’s version does exactly the same. Some of the cover choices, however, are more questionable. A Ramones-style rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain feels unnecessary, brilliant song though it is. The band’s covers EP, Punkin’ Out The Classics, also gives us a Ramones-flavoured Wonderful World. I can’t help but ask: why? Still, these are minor grumbles.
So, to answer the question I posed at the start: this is about as authentic a Ramones experience as you could possibly wish for. While this is absolutely not the Ramones, it does feature their longest-serving drummer, even if he wasn’t the original occupant of the stool. The highest compliment I can pay is that, at times, I genuinely forgot I wasn’t watching the actual Ramones. Yes — they really were that good. Next time they’re in the UK, I’ll be dahn the front.
WORDS/PHOTOS: MARK KELLY
