Is Prolapse the Best Post-Punk Band Ever?
I thought so before the concert in London last Sunday, but now it’s confirmed. Prolapse is, without a doubt, one of the most essential post-punk bands ever.
They tick all the right boxes: a fantastic debut in 1994 with killer EPs (“Pull Thru’ Barker”) and the cult album “Pointless Walks to Dismal Places”; an uncompromising, sharp, and noisy post-punk sound that nods to Joy Division but remains unmistakably their own. They reinvented punk completely, hence the post-punk label, with a wild mix of trance, madness, and freshness that still bursts through both live and on record (just listen to the “fight” at the end of “Tina This Is Matthew Stone”).
What’s equally impressive is their new album, “I Wonder When They’re Going to Destroy Your Face”, released this year. It’s as if they’ve stepped straight back into 1994, the same aggressive punk vibe and raw energy, the same uncompromising spirit. How many bands manage to return decades later with that same fire, attitude, and talent?
And that concert last Sunday… I went with my 21-year-old daughter. She grew up coming to indie rock shows with me, Hope Sandoval from Mazzy Star, Lana Del Rey (before the fame), Ex:Re, all unforgettable nights. But like me, she was blown away by Prolapse.
It’s hard to explain: the sheer immediacy of their sound, the power from the very first song. We were in awe within seconds. Honestly, the show could have ended right there and it would still have been worth it, a historic moment, an event.
Then there’s the humour. Linda and Mick never stop joking, especially Mick, who fills the gaps between songs with absurd and brilliant commentary:
“Only five girls in the audience, I see.”
“George Bush’s face has been compared to a chimpanzee. I mention this because I’ve been compared to George Bush. And, well, yes, George Bush side by side with a chimpanzee, that works.”
Or Linda’s trademark:
“Mick, you forgot all the lyrics again,” to which he calmly replies, “People don’t care, they don’t see the difference.”
Musically, Prolapse swing between raw aggression (“This is a love song,” says Mick, not even close!) and moments that almost recall 60s rock. But let’s be honest: this is punk, pure and feral. You either love it or you don’t. My daughter gave the concert a perfect 10, her best since Ex:Re in 2019, and she’s seen plenty since. For me, it was the most emotional and exhilarating live experience since the Clamm / Ditz / Lambrini Girls trio at Grauzone Festival in The Hague in 2023.
And here’s the thing: Prolapse aren’t even a professional band anymore. Linda now works as a newspaper editor, but when she returns to music, she refuses to play in any “boring” band. Prolapse still have that spark, that punk madness, she craves. Watching Mick and Linda in trance on stage, completely lost in it, we were right there with them.
Maybe that’s the real secret. Prolapse are one of those rare bands who enter the same trance as their audience. Most bands today, even great alternative ones, feel disconnected from the crowd. The transcendence is gone. Prolapse, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about image or attitude. They just deliver, the purest, most electrifying post-punk concert you could ever dream of.
