Gig review: The Moonlandingz at Rescue Rooms

“The Midlands smells like meth, old meth”.

This is just one of the many surreal and sublime utterances from Johnny Rocket (AKA Fat White Family’s Lias Saoudi). Who is Johnny Rocket? A pulp fiction super villain? A member of Ken Kesey’s Merry Gang or the protagonist of an obscure Beat novel? None of these. He is the voice of The Moonlandingz, the Sheffield via South London supergroup composed additionally of Adrian Flanagan and Dean Honer of the Eccentronic Research Council whose music takes an out of orbit detour into the absurd, freakish netherworld that is as fascinating as it is unintelligible. Tonight’s gig at Rescue Rooms is poised to be chaotic. This was rescheduled from May when the band pulled out at the last minute. At the time there was no explanation given, but to Johnny Rocket, any chaos is good chaos. It later emerged that he had become a father to a baby girl.

From the off, things are odd. There is barely anyone here. I thought I arrived at a good time. The doors were at 7.30, or so I thought. I hadn’t been informed that things were way ahead of schedule, and that the support act, Jeanie and The Whiteboys, were due on at 7.15. The chaos, whilst not surprising, was now in full swing. It's a strange time for bands doing stand-alone gigs, what with festival season in full swing and various sports plastered on pub TV screens diverting people's attention elsewhere.

There was certainly an impression that either everyone forgot about this gig or had left before the lights came on. The Moonlandingz are impossible to quantify, as Saoudi coyly declares their music is “unshazamable - alien to the core.” After a week of seeing gig goers use Shazam at the opening Oasis reunion gig in Cardiff, it is chalk and cheese here. There are barely any phones out, let alone people trying to disprove Saoudi’s claim that Shazam doesn’t work.

There is an aura to him that appeals to a certain crowd. Luddite, politically incorrect, polemic with contrarian ideals, this forms an image that is uneasy to puzzle together. Something is quite ugly about it but also hilarious by him being 100% care-free. Saoudi and co kick into The Krack Drought suite - a convulsive discotheque made for filthy ravers that would soon require reviving after hearing their heartbeat thunder at over 200 bpm.This track, like the majority of the set, comes from their new album No Rocket Required - an experimental endeavor featuring the likes of Nadine Shah, Iggy Pop, and Trainspotting’s Spud himself, Ewan Bremner, in a cast as diverse as an independent film.

It isn’t too long before we hear again from the raving polemicist, Saoudi. Topics turn to religion and politics and with a heavy use of bellicose wit, he takes aim at everyone from Bob Vylan and Kneecap (need I say more) to technology and the supposed rivalry with Birmingham. “Free Nottingham from Birmingham!” he decrees to an arousing roar of approval.

Lias’ rants are a textbook of the fella at speakers corner trying first to woo you with their ideas and then verbally harassing you for walking by trying not to make eye contact. This is all part of his schtick to see how far he can go with an audience - just lucky that those here are full of appreciation for his effort and charm and not any old members of the public.

This performance was not for the faint-hearted. It demonstrated a man and a band who are on a mission to be the embodiment of shock therapy. Something torturous and painful, but all the more exciting as it injects a spark of energy to turn on an unenlightened mind. Deviant and unapologetic, in whatever comes out of his mouth, Saoudi is an artist perverted by language and expression, ironic given his autobiography is entitled "10,000 Apologies".  

The Moonlandingz performed at Rescue Rooms on 8th July 2025.

@the_moonlandingz