Evil Scarecrow LIVE at The Saltbox Nottingham
Evil Scarecrow – Silicon Tea Party Acoustic Show
The Saltbox, Nottingham
05/10/2025
Review by Adam Robinson
“Our manager asked us to do an acoustic set and we said…. No”. Whether or not Evil Scarecrow had to be dragged kicking and screaming to play “grandpa guitars” I will never know, but what I do know is that they can still deliver, even without their extra special features.
They opened up with a treat for the lucky attendees with a new Evil Scarecrow original (Kylie lies!), or rather a cover of ‘Can’t Get You Out of my Head’, which was brilliant and really set the tone for the rest of the show, even if there were no more diminutive Australian women present.
While they may have ditched their normal costumes for this occasion, they donned flat caps instead, which is the perfect outfit for an ooh ah, Somerset-tian banjo-assisted version of Morbid witch.
Dr Hell and co attested that the next song would be a new low, and it could be further from the truth, but I certainly did not expect them to leap into a cover of ‘Rio’ in honour of their producer Russ Russel.
On the way back from the gig, we found ourselves questioning what genre would we classify Evil Scarecrow as. Now I don’t know anything about genres, so I’m coining this “Wholesome Horror” (it’s all yours lads!). Nothing exemplified this more than when Dr Hell chose to give away a magic, reversible sequined Nicholas Cage pillow, which is almost as difficult to type as it is to sing it seems. But a small child had given Dr Hell a bracelet and bought them all sweets, so they summoned said child to the stage to receive said pillow. Considering they have sung about decomposing bodies, shrunken heads, and, worse still, farmers, this was a moment that was genuinely wholesome.
While Evil Scarecrow are self-described as serious about being silly, they did take a moment to reflect during a Q&A session that they have had more success than they ever expected, and they have found a tribe of fellow strange people who enjoy their stuff. It really was a rather tender moment. Other revelations in the Q&A session were that Evils Scarecrow was chosen as the least shit name after a long process of elimination, and that Dr Hell and Matt have equivalent, top-rated egos! I was surprised, however, that the answer to “How many Hens could a Krak-hen crack, if a Krak-hen, could crack hens?” wasn’t 69! (That question was mine btw).
After ‘Shoptimus Prime’, they launched into their most played song, ‘The Ballad of Brother Pain’. I say they launched, a more accurate way of saying it would be “everyone” sang it. The phone torches lit up the room too. It remains a humorous and cathartic tune to belt out with friends, old and new alike.
For the penultimate song of the show, we had acoustic Crabulon, which came just like the “Playing Dead Trees” version and left me with “Crabulon, Crabulon riding through the glen” stuck in my head for the rest of the day. There was then some very careful side skuttling and more crab claws that you could shake a genetically modified stick at. Even acoustically, however, Evil Scarecrow fans will not be denied their opportunity to shout “EGG” ad infinitum. The other treat, of course, is seeing just how long Dr Hell can keep his composure before collapsing into a giggle fit.
They rounded out the show ‘The Future Machine’, one of the songs from their newest album “Silicon Tea”. Now this was an acoustic show and yet somehow it felt like 80s stadium rock! Count Gravedigger still shreds!
This was a wonderful gig to be in attendance at, I think they should do more acoustic ones (please?!). Evil Scarecrow remained thoughtful, funny, and played with the precision we have come to expect.
Now you’ve finished reading this, go get tickets to see them on their “Premature Obsolescence” tour!
https://www.seetickets.com/tour/evil-scarecrow
A solid 10 from me!
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