The Rock Spot – Carsie Blanton and the Burning Hell – a review
By WTJU Rock
Carsie Blanton and The Burning Hell Concert performed at the Southern on October 15th 2026. Annie De Blanco was in the crowd and reports on how it went.
Carsie Blanton is a singer song-writer political activist, a leader in the fight against fascism, and other murderous government behaviours around the world. She is also very funny and writes songs that lays it all out. Simply and matter of factly.
At The Southern in Charlottesville the other evening she and The Burning Hell, a Canadian duo, played to a joyful crowd who were behind every song, raising their arms in solidarity, singing heartily when prompted and even turned round and happily roared, ‘Doug’, when the soundman was introduced.
The party started with The Burning Hell, a group who had their own satirical songs, told in story form, such as The Robots and Mrs. Patel, which told how Mrs. Patel, a supermarket cashier, got her revenge after self-checkout machines took her place.
Frequently joined by Carsie’s band, their stage presence was engaging and banter hilarious. There was one song where they brought out a stylophone to much rapture and perhaps reminiscence, the average age of the audience being well you know, old enough to have had stylophones in their Christmas stockings. An audience who were no strangers to dissent and protest. An audience who were gleeful and grateful for the work of Carsie Blanton and the Burning Hell.
Carsie of course put on a stellar performance of songs mostly from her two Red Albums including Another War, Elon Musk, Rich People, her badge of honour song, Ugly Nasty Commie Bitch and many others.
She talked in praise of friends and how rich it is to have good and humorous friends, because getting by without is very hard. As Ed Sheeran should know, she added, ‘since he has no friends . . .’ and, after a sly pause, ‘no principles!’ The crowd erupted!
An added treat was Devon Sproule who had the audience joining in with the joining in bits of Gargle My Balls, a song about everyday heroes in the face of our own Brown Shirts. She followed that with the Barbara Dane song, Insubordination.
It was fun seeing the collaboration among the musicians, working together, supporting each other, enjoying each other while entertaining, educating and including us.
After the show, despite the rain, the group took Insubordination onto the streets for one last let it all out encore.
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