Monday 9 April 2012

Snuff @ The Cockpit, Leeds


The omens were not looking good for last Saturday night, where I was seeing Snuff at the Cockpit in Leeds. Despite having wanted to see them play for as long as I can remember but never quite managing it, the stoke was dampened somewhat by the fact that it was at the Cockpit (one of my least favourite venues in the city) with support from two bands whose music was, with the best will in the world, not my cup of emo. Add in an afternoon nightmare trying to sort Megabus changing in my lunch break, impending man flu and spending the time between work and gig being shouted at by pissed up roiders who took umbrage at me having a skateboard, and I was not in the best of the moods by the time I got to the Cockpit. Luckily I only caught the last few minutes of the second support band, and it was warm enough to lurk outside while the DJ played the same Dead Kennedys song about 4 times (in between the Slipknot and Goldfinger, because it was a punk rock show and you have to know your audience as a DJ. Fucking cretin.) The vibes were turning nasty, and I didn’t know why – so thank fuck for Snuff, who took to the stage and gave two fingers to my negative attitude by moulding there frenetic, melodic punk rock into one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. When I tried to drum up a crew for this gig, I was met with a baffled reaction far more than I expected to be; the only reason I can think of being that the use of the term ‘pop punk’ from certain quarters puts people off from even trying. These people are mongoloids, as Snuff are now one of my favourite live bands, with the same energy I imagine they had 20 years ago, and an odd kind of shambolic tightness to their set (if that contradiction makes any sense). Highlights included ‘Chocs Away’, ‘Do Nothing’, ‘Now You Don’t Remember’, and their cover of ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’ as performed by the drunkest looking people in the crowd…musical genius. They bought the night to a close with ‘Arsehole’, also with heavy crowd participation. I have a feeling this encore was going to be followed by ‘Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads’, but unfortunately those lovely Cockpit staff decided that one more song would completely ruin the evenings schedule, I’m assuming which mostly included a soul destroying club night full of first year students listening to Blink 182 and trying to cop off with each other. In the words of some philosopher cunt, if you stare too long at the Cockpit, the Cockpit will stare back at you. Reading this back I’ve realised how livid I sound – I would like to point out that I couldn’t be too livid, because Snuff were really, really good. Go see ‘em fools!
4/5
Jono

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