U.S. Bombs @ Keighley Arts Exchange

There are undoubtedly plenty of situations I have got myself into in the past which could be married with the term ‘surreal’; a penchant for heavy drinking and smoking, coupled with an affinity to life’s less salubrious characters and a prudent avoidance of adult lifestyle choices like a full time job, means that I have witnessed my fair share of weird shit. However even by these standards, telling people that ‘I’m off to a gin bar in Keighley to see Duane Peters play a gig’ sounded like the start to a rubbish joke. With a venue in Sheffield (easy to get to on public transport, good city with stuff to do before and after a show) falling through last minute, somehow the U.S. Bombs’ show was moved a few miles down the road to Keighley (arse end of Bradford, little public transport, Friday and Saturday night hotspots include anywhere you can drink Lambrini or Frosty Jacks without getting picked up by the cops).

Of course, this was a gig for people of character – and we were chock full of that, a car full of us heading over from Leeds with more people meeting us there. It turns out that Keighley Arts Exchange is a pretty decent venue, with a wide selection of gin as advertised and a gig room that, despite looking like a school sports hall, had a really good sound. The gig opened with a band from Huddersfield whose name I forget, playing a strange mish-mash of genres which ended up sounding slightly like Faith no More (or maybe it’s just that one of the band had that band’s t-shirt on?) and went down as well as could be expected at a punk show…fair play to them, they looked to be enjoying themselves, and they were up there doing it, but it wasn’t what I expected for the night’s beginning. Thank fuck then for In Evil Hour, the next band up and a complete turn-around in sound. Female fronted hardcore punk with a slightly gothic bent a la the Nerve Agents, they played a hard, fast but still melodic set, the perfect sonic slap to the face to wake people up and get feet moving; well worth checking out if you don’t know them. A short acoustic set by Bombs’ guitarist Chip Hanna followed, an unexpected bonus set of which the high point was a cover of Sam Cooke’s classic ‘Don’t Know Much…’, and which was joined toward the end by Duane decked out in leopard print jacket and cane replete with urethane wheel base.

This set things up for the Bombs nicely, with everyone ready to git some as that familiar drum beat built up the tension before crashing into ‘Tora, Tora, Tora’. The night descended into a sweaty, drunken whirl of which details are hazy, so I won’t give a song-by-song account of what was played… but suffice to say Duane did his best Fred Astaire impression with the cane, I danced like an idiot, and everyone shouted every word to ‘Jaks’. There’s something about their melodic street punk that hits the nail squarely on the head, and by the end of the night everyone had smiles on their faces even after consuming varying amounts of gin. The U.S. Bombs are awesome, go see ‘em then go downhill on a skate!

By Jono Coote

RIP Junior Murvin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngGdngdruQE

Yesterday the music world lost a reggae legend in Junior Murvin. Despite having a similarly prolific output as many reggae artists, it was for the Lee Perry-produced ‘Police and Thieves’ for which he is most remembered by many. Released in 1976 and pertaining to the constant battles between badmen and a violent police force in Kingston, it struck a nerve over here too due in part to its coinciding with the Notting Hill Riots and a growing distrust with an institutionally racist police force. It also found popularity within the fledgling punk movement and it was The Clash’s version on their debut album which propelled the song further into the limelight in the UK, Murvin’s breathy falsetto vocals replaced by Joe Strummer’s gruff tones. ‘Cool Out Son’ was more recently given a boost in public consciousness by its inclusion in the game EA Skate 3, but these two tracks are merely the tip of a soulful iceberg. Of particular note are his Curtis Mayfield covers, of which the only easily findable song is probably ‘Rasta Get Ready’ from the Police and Thieves album. Apart from his brief moments of fame Murvin is probably one of the most underrated artists in Jamaican music, so if you ever find yourself in a dingy record store down Portobello Road, or wherever you are, and see any one of his records, don’t be put off if it isn’t his 1976 moment in the sun; give it a chance for some of the best music you’ll ever kick back with some good chronic and lounge to.

RIP 1949-2013

The Restarts @ Temple of Boom

The Restarts @ Temple of Boom

There seems to be within DIY touring circles a certain avoidance of Leeds by certain bands. Hardcore shows are almost guaranteed to have a good turnout of crew and a fun atmosphere, as are any TNS affiliated events, but for most southern punk bands (younger ones at least) things can get a little strange. As such Leeds is often ditched in favour of Manchester and Sheffield, so it was good to find out that The Restarts were Leeds-bound, and at the city’s finest new DIY venue at that. My plans to finish work and then cruise around on a skateboard until the gig were scuppered by shite weather, so my gig preparation consisted of sitting in the back of my shop drinking cider and chatting shit, before I headed to the venue for doors to carry on in a similar vein. After texting a bunch of the usual suspects and receiving replies in the negative I wasn’t sure how many people would turf out, but by about 8 the Temple was getting nicely packed out. Sitting in the bar area, the building is small enough to usually hear the moment a band plays their first chord and head through – unfortunately this doesn’t compute to acoustic music, so my first inkling that Paul Carter was playing was the gradual drain in bodies from the bar. This was a slow realisation, hampered by a fog which was equal parts customer service exhaustion and cider abuse, and as a result I only caught the very last few songs. These were good songs however, including his classic ‘Speed’, ‘You’re Living in the Past’, and to finish a crowd-enhanced sing-a-long of something which I should remember, but which is unfortunately lost in the foggy haze of a week and a half ago.

Mood uplifted, I headed out to the bar where it was bought crashing down by, shall we say, the attitudes of certain crowd members (I originally wrote this out in detail but fuck negativity, this blog is meant to get people hyped on going to shows).Luckily Canadians The Rebel Spell put me back on keel with a set of melodic hardcore which bought to mind such luminaries as SNFU, Avail and Youth Brigade. Fast, tight and with a shit hot bass player, they worked out a treat as the only unknown for me in the evening’s line up. As the evening wore on I started to flag, but The Restarts are always a reliable wake up and they didn’t disappoint with a set of gravel voiced classics including ‘Outsiders’,  ‘On To You’, ‘Timewaster’ and a glorious encore of ‘Frustration’ while everyone got jumping down the front. Tiredness was paradoxically washed away in the rivers of dank which poured into my lungs, and I headed out stoked on places like the Temple and bands like the night’s line up who are out there keeping the DIY spirit alive!

Jono Coote

Jaded Eyes - Gods and Monsters LP

Jaded Eyes – Gods and Monsters

 

Sometimes you hear a band and are immediately gripped – the music is exactly what you had been waiting for, sometimes without even knowing it. The first time I saw Jaded Eyes, at the always enjoyable Fox and Newt pub in Leeds, was one of those moments. As much as I am thoroughly enjoying the recent penchant for melding 80s style hardcore with UK82 anthemic choruses, it’s a breath of fresh air to hear a band break away from the mould and temper their full throttle, rabid approach with a sense of melody and a lean towards intricate structures which separates them from the pack. Their debut record Gods and Monsters captures this in a spot on manner, nine tracks of Dischord style melodic hardcore punk rock which channels the bands influences and melds them with the northern hardcore which is clearly in their blood. In case you were wondering, all the best UK hardcore comes out of the north of the country, and as Jaded Eyes are made up of veterans of the scene, the chances of this not being good were very slim. Still, it has outdone my already high expectations and is now on heavy repetition on hill bombing journeys around Leeds with just me, a skateboard and some tunes blasting. I was going to give some highlights like I usually would, but to be honest the whole thing is fucking sick…if you like punk and hardcore music, get hold of a copy and I promise the stoke will be high!

Jono Coote

Gogol Bordello - Pura Vida Conspiracy

Pura Vida Conspiracy is Gogol Bordello’s 8th album offering (I think), since 1999 when the band was formed. Anyone who knows me will be aware that I personally think they’re one of the best bands on the planet, therefore me telling you that this album is worth your time and money isn’t going to encourage you to buy it. So I won’t.
Opening with We Rise Again, this is a typical Gogol Bordello track, rabble rousing, accordion and violin heavy opener, but a closer listen indicates much more pressing matters, “borders are scars on the face of the planet” and looking for a “radical future”, this is stuff that obviously affects the band and Eugene Hutz in particular. It’s a cracking track, quite a dark undertone after a few listens but at first it’s not their fastest paced track, but nor is it their slowest.
It leads nicely into Dig Deep Enough, a Greek-Mediterranean influenced track (musically). This track is part chilled and part crackers. It’s going to be amazing hearing this live, and to me it could be one of the new highlights of their live shows to come. Malandrino is a track that was released on the internet a while ago, so will be the track most people are familiar with, and it’s a belter; another good singalong track for live shows with a lovely reggae-tinged bassline running through it.

There’s not really a stand out track for me on this album, but there’s not a track that I’d skip either. It’s certainly worth waiting till the very end of the album, as the last minute and a half unleashes a cacophony of noise that part of me wishes the whole album had been like.
For me, the first 4 tracks will determine whether you’ll like this album or not. The album really grows on you with every listen. It’s pretty clear to me that dropping their record label after the last record has obviously done Gogol Bordello a favour, and the album is reminiscent of galloping horses that don’t want to stop running. But, if Gogol Bordello stop running then the nature of the band will change, as will their music. This isn’t an album that will convert the unconverted – this is an album for those not adverse to punk with a hint of musical influences from around the globe. Anyone into bands like Manu Chao, Bootscraper, Mariachi el Bronx, Rafven and the like.

I still haven’t forgiven myself for getting so inebriated I slept through their set at Boomtown 2011, and so I bought my ticket to see them at Brixton Academy before I’d heard anything off this album. They remain constantly inspirational, despite many copycat bands emerging in recent years (possibly due to a surge in popularity of Balkan flavoured vibes) and, for me, they’re one of the best bands around. For people looking for something like Gypsy Punks, you won’t find it hear. This album will reward you with a band that’s grown from that. But of course, crowd surfing drumming and a 90 minute cardiac workout won’t go amiss in December.
By Kathy Butler

Pig//Control, Dry Heaves, Jaded Eyes @ the Fox and Newt, Leeds

Saying you’ll go to a Sunday night gig is always a dubious proposition, entirely dependent on the amount of cash frittered away over the previous couple of days, and levels of fragility/rum flu allowing for movement. However last weekend’s line up at the Fox and Newt was too good to miss out on, a stance I clearly shared with a fair few of Leeds’ music patrons. We missed opening act the Platitudes, a local ska punk band whose inclusion on a hardcore bill seemed odd – not having seen them though, I couldn’t comment on how they went down. Luckily we reached the pub in time to see Jaded Eyes, a band made up of local scene veterans who wear their influences on their sleeves. With a name taken from a Government Issue song, and featuring ex members of the Voorhees and the Horror, they ripped through a set of Dischord influence hardcore punk which immediately grabbed the attention of the quickly growing crowd. This DC influence is muddied with a slightly debauched edge - no more than in 'Factotum', whose title is taken from a Bukowski novel -
which, along with the hoarsely shouted vocals, place the band firmly within a strong tradition of throat ripping Northern hardcore. Definitely a band to keep an eye on, especially with a record out later in the year.

With the crowd amped, and slightly pissed in many cases, Sheffield’s Dry Heaves hit the stage and pummelled eardrums with a set of thrashy 80s style hardcore. If you get the chance go and see them (if you live in Yorkshire chances are you will, due to a heavy gigging work ethic), this is abrasive music at its rawest. Headlining tonight’s show were Pig//Control from Berlin, who I hadn’t checked out before but was informed were alumni of various rad German hardcore bands. This proved to be a good tip off, as we were treated to an ear melting set of D-Beat influenced hardcore; short fast songs, squeals of distortion and ferocious vocals melded to create an inescapable wall of noise which grabbed by the throat and didn’t let go. Despite a surprisingly quick cut off, possibly from the venue, no-one could feel cheated after seeing a line up like that. I staggered home, ears ringing, safe in the knowledge that the hardcore scene in Yorkshire is going from strength to strength.

5/5

Jono

The Damned with The Dickies @O2 Leeds

In my considered opinion going to see live bands is one of the finer things in life, and as such I try to do so as often as possible. Late last year I realised that my passion had possibly gone slightly too far after spending £18 to see The Damned in Leeds, on my own, when I could barely afford food. However with the ticket already purchased I decided to make the best of things and, after a fortifying smoke, made my way into the icy night in search of punk rock and good times. As venues go, O2 Academies are never ideal for a solo gig mission; overpriced beer and oversized rooms almost seem specifically designed to feel unwelcoming, lessening the connection the crowd feels with the band, and with each other. However The Dickies, over from the US to open on the tour, showed no signs of noticing this and proceeded to put a smile on everyone’s face with their  camp, slapstick pop punk. Singer Leonard Graves Philips looks like an alcoholic maths teacher and dances like a stripper having an on-stage breakdown, which taken along with props including a snorkel and sex doll for ‘Waterslide’ and a cock’n’balls sock puppet for ‘If Stuart Could Talk’, made for one of the most fun live performances I saw all year. I can imagine the gig at the Brudenell the previous summer was a treat, another UK headline tour in the near future definitely wouldn’t go amiss.

After the edifying site of seeing large groups of drunken middle aged punks singing along to punk versions of ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Banana Splits’, The Damned had a lot to match…and unfortunately, they didn’t pull it off. Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible and co put together all the elements you could want from a Damned show; a good ratio between straight up rock and roll and keyboard heavy, looming gothic sounds, all the classics you would expect to here, and plenty of rock opera posturing. However, what still seemed fresh and fun as recently as the early 2000s, when I last saw them, now comes across as slightly jaded and worn out. Possibly it wasn’t helped by the herb that was now wearing off and bringing with it a tiredness I had forgotten about, but adding a five minute prog-style breakdown in to every song is not a way to keep anyone but the most accomplished muso geek interested. I forced myself to stay until I heard ‘Smash it Up’ (of course, the final encore), but by then I was tired and ruefully thinking about other ways I could have spent that twenty quid. Nostalgia, you are a violent and fickle mistress…all I can say is thank god for the Dickies!

3/5 (That three not being for the Damned, in case you were wondering).

Jono