After making the
mistake of venturing over Tower Bridge which was tourist central, and
suffering several nervous breakdowns and anti monarchy rants every time I
saw some wanker carrying a union jack, I got my afternoon drink on in
some unexpected sunshine before getting the bus up to the Trashbar in
Stoke Newington to see some of the UK's finest ska punk bands.
The
Trashbar is quite similar to a little place in Hastings called the
Crypt. Dark, dingy, sound so loud tinnitus is a given, and ceilings so
low that if you're over the height of 5'8" there's a good chance you
will unintentionally give yourself concussion. However with £2.50 pints
it's not to be dismissed instantly, even if it is in the arse end of
nowhere (well, for me it was anyway). We missed the first band, the
Bottlenex, but what I heard sounded good.
Next
up were Upbeat Allstars who were pretty good, it was sometimes
difficult to hear the vocal in the mix but they got a fair few heads
moving, mine included! Then next up was South London band Skets. They
were impossible not to take notice of, with a frontman who doesn't look
dissimilar to Father Damien of Fucked Up, but also decked out in a
vibrant Hawaiian shirt. They played a really good set consisting of fast
paced ska that inevitably made your feet move, your beer get spilled
and you didn't care. In a similar vein were Popes of Chillitown, a band
who I'd sadly never heard of before the gig, but who made me dance in a
way that few bands can, which at the time was the best thing ever. Many
of their songs have a noticeable Sublime-esq quality to them but other
tracks confuse you with a Balkan-like drumming to move your feet to.
Anyway, as I said last night this bands seemed like the best thing on
the planet, which I would like to think isn't just down to the Red
Stripe flowing through my veins at this point. Definitely a band to
catch live and I defy you not to dance like an idiot (playing Boomtown,
if anyone's getting on it). The drummer was
also wearing a Bacon Skateboards tshirt, which, I was reliably
informed, makes them the best band of the evening, because no-one has
one of those tshirts or really knows who they are. Or something.
Anyway,
this wasn't a fashion parade and I don't really give a shit about
skating meat-related t-shirts or their companies, so once I'd worked up
an adequate sweat to Popes of Chillitown and spilled my beer all down
myself, after a short break Random Hand took to the stage. The place was
bloody packed out at this point and even if you weren't dancing you
were pretty toasty. Nevertheless, nothing can stop me from dancing about
to this band, and opening with Tales of Intervention from their latest
LP they really didn't disappoint. They played a good mix of tracks from
their 3 LPs. Highlights for me were Play Some Ska, Not a Number and
Anger Management. I know they played more and I know I loved it all and
danced till my feet hurt, but the whole thing was so brilliant as always
it's difficult to pick highlights. Seriously, this band never
disappoints me live and if you haven't seen them before you don't know
what you're missing. One of the finest bands to come out of Yorkshire,
always a joy to hear Northern tones in London, and another band that
will be playing Boomtown.
Nice hangover today,
bruises on my ankles and shins and a jacket that's still a bit damp from
sweat. What more could you possibly want?!
5/5
Kathy
No comments:
Post a Comment