The Fight
Bivouac @ Duke of Wellington, Lincoln
09-03-06
Two bands, both pop/punk, both with female lead singers and both followed by an American camera crew. It seemed the only thing separating them was their origin: Cigarette from California and The Fight born in Dudley.
It is early days for Cigarette as they have recorded only six songs. Despite this the venue started to fill with anticipation as camera men began to stake their spots around the stage.
Compared to the likes of No Doubt and Blondie, Cigarette provides a mist of light punky attitude. The performance consisted of the lead singer kissing anyone she could grab and asking the question ‘shall I become a lesbian?’ in an effort to try and get the crowd riled up.
It was a shame that the skilled, strong tones and sounds provided by both guitarist and drummer were overpowered by the attitude and arrogance of the lead singer.
Desperation was the word that sprung to mind, as the excitement of a woman in a skirt wore off and the crowd dispersed. When I asked the lead singer what 2006 had in store for Cigarette her response was: “We’re gonna rule the fucking world.”
Our only escape of a deflated night came in the form of The Fight. It would have been easy to pre-judge then as another No Doubt wannabe but are more comparable to the likes of Tsunami Bomb, hailed as the UK’s only hope in punk.
Performing songs due for release in their next album, Lincoln were the first to hear their new tracks in the UK. The same prevailing guitar riffs and bellowing vocals reflected remnants from their previous album ‘Nothing new since rock ‘n’ roll,’ released last year.
The lead singer K8! played a commanding role, orchestrating the crowd into a frenzy and total mayhem. The audience were ignited by her chanting, creating circle pits and crowd surfing in the modest sized venue of the Bivouac.
It was refreshing to see a female vocalist carry the music whilst charging the infectious punk beats with more energy. Disobeying K8’s! orders to sit on the floor, an unlucky audience member received the punishment of having to strip through an entire song. It is evident from the gig that the band has benefited from their vast amount of touring experience. Fans were happy to sing along to the rebellion in-cited lyrics and it was apparent that the band deservedly picked up new fans.
The Fight were euphoric with the response of the crowd, K8! said: “It’s been amazing tonight but I’m always happy with the response we get from Lincoln. We also go down well in Southampton, Manchester and Glasgow but tonight has been awesome.”
Sian Cartwright