The Old Blue Last, London
12/07/08
The Old Blue Last. Home to “uber awesome” Vice magazine readers and “too cool for school” crowd in skinny jeans standing around being, well….cool. Tonight this venue plays host to a line up of no nonsense misfits from Merseyside. The pioneers of the modern day UK thrash movement; SSS are back in town and ready to tear this place a new arse.
First on were generic xHARDxCOREx outfit Ambush who showed enthusiasm for what they were doing and played reasonably well. However they failed to muster anymore from the crowd than your run of the mill annoyed vegan with crossed arms nodding his head in the corner of the venue. Right on, brother.
Dirty Money were up next with their own brand of straight up, huge chip on your shoulder, hardcore. With rants before songs about the lack of government, wrongful arrests and the death of a good friend, front man Graham and co clearly have an agenda and have no hesitation slapping you in the face with it. The songs are hard, fast and abrasive and are exactly what people paid in to see.
The real gem of the night came when Cold Ones held the stage hostage with lead singer Russ, tonight, dressed as a priest holding court with the masses. This band display such intensity and unpredictability on stage it’s almost like watching somebody with Parkinson’s juggle with Molotov cocktails. Cold Ones grab you by the balls and drag you kicking and screaming into the gutter with them. Ace!
With drummer Dave out of action, SSS are a man down tonight. Regardless they still take to the stage with a drum track being supplied by an mp3 player and Dave’s bed bound body, head banging onstage via the medium of a portable TV. Foxy still bounds into the crowd to flex his obnoxious front man muscle like only he can. Spitting out the words to ‘Damaged Goods‘ and ‘Thrash With A Small Moustache‘ in the faces of the audience members who seemed even the slightest bit bored and shoving the mic down the throats of people who weren’t.
Unfortunately SSS only manage five tracks this evening due to their drummer being replaced by an I-pod (or as Foxy pointed out “It’s not a fucking Ipod!! It’s a fucking creative!!!”) and a TV Monitor. Regardless of the unfortunate timing of this tour / illness, SSS are always a pleasure to see. Digital drummer or not.
This night of successful sets continued with the Down & Outs stepping up to fill the headline slot in the absence of a fully fit SSS. Bass player Magill is on double duty tonight playing guitar for this outfit. (We later found out he had to be back in Liverpool for work at 9AM the next day. Rock n’ roll!) The ‘boys from the black stuff’ deliver a host of songs which have you toasting the sky and singing along with all choruses if you know the words or not.
Upstairs in the Old Blue Last was left in a pool of beer and broken glass. As it usually is when SSS come to town. Luckily for the people in attendance they brought a few mates, who play in awesome bands, to share to the stage and fuck the place up with. Nice.
Tom Lindsey
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