Category: Live Reviews

Oxford Zodiac
28/01/06

The opening band of such a mighty touring package as this evening’s may appear almost irrelevant in the eyes of many – particularly those squeezing themselves into this modestly spaced venue shortly before 7pm. Clearly no one has bothered to tell this to Philadelphia trio Stinking Lizaveta, who with a hyperactive blend of electric style blues and good old fashioned rock and roll quickly win over the rapidly growing audience.

Clutch may have been alive and kicking within rock’s inner circles for over a decade now, but it’s abundant this evening that neither their blinding spark nor rabid fan base have any plans of dying out in the near future. Front man Neil Fallon stomps and jives his way across the stage throughout, and though their occasionally long-winded jams succeed only in slowing down an otherwise energetic set; crowd igniting renditions of The Mob Goes Wild and The Incomparable Mr. Flannery show that when the chips are down, Maryland’s finest are still capable of producing a winning hand.

However, it’s obvious that veteran rock heroes Corrosion of Conformity are the real stars on display tonight. Having been away from UK shores for almost a decade, the air is thick with anticipation right up until the moment the quartet stride onstage in unexpected silence. “We’re Corrosion of Conformity from North Carolina, and this is what we fucking do!” announces main man Pepper Keenan before launching into the opening riff of the explosive Paranoid Opioid. From here on in, Keenan and co produce an hour of flawless and near untouchable hard rocking delights. Treasured classics Clean My Woundsand Thirteen Angels are wheeled out to the ecstasy of all in attendance as beers are raised and horns are thrown from band and crowd alike; and with In the Arms of Godproviding a touching tribute to the tragically departed Dimebag Darrell, almost five hundred people are left safe in the knowledge that they have witnessed the return of one of metal’s true class acts.

Welcome back, boys.

Ryan Bird

Mike Relm / One Self
Jazz Café
25/01/06

When DJ Vadim and Yarah Bravo took to the stage, with the aptly named Bongo Pete, the Jazz Café wasn’t even half full. This was a shame because, despite the lack of Blu Rum 13, the opening act were really very good. Vadim has always been able to bring out a multitude of different beats and tonight was no different, going from soulful smoothness to big band bounce.

Yarah’s voice sounded superb over the beats and live percussion, and this was never more apparent then on the renditions of Be Your Own and second single Bluebird. She can rap, she can sing and she’s good with the crowd, you really can’t ask for anymore in a front woman, and she was enjoying every minute of it, bouncing around with a beaming smile on her face, responding to the growing crowd. The addition of the live drums really gave an extra edge to the tracks and brought the songs alive, especially during his solo, when he used every instrument he had lined up by his side, to construct a chorus of head nodding noise.

All the right things were said in between songs too, the props for Latryx [Lyrics Born and Lateef] and the vehement opposing of the booty-led rap videos and when new tracks were debuted, it capped off the perfect end to an opening set that could easily have been the main event.

Up next was the show stealer, Mike Relm. I’d seen the diminutive DJ supporting another Quannam group, Lifesavas, 2 years ago and he took my breath away. But if he was good then, he was absolutely incredible now. Setting himself up with a video screen to the side of the stage and numerous turntables, he started the party off with various mash ups, which brought the noise levels increasingly higher.

After the crowd pleasing use of White Stripes track, he showcased his enormous talent for multi-tasking during his live sets. He started to play Bjork’s No Sensuality, along with the video, which played out on the screen to his right. Over the top of this he mixed in Run DMC which got the old skool fans rushing to pay more attention to the man in the suit and tie. He moved over to his smaller turntable and proceeded to scratch wildly which, it turned out, was linked to the video, so everytime he scratched a track, the video scratched with it. When the song skipped backwards, so did Bjork, walking backwards instead of forwards.

This continued throughout the set, the best example of which was his use of a Fight Club segment. As Edward Norton threw a punch at Pitt, a snare went off as it connected. Relm played on this and started scratching slowly, ensuring Norton’s punches floating through the air before the snare snap, but as Relm got increasingly fast, the punches turned into a flurry and by the end, the DJ’s hands were going as fast as I’ve ever seen, leaving Norton’s fist nothing but a blur. Needless to say the crowd went ape shit over it, and rightly so.

The bespectacled turntablist used all sorts in his set including Rage Against The Machine, Led Zep and even had a small intermission whilst he caught his breath and let a Family Guy voiceover keep the crowd interested as he got some water. When he threw on the twist competition video of Pulp Fiction and stuck Blondie over the top of it, following up with numerous 80s classics, the crowd were at fever point. He finished off, as he always does, with a hip hop beat-led version of John Lennon’s Imagine, and had the words up on the screen as a pre-recorded Relm had written the lyrics on a note pad. The lighters were in the air, the mobile phones were in the air, the hands were in the air… Relm had taken over, the star of the show.

Much the crowd’s delight, it turned out that Mike Relm was on the decks for Lyrics Born’s set too, and as LB came bounding down the stairs, hand raised in the air asking for noise, Relm dropped the first beat and the headline set was underway.

It was a pretty entertaining set, especially when the crowd pleasing Do That There was wheeled out from the back catalogue and it was during this song that the crowd got most hyped, singing along with the chorus and punching the air in time to the beat, copying the MC they were facing. My personal favourite track, Bad Dreams, was also on the set list and the bouncing bass of that song certainly made a big impact, going by the smiles on the faces of everyone around me.

LB then got to telling us that whenever you turn on the TV or look in the news, you see bad things, but that the world isn’t based on hate, its based on love and we should all remember that. On that note, he dropped Stop Complaining and the message was driven home in his own inimitable style. The other stand out track in his set was Changed My Mind, another song that everyone in the audience was happy to sing along to without prompting.

Overall, this was a great concert. The two support acts were, in my view, stronger than the headliner, who wasn’t helped by the female singer on stage with him, who tended to drown out the beat a little too often, but regardless a lot of fun was had by all.

Abjekt

The Mean Fiddler
22-01-2006

The opening bands were The Avalanche and Match. I didn’t get to see them, but they were highly praised by both headliners. I will be sure to keep an ear to the ground and check them out for next time!

With 7 albums under their belt, MxPx has been around since the early 90’s. The Christian-themed outfit from Bremerton have just released their latest 2005 album, Panic. They played a punctual full hour set from 8:30. Their new tracks Wrecking Hotel Rooms and I Heard That Sound, were perfectly slotted in between some old favourites.

The crowd went wild! Me and my camera were saved so many times by the bouncers I lost track…so a special thanks to those guys for running such a tight ship-or I would have been squashed by legions of crowd surfers! Road kill!

Chick Magnet had EVERYONE singing along…apparently Tom from The Starting Line was the ‘player’ of the tour, so this track was a tribute to him! I hate comparing bands, but it’s the only way you can get a rough idea of what they are close to – if you haven’t heard them…So think: New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, Green Day, Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters and, No Doubt and then you are on the right melodic pop-punk track.

I have seen MxPx so many times, it’s safe to say that you will always have a great time at any of their gigs. They are energetic, engaging and fucking talented. Besides, I’ve been listening to them since 96/97, so the reminiscence brings back sweet memories and makes me feel a decade younger. What deserves a special mention is the cover song they played, Leaving On A Jet Plane. I enjoyed it so damn much, it slipped my mind until the next day! If you want more covers from this band get an album called On the Cover. They give Me First and the Gimme Gimme’s a run for their money! The only song I wish they had played was from my favorite album: Slowly going the Way of the Buffalo; I’m ok, You’re ok. This track is also covered by their other side project The Cooties.

MxPx’s sound has changed since their earlier albums. It has matured and lost the high-school edge I found so damn irritating. You no longer visualize cheerleaders when listening to their albums! Great if you in the mood, but for general listening, it is definitely a step in the right direction. Another great thing about them is they don’t shove Religion down your throat. It makes their music more pleasurable for the rest of the Atheist Universe.

The Starting Line mainlined with MxPx. This tour not only celebrated their new 2005 album, Based on a True Story, but they also recently parted ways with Geffen Records and signed with Virgin. This means that their albums will be easier to get hold for you and me! Rad! The 4-piece is often compared to MxPx, but I would say more influenced by MxPx, and sound more like 100 Reasons.

Crowd surf fest continued, and was enthusiastically encouraged by the band. Whilst maintaining an air of cool sweetness on-stage…a few public apologies were made to ‘Florida the sound guy’ who was punched the day before. Kenny is a self-professed grouchy git when off stage! So don’t be fooled by his sweet façade. Still waters run deep!

They played an awesome set of all their current hits; Photography, Artistic License and Stay Where I Can See You in tribute to his girlfriend. One of their last songs were tribute to (surprise, surprise), MxPx – sickeningly sweet I know! Both band’s made tributes to each other. One tour together and they are like fuckin blood brothers!

Again, another short, neat 45 min set for the night-which finished at 10:45 sharp! Maybe the bands had a curfew – or couldn’t wait to get back to the party bus! It was a heck of a short gig, and it would have been great if they had stayed on longer for all the fans that waited around after they left the stage. Yes, they don’t have a decade of tracks behind them, sure, understood…Put the band with the most tracks on last-so they can carry the crowd through to closing time…

Niki Kova’cs

LONDON ASTORIA
26/01/06

There’s somewhat of an unwritten rule in today’s heavy metal society: that rule being that unless you are in the presence of royalty (Slayer, basically) you simply do not attend a gig whilst adorning any form of merchandise related to one of the evening’s performing acts. The fact that London’s Astoria is tonight packed to the rafters with eager gig-goers sporting Children of Bodom t-shirts is therefore a grave statement of just where the Finnish quintet now stand in modern day metal’s elite rankings.

Before they have the chance to display exactly why they possess such status, however, there’s the small matter of Hungarian metallers Ektomorf to attend to. Here to support 2005’s Nuclear Blast released Instinct their distinct tribal metal stylings are met mostly with only taunting cries of “Soulfly!”, resulting in a competent if slightly unoriginal set being well and truly quashed from the off.

As the lights go down and the extravagant car-shaped lighting rig that occupies the stage begins to rev up in preparation, it’s immediately clear as to why Children of Bodom are fast becoming one of metal’s leading lights. Greeting the hysterical crowd with a cluster of classic cuts including a pummelling rendition of Sixpounder and a jubilantly received Silent Night, Bodom Nightthe set is anchored and never sinks. Ten feet tall letters displaying the band’s familiar alias ‘COB’ flash at blinding levels, keyboardist Janne Warman casually sips a cold beer whilst his fingers glide effortlessly over the keys, and front man Alexi Laiho stands victoriously atop the neon bonnet before the familiar speed-metal antics of Needled 24/7 bring down the curtain on an evening of unforgettable and simply stunning theatrics.

The gateway towards world domination appears to be firmly open for Children of Bodom in 2006, and on the basis of tonight, there’s at least 2000 followers ready and willing to help tear the hinges clean off it.

Hail!

Ryan Bird

The Dublin Castle
24/01/06

At first glance, Living Things are your run of the mill American rockers. Dressed uniformly in black, slick fitted trousers and shirts, eyes sullen and air of seriousness shrouding the stage, you expect some hardcore rock to come pounding off the stage – but then front man Lillian Berlin bounds onto the stage…wearing skin tight turquoise trousers, a matching chest re! vealing waistcoat and a pair of cowboy boots ; it’s like the love child of Mick Jagger and Justin Hawkins …only there’s not a hint of humour or Darkness style high kicks – this is deadly serious.

The Living Things are led by three brothers, Berlin, Lillian and Eve Bosh (drums, vocals/guitar, bass respectively) with friend Corey Becker ( guitar) and once you can get past Lillian’s Axl Rose-esque snaking hips shimmying across the stage, it’s a performance that sets you back and draws you in. Loud, brash and in your face, Living Things have that contented swagger of a band who know they’ve got something special. Thumping beats and ripping guitars mingle with Lillian’s intelligent lyrics and carefully constructed hooks.

Jumping on and off stage he leans out to the crowd, spinning out lyrics about the war and political righteousness with a curl of the lip- all wrapped up in radio friendly licks and easy catchy lines. The anti war Bombs Below strikes a chord as does the poignant God Made Hate but it’s upcoming single Bom Bom Bom which stays with you, it’s unmitigated pop, an easy on the ears track with a bouncing chorus which steals the show. It’s hard to know what the band are trying for – the pop sound doesn’t quite sit with the band’s punk rock styling, but the heavier glimpses we get are worth the wait.

With a Steve Albini (Nirvana/Jawbreaker/Your Codename is Milo) produced album set for release in UK shortly, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of reception the band enjoy here.. They have a point to prove and the show tonight goes along way towards that, although with such serious scowls on the brother’s faces, it’s hard to believe the stories that their stage show once included bandying around straps on. With Lillian they have a flamboyant, engaging frontman, and the set is a commanding ferocious performance from a band who are clearly here to make a mark…it only those turquoise trousers weren’t quite so tight…

Dee Massey

For further information check out www.myspace.com/living things

www.livingthingsmusic.com

The Dublin Castle
25th January 2006

Sweaty men and rock seem to go hand in hand, so fresh faced girl band The Delilahs are a breath of fresh air. Hailing from Zug in Switzerland, the three members [Muriel Rhyner (vocals/bass), Isabella Eder (guitars) and Sonja Zimmerli (drums)] met at school and formed the band in late 2003, and have been going strong ever since, with opening slots with The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Stereophonics under their belt and a record deal with Jexed Records.

On a whistle-stop visit to the UK the band are openers at The Dublin Castle, and there’s an impressive queue waiting to get into the show. Kicking off the set with upcoming single This Is It Rhyner’s voice is clear, sharp and steady, with strains of Chrissy Hyde echoing through. Eder on guitars smiles from behind a sheet of blonde hair, a perfect mix of coyness and guitar princess that sums up the band – you can practically see the drool on guys’ chins in the crowd. Whilst Rhyner is economic with her on stage banter the blistering riffs more than make up for it.

Let’s Tango has some engaging drops in tempo, as its name suggests the music dances around the listener. Trouble With Mondays and Someone Dadada are equally catchy, a barrage of guitars and surprisingly heavy drums enveloping the venue. They have a clear distinct sound, which they never deviate from, and tracks could almost merge into one – but as the saying goes, if it aint’s broke, don’t fix it.

It’s refreshing to come across a girl group who are more L7 than Avril Lavigne, there’s nothing fake or manufactured about them, and their performance is slick being too overly polished. However whilst they look content on stage, there’s little movement, or audience relationship formed, which would bring another dimension to the set. All in all – an interesting introduction to a girl band who prove tonight they’re not just pretty faces.

Dee Massey

For further info check out:

www.myspace.com/thedelilahsch
www.thedelilahs.com

Islington Academy
12/01/06

When Carling sat down and decided to put on a New Kings concert, I wonder what exactly went through their heads to come up with a grime/crossover act alongside two indie acts. Maybe their tea boy should stop hiding his stash in the kettle, because it really didn’t compute to me.

Still, free drinks [naturally, I was on the Coke] and ten enthusiastic Kano fans made it all worthwhile. The rest of the audience comprised Magic Numbers and Graham Coxon fans, none of whom seemed at all interested in Mr Robinson who strode on stage to a rather muted sounding Home Sweet Home, spilling his rhymes over the drastic staccato beat telling the crowd “if you don’t know K A, you don’t know”.

P’s & Q’s, arguably the best song on his critically acclaimed [and Abjekt top 5’d] album bounced around before the heaviest of bass lines boomed into the crowd’s ears. Kano grew in stature a little during this song, getting over the apathy in front of him, pacing around talking about his gangster lean and telling us why he makes more Ps than fakers do.

The sirens then blared out across the speakers as he rolled into Ghetto Kid, sparking the set into life. What changed the dynamic of the performance was the appearance of his hype man, Ghetto, who thrashed around on stage as if he were listening to Metallica‘s Kill Em All on invisible headphones, barking out his lines with ferocious style and then hooding up for the guitar led Typical Me, which signalled the increase in volume of the sound system. This was the track that finally got some of the non-Kano fans head’s nodding in time as Kano and Ghetto rode over the chugging guitar with presence and gusto.

The next 3 songs were more radio-friendly and included his well received Streets‘ produced single Nite Nite which saw Ghetto replaced on stage by Leo the Lion, much to the delight of two female fans hanging onto the barriers at the front, not least when they were serenaded by K A himself. Sometimes followed with the young MC rapping about how hard it is for him to understand why he’s the popular one, amongst all the grime MCs around him, but on tonight’s performance it’s easy to see why. When Brown Eyes hit, an upbeat piano sampled song, Kano was in his element and as the camera phones were raised up to his “I don’t wanna fall in love” line, a small smile appeared on his face, recognising he really had arrived.

His final track, my personal favourite on the album, the Diplo produced Reload It, saw Dangermouse and the almost epileptic-sounding Demon crash onto the stage. The watery sample over heavy but uplifting drums caused me to lose control of my muscle control and dance around like a fool amongst the static indie fans. When Kano finished by quoting his t-shirt saying “I can spit like an old school MC, A B C, 1 2 3, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, you know he really does pack a punch in his delivery and live show.

In all, despite the strange line up, he brought his live set off well after a slowish start. Having MCs around him like Ghetto and Demon certainly helps as they can bring the crowd into a frenzy whilst Kano then mellows them out with his more laid back flow. He certainly was a King of 2005, and 2006 can only get better for the former Chelsea trainee.

Abjekt

+ Devildriver
London Astoria
December 6th 2005

After the demise of his previous band, Devildriver‘s Dez Fafara certainly still feels he has a lot to prove in the metal world. His return back into the realm of all things heavy was at first greeted with much scepticism and an almost cynical certainty as to his quick and snappy return to obscurity, but in sharp contrast, the reaction to the band both live and on record, has been anything but.

Despite having that oh so trendy and predictable ‘metalcore‘ sound about them, Dez and co. definitely have that live edge that similar bands would give their right testicles for. Songs that sound fairly drab and samey on record are given a breath of life live, a sentiment that is blatantly obvious to the masses of Lamb of God t-shirt bearers in the crowd, who dutifully follow Dez’s orders to start breaking bones in the now customary wall of death. If Devildriver can bring their game up on their next release, it’s certainly possible it’ll be THEM headlining sold out shows at the Astoria next time round.

To Lamb of God regulars, the haunting cow bell opening music can only mean one thing – there’s five guys from Richmond, ‘fucking‘ Virginia who really don’t want you leaving the show without at least injuring someone in the process. This European tour marks the end of a massive touring schedule on the back of their ‘

Ashes of The Wake’ album , which has sold like ready-to-eat-temperature cakes on both sides of the Atlantic. Their appeal to such large figures of sales baffles most; as despite being lazily labelled part of the ‘New Wave of American Metal’, Lamb of God come from a much darker, more extreme and unique place than any of their peers sound wise.

Opening with album opener ‘Laid to Rest‘, the Virginia five piece’s mix of groove laden chunky riffs, inhuman screamed vocals, odd time signatures and bloody evil sounding lead guitar work by Mark Morton make for an exciting live experience. This band are fucking up for it, and the enthusiasm spreads through to the sprawling mass of a sold out Astoria crowd almost instantly.

Guitarist Willie Adler bobs up and down like a man possessed, with a beaming smile clamped onto his cheeky face, clearly loving every moment, whilst Randy Blythe paces up and down the stage eyeing people in the front row up with a stare that would have most preparing for a bout of fisticuffs, before belting out another one of his frankly incomparable demonic bellowings.

The crowd are lapping it up. If I didn’t know better, I’d say most of them had paid good money to simply beat the living shite out of each other. There is an almost constant circle pit swirling around right in the centre, with Randy’s insistence of people to ‘get fucking moving‘ hardly needed. This is fightin’ music, that’s for damn sure.

The set is excellently balanced between their three album back catalogue, bridging the huge gap between the studio production sound of ‘As The Palaces Burn‘ and ‘Ashes…’ and putting forward the music as it was intended to be heard, at ear shattering volume with a beer in every hand. It’s easy to forget just how musically complex Lamb of God’s music actually is, for music that sounds so raw and crude….another welcome addition to the American’s vast appeal to both fans of the straight up thrash and fans of more progressive stylings, and certainly with a new album on the way in 2006, Lamb of God’s rise to the top won’t just a matter of how popular they’ll be, but how many bands will be able to keep up with them in this current musical climate.

The only criticism of the band’s performance tonight has to be in relation to Randy’s vocals, which tonight certainly reflect a band who’ve been touring on this release, pretty much since it hit the stores. It’s to be expected naturally, but it does put a slight dampener to an otherwise face slappingly good set; and also augments Devildriver’s flawless visit to the stage, suggesting that even the best bands have their off days, but no one in the Astoria gives a toss about that, and Virginia’s finest can leave safe in the knowledge that they are well on the route to being megastars in the metal world.

4/5
Daniel Crouch

McQueen
London Camden Underworld
8/12/05

Girls can rock, but can they RAWK? Well, the sooner McQueen get some much-deserved recognition, the sooner this tired old argument can be put to bed. The Brighton quartet may have been plagued with the usual lazy Hole comparisons afforded to most all-girl bands, but McQueen’s sound is more LA than Seattle; great filthy guitar licks, rumbling bass and no shortage of exuberant punk-rock aggression.

Singer Leah Duors could teach most vocalists a thing or two about stage presence, but tonight’s crowd clearly know a good band when they see it, as the last few songs are met with raucous applause and cries of “More!” Superb stuff – watch out for this lot.

Viking Skull have often been criticised for being dumb and derivative; which, as criticisms go, is about as pointless as slating Hatebreed for being loud and aggressive. These guys aren’t trying to be Tool; they’re an unashamedly straightforward good-time rock band, united with their audience in unashamed worship of the RIFF. Take equal parts AC/DC, Sabbath and good old British pub-rock bravado, mix with plenty of booze, and you have one hell of a recipe for a good evening’s entertainment – plus a guarantee of a sore neck the morning after.

The recent departure of guitarist Frank may have slowed down frontman Roddy Stone (he’s taken on Frank’s guitar duties), but it hasn’t robbed anthems like ‘Red Hot Woman‘ and ‘Crank The Volume ‘Til The Speakers Explode‘ of any of their gloriously unpretentious, devil-hands-in-the-air appeal. And let’s face it, how many other vocalists out there would take a grinder to their guitar – showering their band and audience in sparks – all in the name of showmanship?

Rocking out is meant to be fun, people! In the midst of legions of emo bands selling us little more than morbid introspection, it’s good to have the likes of Viking Skull and McQueen around to remind us of that fact.

Alex Gosman

Brixton Academy
01/12/2005

There was a swarm of fans standing in the large Brixton Academy on Thursday night, a real mixed bag – old school ravers, young pop punks, middle aged trendies, the lot – so you would have thought someone in the crowd would have appreciated the Towers Of London (I hate those wankers! Z-Ed), tonight’s support band. However, it seemed that a grand total of zero was the number of fans the cock-rock band made that night, which, considering the guitar by numbers and indefinable vocals, wasn’t that much of a surprise. Even the singer’s clumsy clambering on top of a speaker did little to garner any sort of reaction from the bored onlookers.

Luckily, the DJ set that followed, in the build up to the main even, brought the entire Academy to life with booming bass and all sorts of stuff being thrown into the mix. Blur and Gorillaz merged into the White Stripes and Azzido Da Bass, and all the while the DJ’s hype man was revving the crowd up, getting them dancing, pogo-ing and generally having the good time that everyone expected in the first place.

But it was when the curtain covering the majority of the stage dropped that business really did pick up. The stage set up was simple enough – drummer on the left, Liam and his space ship like set up in the middle and guitarist on the left. The light show, as ever with the Prodigy, began as it meant to go on with a green star shining out from behind Liam as the beat kicked in. Then, to make sure the crowd really was at fever pitch, the lights went up behind the decks to reveal Keith and Maxim, in matching all black outfits, standing in cages, pumping the crowd up.

With both vocalists firmly in place in front of the musicians, the anthemic Breathe flew over the speakers, the sword wielding sound effects sparking a frenzy in the crowd, and even up on the balcony where only the faint of heart remained seated. Spitfire and Firestarter then followed, with Keith, now sporting a fetching side parting, finally getting a chance to bark out his infamous spiel. After the Maxim led-Voodoo People, Keith disappeared and emerged on the balcony, raving with the lucky few at the front, including, I might add, sweating a great deal in front of me.

At that point though, a scream from my friend made me look to the stage and, as the classic No Good kicked in, none other than Leeroy was on the stage, doing his version of Riverdance on acid, much to the delight of every single person in the crowd. His return to the group, whether permanent or simply to dance for the Brixton masses, was the highlight of the show, which was already an amazing set.

Poison slowed the proceedings down with its bouncing dub beat but the encore certainly did everything to pick the pace back up. Smack My Bitch Up was easily the loudest karaoke moment of the night and was soon followed by Maxim taking us way back when, as the cartoon sampled Charly told us not to talk to strangers. After a sharp glow stick shot to the face, I was busy dancing to the last song of the night, the song that turned everyone in the place into a Jamaican ska dancer, Outer Space.

It was a fantastic show put on by the group, the sounds, the visuals, and the inclusion once again of live musicians helped bring a raw edge to their sound. Top that all off by the return of the man who makes Bez look like a doddering old man, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a party!

Sam Hesketh