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Live Reviews Music

UK Subs Live at 100 Club, London

UK Subs/Anti-Nowhere League/Discharge
100 Club, London
31st July

Part of a series of gigs that Converse are promoting at the 100 Club (the tickets are free to those who could grab them first online), tonight was the brand’s homage to all things spiky and snotty, bringing together three UK punk legends under one roof. And not just any roof at that – seen by many as the birthplace of UK punk (the 100 Club hosted the first punk festival in 1976) this is, as Captain Sensible put it whilst having a beer outside – ‘the scene of the crime, this is where it all began.’ He explains as the doorman tries to move him away from the entrance with a shove. “Can’t believe I’m still getting into trouble here all these years on,” laughs Captain.

Inside the venue is a funny old mix of gnarled old punks mixed with guests and staff of Converse, but there’s a great atmosphere and energy in the room at odds with what some more cynical types may refer to as ‘penshioner punk’. But as Charlie Harper once said, ‘born a rocker die a rocker’ and nothing is going to stop these old punk bands from continuing to play, not even nuclear war – something that Discharge have been shouting about since the early eighties when everyone thought the bomb was about to drop at any second. Discharge’s paranoid anthems of war, death and destruction inspired a whole new generation of punks (as well as many metal heads too, their then ultra-raw and fast punk was a big influence on the likes of Metallica, Anthrax etc). These days, Discharge are fronted by The Varukers frontman Rat, original singer Cal having parted with the band long ago. And considering the dodgy metal direction Cal took the band in before, this is probably no bad thing. Discharge are a harsh, bellowing, distorted mess of noise. Bones’ guitar tone makes your teeth rattle and all in all, they make a horrendous noise, that somewhere underneath lurks classic punk anthems like ‘Protest And Survive,’ ‘Fight Back’ and ‘Never Again.’ All good fun!

Next up, Anti-Nowhere League (made most famous for Metallica’s cover of their filthy-anthem ‘So What’), take the stage, fronted by the snarling, towering biker-punk monster that is Animal, an apt nickname if ever there was one! He stalks and prowls that stage like a caged lion (he has quite a mane of hair to boot!), spewing obscenities out of his mouth to songs, mainly drawn from their early eighties debut album ‘We Are The League’. Tracks like ‘Streets Of London’, ‘Woman’, and of course, the revolting ‘So What’ all provide dumb, drunk, moronic punk fun that’s certainly not meant to be taken seriously.

Tonight the UK Subs are a revelation. So many musicians, both good and bad, have passed through the bands ranks over the years that their live shows can sometimes be a hit and miss affair, depending on who is in the band at the time. The band that frontman Charlie Harper can proudly call UK Subs in 2012 is shit hot. With original member Alvin Gibbs on bass, Charlie is joined by drummer Jamie Oliver and guitarist Jet who both inject a massive dose of energy into the barrage of classics that pile from the stage.

It’s a complete mystery how Charlie, now well into his sixties, keeps going with such rampant energy and enthusiasm. The man is an absolute inspiration for those that never want to give up, and just keep on going. And it tonight’s gig is anything to go by, let’s hope there’s many more years left in the UK Subs yet. The set is back to back absolute classics – ‘Warhead,’ ‘C.I.D.’ ‘I Live In A Car,’ and many more are all played with total conviction and passion from a band who deserve far more respect than they get. The UK Subs are the kings of UK punk and long may they reign over us!

WORDS: James Sherry

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Live Reviews Music

Coke Bust / Sick Fix live at Platform, London

Coke Bust / Sick Fix
Platform, London
5th August 2012


A little bit of Washington DC arrived in town tonight in the shape of straight edge hardcore ragers Sick Fix and Coke Bust. In true DIY spirit this gig is hosted in a youth centre basement, is all ages, has stalls selling feminist literature, is bring your own booze, and leave your attitude at the door.

First onto the floor are the female fronted Sick Fix who lurch into a set of grindcore fuelled hardcore. Pounding with a rage and intensity of acts like Nails their twisted riffery chugs and lacerates through the blast beats to the beatdowns and is only let down by the small PA that just cannot handle a noise of this magnitude. Vocalist Michelle Northam vents her spleen in a guttural fashion, her face reddening with each rasp as she paces back and forth. This girl has some serious lungs on her. Tracks from their forthcoming debut album ‘Vexed‘ are aired tonight and after thirty minutes of relentless brutality they are greeted with rapturous applause and a queue at the merch table. This is band that takes no prisoners.

It’s Coke Bust‘s second visit to these shores and if you caught their last London show in 2010 you know you’re in for a treat. It becomes quickly apparent that they are sharing their drummer with Sick Fix, this man has to be a machine! After 30 minutes of blast beat skin pounding during their set he’s back to do it all over again with Coke Bust, a task which he makes look effortless. If only it were an Olympic sport, he’d be in for a medal. Coke Bust are just as fast and furious in their song delivery as their support tonight but in contrast encompass a more traditional hardcore sound, buzzing riffs and beatdown’s providing a cutting backdrop to front man Nick Tape’s scathing delivery, as he throws himself left to right, thrusting the mic into the crowd for odd gang chorus. A new track from their recent Vaccine split 7″ is debuted alongside more familiar material from their 2010 debut ‘Lines In The Sand‘. As the crowd is ushered forwards for the finale the pit erupts in a fitting climax to an awesome show.

It’s great to witness two bands that take the power and precision speed of grindcore but manage to break it’s monotony yet retain its ferocity. Sick Fix and Coke Bust manage this whilst each putting their own unique spin on it. If this is the new sound of hardcore emerging from DC these days then we can expect more excellent shows by young bands like these.

Words: Miles Hackett

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Live Reviews Music Preview

D.R.I. Live at The Dome, London

D.R.I.
The Dome, London
26th July 2012

Sadly The Dome is dishearteningly only three quarters full tonight for this rare London gig from classic Texan hardcore outfit Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, touring to celebrate thirty years’ service to hardcore punk and thrash. D.R.I. are, without doubt, one of the most important and influential hardcore bands to have spewed out of America in the early eighties. So where was everybody?! Their first EP released in 1982 crammed twenty-two songs onto one 7” EP and it redefined hardcore. The songs were intensely short and fast, bristling with anger and venom. Likewise, their first full album ‘Dealing With It’ came armed with a better production but was just as pissed off and vengeful.

After that the band, like most hardcore bands of the early eighties, started incorporating more metal and rock elements into their sound. Some did this more successfully than others and thankfully, D.R.I. made the transition better than most, alongside bands like C.O.C., Ludichrist and The Crumbsuckers, they spearheaded the ‘Crossover’ movement within the thrash metal scene and combined the socially aware lyrical content of punk with longer, more complex songs influenced by the first wave of thrash bands such as Metallica, Exodus and Anthrax.

Tonight’s set is drawn from every era of the band’s long career, although thankfully it leans heavily on their early material, which despite some good moments on later albums, it’s still the first few recordings that pack the most punch. Tonight, with original singer Kurt Brecht still pacing the stage and spitting out the lyrics with the attitude and venom of a man half his age, D.R.I. play for over an hour and half, a set that includes god knows how many songs all played at hyper-speed and with ultimate precision. Not bad for a band in their 30th year. On top of that, original guitarist Spike Cassidy has recently made a full-recovery from a terrible brush with cancer and plays every song with a look of pure joy on this face. This is a man that probably never expected to get to get the chance to play these songs again and his happiness infects the whole room.

Despite the venue not being as rammed as the band might have liked it to be, those in attendance go completely crazy and and respond to classics like ‘I Don’t Need Society’, ‘Couch Slouch’ and ‘Snap’ with a tornado of energy at the front of the stage as the band feed off the crowd’s lunacy and respond accordingly.

Still dirty and rotten after all these years. Long may these imbeciles reign!

WORDS: James Sherry

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Live Reviews

OFF! live at The Haunt Brighton

OFF!
The Haunt,
Brighton
18/06/2012

OFF!_thehaunt_brighton

This gig starts early, really early. We arrived just before 8pm, and opening (local) band Gnarwolves had already played. Yeah, that early! And then maybe 20 minutes later Trash Talk takes to the stage. My mate Tony confirms we last saw them in Brighton in 2008 (supporting Paint it Black) – jeez, time flies. One thing’s for sure, Trash Talk have been going hard at it in the meantime, with relentless touring and recording that has gained them a strong young fan base, which is evident tonight. From the opening brutish chords, band and front stage crowd go off. Ok, I’ll be honest; much of Trash Talk’s short, blunt, metallic hardcore doesn’t have that killer impact on me that it promises to, but they are still a captivating live act, amped on anger and loaded with surly attitude.

I managed to catch OFF! on their initial blaze thru the UK last summer, but the gig I went to in Portsmouth was in a huge room, far too big for the show, with a small crowd, stage barriers, lacking atmosphere – a situation not conducive to a good night you’d think. Wrong! OFF! were ace, and we drove home stoked on having witnessed a very great band. So, in the much tighter and more populated confines of The Haunt, they are gonna be really great, right? Right! If, like me, you’ve had the OFF! 7”s and recent album on steady rotation, then you pretty much know you are in for a salvo of fast, tight, belligerent hardcore heavily inspired by the music singer Keith Morris originally cut his chops on, way back in the midst of time, but is delivered in 2012 sounding fresh and totally revitalised. And that’s down to the 3 fellow band members he’s aligned with, all accomplished musicians in their own right, and totally on it in keeping up the intensity.

4 songs bursts are interjected by Keith’s thoughts and anecdotes, and it’s good to know he’s still questioning and refusing to accept what his Government tells him. In other words; Punk Rock. Memories of his long deceased buddy Jeffrey Lee Pierce still cast a shadow on Keith, who questioned whether The Gun Club ever played in Brighton. I can confirm they did, late ’82, or early ’83 at The New Regent in West Street, which is now just another shitty bar, but back then was a hot bed of activity. Ack… the stories I could tell. Meanwhile, back at The Haunt, and approx 50 minutes after they started, OFF! departs to rapturous applause from the crowd… and we gather outside in the fading light, and acknowledge we have just seen a very great band. Intense, in your face and on the road with a vengeance, go see them!

Pete Craven

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Live Reviews

Go Groez or Go Home

groezrockfestival2012As ever, Groezrock festival in Belgium was a bit of a blur. A pretty brilliant blur of bands, drinks, drunks, friends, work, play and partly questionable weather. Crossfire headed out as it’s one of our favs and one of the most punk rock festivals out there. This is a rundown of our experience in the crowd this time around.

DAY ONE

YELLOWCARD ACOUSTIC (W)
We kick off our weekend of bands in a chilled manner with a mass singalong in the chandelier-adorned acoustic tent as Yellowcard have each and every one present in the bulging tent in the palm of their collective hand.

MISS MAY I (J)
Brilliant live band. Lots of head moshing to this which gave us a bit of a head ache but we reckon it was definitely worth it.

THE WONDER YEARS (W)
Stage diving is mandatory at the Etnies stage and bodies are flying throughout The Wonder Years’ set. In fact, they start propelling themselves through the air before the band even kick off their first song. An excellent performance brimming with energy and complete with mass stage invasion at its conclusion.

SET YOUR GOALS (W)
SYG pick up where TWY left off perfectly with more audience participation and an effervescent set of pop punk perfection.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN (W)
We catch a fleeting moment of Dillinger and even this short audience with the band’s set provides opportunity to see them scaling the heights of speaker stacks and spewing forth excellent intricate heaviness in abundance.

GARRETT KLAHN (W)
A hidden gem on the line-up, the acoustic stage is woefully quiet for Garrett’s set of Texas Is The Reason classics and his own solo creations. However, it’s a magical interlude this evening with a spine-tingling stripped down version of Back And o The Left closing his beautiful performance.

GALLOWS (J)
By this point one too many Jagers had been consumed although we do remember a rad set, a rammed tent, a hell of a lot of crowd surfers and keen crazed Belgian stave-divers. The crowd were all rooting for Wade which was nice to see.

RANCID (J)
Two words: Fucking AMAZING

DAY TWO

MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK (J)
Should have played a smaller capacity tent seen as it was half empty throughout the whole set. They lacked serious energy for such a band with lots of great songs and Pierre’s patronising chat in between songs wasn’t very inspirational.

ALKALINE TRIO (J)
We always find that despite how much we fucking love Alkaline Trio their sound live is pretty shocking. So we were glad to hear that they weren’t as bad as they normally are but it still wasn’t brilliant (Skiba if you are reading this – sort it out!) Their set was varied of old and new tracks which went down well however they didn’t play Armageddon so they lose 5 points.

THE BRONX
Undeniably one of the weekend’s highlights, The Bronx have become one of our ultimate festival bands, always bringing the party and the hits, with plenty of engaging banter from Matt in between. In fact, he proposes to the entire crowd present, becoming the ultimate crowd pleaser in the process.

WATO (J)
Sound was slightly dubious and by no means loud enough for such a great band. Despite the fact that their set was not advertised they drew a decent crowd. (They also played v well despite a mole telling us that they were absolutely shitfaced and the drunkest they have ever been for a gig.)

THRICE (J)
Thrice played a much anticipated set to a packed out tent of over-eager fans keen to see one of their last shows as part of their farewell tour. They did not disappoint and delivered a storming set including crowd pleasers Deadbolt and Stare at the Sun.

GORILLA BISCUITS (W)
More Etnies stage insanity at this point with a neverending barrage of stage divers and crowd surfing. The classic hardcore is certainly one of Groezrock’s big pulls for many of their regular punters and it’s great that the organizers bill such legendary bands in such an intimate tent so everyone can get involved. If they can squeeze into the tent, that is.

REFUSED (W)
What can we say? One of our most anticipated bands of the weekend and they did not disappoint. Huge sound. Riveting stage presence. Seminal songcraft. The energy at the main stage when New Noise kicked in is a feeling that will not soon be forgotten. Catch this band whilst you still can.

Brought to you by Jaimo (J) and Winegums (W).

www.groezrock.be

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Music News

Watch Black Flag show from San Francisco 1981

BlackFlag_LogoIf you are looking for some crucial viewing online this weekend and like hardcore, watch this full set of songs from Black Flag playing Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco in 1981. The video features Dez Cadena on vocals making this a rare opportunity to see some footage of the band when they were on form at the beginning of their journey.

If you want Dead Kennedy’s shows from 1978 you can find them on the same site from the links on this page or watch .

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Live Reviews

Live Review: Tennis

Tennis
The Lexington, London
07.01.11

Words and Photo: Alex Penge

Meet Tennis, Denver’s husband and wife 60’s pop idolisers, apparently a tongue-in-cheek dig by Alaina Moore (vocals, keyboard) of her husband Patrick Riley’s (guitarist) interest in the sport at college. On the back of widespread internet acclaim for their web smash ‘Marathon’, the harmonic pop group play their first ever UK gig at The Lexington minus the lairy headbands and skimpy shorts…

Moore graces the stage joined by Riley at her side. The crowd is introduced to an instrumental of wistful guitar combined with mellow notes from the synthesiser. The results are an atmospheric pop haze. ‘Seafarer’ follows on from the eruptive opening with Moore’s youthful cries of summer time teenage affection. ‘Cape Dory’ is the first song to bring a sense of Supremes-like harmony as Moore beautifully proclaims that ‘we can listen to the sounds of the ocean’. The 60s girl group pastiche is not exhaustedly delivered however, with Riley once again providing the modern guitar twangs necessary for reaffirming the pastiche as just nostalgia.

This is Tennis’ first show outside the U.S, considering the universal magnitude of their next song ‘Marathon’ this show is surely not just a transatlantic ta-ta. A fulsome organ fills the room while Moore references the couple’s sailboat journeys of the past, through melancholic rhymes about ‘Coconut Grove’ cove life. Complemented with energetic cymbals the live crowd is provided with a thunderous chorus. ‘Thanks Radman’ bellows Moore at the end of the song, in reply to an overzealous crowd member.

The next song and first cover of the night is Jackie De Shannon’s ‘When You Walk in the Room’. Arguably the most energetic and empowering song of the evening, Riley’s calm yet resonant power-pop guitar builds towards DeShannon’s original emotional frustration. The love songs do not end here, as ‘Pigeon’ unwinds the crowd with flashbacks of frilly senior prom shirts and awkward slow dances. (See: The slow prom dance scene from Napoleon Dynamite. There’s awkward and then there’s THAT!)

It is clear that some of Tennis’ heroes are pre-rock icons, one of which being Brenda Lee. Brenda Lee’s ‘Is It True’ clarifies this view with passionate vocals and jangly strings. There’s hope for the future with potential mini-festival anthem ‘South Carolina’, Florence-esque echoed screams suggest that the band could be well suited to big tents on the festival circuit.

Reproduction of past records and especially forgotten genres can often be valuable, but for just how long? The one criticism is the emotional significance of their music. As it is predominantly based on influences of the past, there is a tendency to want something a little dissimilar, ultimately questioning the reminiscences being presented.

There’s undoubted beauty and charm but you just wonder how the husband and wife duo can progress in the future with a sound that is so precisely formulated. Importantly however Tennis are far from mediocre and are an interesting live collective. They are not quite ready for Wimbledon as of yet but are well on their way.

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Live Reviews

Live Review: Helmet

London Scala
15.12.10

“We want to make London a regular stop!” declares Helmet vocalist/guitarist/sole founding member Page Hamilton, to obvious delight from the crowd. Indeed, it would be nice; this is Helmet’s first UK show in well over five years, and given that nearly two decades have passed since the release of their definitive ‘Meantime’ album, it’s just as well that their absence has seemingly made their fans’ hearts grow fonder.

Two of Northern Ireland’s finest alt-rock bands are on supporting duties tonight. LaFaro’s raw, visceral post-hardcore thrills deserve a far larger audience than a handful of early birds, but the band themselves don’t seem bothered, punctuating the Jesus Lizard-esque sonic mayhem with typical Irish bonhomie. Fighting With Wire plough a similar (but slightly more melodic) furrow, and win themselves a few more fans with the kind of rough-edged tunes that Dave Grohl used to write so well in the mid 90s.

Helmet have never been the most musically colourful of bands; with album number six dubbed ‘Monochrome’, and melody always in short supply. Heavy, dense, pulsating riffs layered over tight grooves is the order of the day, and as Hamilton and co rip into ‘Unsung’, it’s clear that said riffs and grooves still sound as imposing and gloriously bleak as ever. Appropriately enough, Hamilton still resembles a short-cropped drill sergeant, and the now-packed Scala starts to get increasingly sweaty as he coaxes shards of squalling noise from his instrument.

The band have arguably never quite recaptured their early 90s form, but recent record ‘Seeing Eye Dog’ is a worthy addition to the Helmet family, with highlight ‘Welcome To Algiers’ receiving a surprisingly warm reception. But ultimately, neither band nor crowd have youth on their side; so it is no surprise that the closing ‘In The Meantime’ incites a sea of pumping fists amongst the devoted masses.

Alex Gosman

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Music Events Music News

The Descendents announce UK show

The Descendents have been confirmed to play London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire on April 25th.

Following the announcement that the Californian band will play Belgian festival Groezrock two days earlier, The Descendents will also appear at a seemingly one-off date in London.

Tickets go on sale this Friday 17th December at 9AM. With no other scheduled UK performances these are likely to disappear fast, so sleeping on this would not be advised.

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Live Reviews

Live Review: Touché Amoré

Touché Amoré w/ Lighthouse / Throats
Old Blue Last
21.11.10

Coming to the UK for the first time can be a daunting experience for international bands. Although undoubtedly exciting, playing foreign cities to a room full of strangers has the ability to deflate or add gusto to a band’s performance. In Touché Amoré’s case, their cause is strengthened by a stellar selection of support bands, and a loyal fanbase garnered off the back of their exceptional 2009 LP ”…To The Beat of a Dead Horse”.

Warming up the crowd are Throats, playing yet another London show in support of a debut album of their own. As the band struggle to fit all of their equipment on stage prior to playing, it seems inevitable that they are struck by technical problems midway through their set. Although this makes for a slightly stumbling performance, as ever Throats are hugely impressive when in full flow. Up next are German hardcore outfit Lighthouse, who had partnered Touché Amoré on the rest of the European tour. Having no prior knowledge of the band I wasn’t sure what to expect, yet come away completely won over by their lively performance.

This leaves Touche Amore to round off the night with a show stealing headline performance. The band are met with a hero’s welcome, as they play the bulk of songs from “…TTBOADH”, both contributions to their split with La Dispute, and even a new song from their forthcoming album on Death Wish. Highlights come when the instruments are broken off, leaving the audience to shout the band’s lyrics back at them in moments of pure euphoria. A great example of this comes in the bridge section of ‘Cadence’, which sees TA’s singer jump down into the baying crowd. Set closer ‘Honest Sleep’ is another of the best moments, bringing the night to a close with the triumphant chant of the song’s final refrain. As the band leave the stage promising to return next year, Touché Amoré have marked themselves out as the hardcore band to watch in 2011.

Sleekly Lion