On the surface, Punk doesn’t sit well with Heaven. Buried in central London, it’s a hub for heavy beats and over-priced drinks, but scratch away the surface, and it’s not really all that bad.
There’s a great party atmosphere tonight for this evening’s Halloween ball – and kicking things off are THE JAMES CLEAVER QUINTET [4/5]. Last time Punktastic saw The JCQ, they were killing the Local Heroes stage at Hevy before glassjaw came on, and they’re on similarly ridiculous form tonight. A highlight of the weekend then, and a great way to kick off tonight – the band’s Halloween attire involves stockings and tiger outfits from the flanking bass and guitarists, and they most certainly get the crowd involved. Their set climaxes with Jimmy (bass) taking a high leap from a wall fixing, and should they avoid serious injury and tearing through all the equipment – you’ll be hearing much much more from these guys in the future.
Next up are ROBOTS IN DISGUISE [2/5], who have basically wasted a decent band name on being a bit of a waste of space. It’s not like they’re terrible, and there’s something about the chemistry that works, but they’re a bit fashion driven and lazy for Punktastic’s taste – wacky Mighty Boosh connection or not.
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The band, however, show none of this on stage, and their live shows still contain all the electricity that made them as respected as they are. The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster are one of the greatest bands of their ilk to come out of the UK, and though the end of the tour seems to have left the veterans a bit exasperated, they suit the Halloween party as well as any band ever could.