Jerry Built, Kingston Peel
Now this is a strange one. I’m in Kingston, on a Saturday night, it’s freezing cold and im off to the Fighting Cocks to see Jerry Built and a supporting cast of thousands (well, two other bands anyway…) rock the bizarre foundations of the public house turned tudor-esque torture room gig venue. So, after stocking up on a beer or three, the relative normality of the bar area was vacated for the bizarrely lit and unusual gig area at the back. No stage, small room, good atmosphere. Perfect
First up were THE MINGERS. Straight out of Leeds, this female fronted quartet have started to make a name for themselves around the UK, but this was the first time I’d seen them, despite them opening for Five Knuckle the previous night, a gig that I was at but arrived late for. I’ve got to be honest, I’d somehow conjured up a feeling that I wouldn’t like the band, but after the first couple of songs, I was set straight and I rose to my feet to enjoy the set with a closer inspection. Politically charged, outspoken, energetic and tight as the proverbial noose, half an hour of searing opinionated hardcore with fantastic, yet possibly underused, metallic overtones. While some may say that they have begun to climb the punk rock ladder mainly due to the presence of a feisty female in the ranks, one look at the talent contained within the rest of the band will tell you that this is nonsense. Top quality stuff, whatever the gender (8)
Things turned a little poppier with the appearance of FLETCHER in the venue. Yet again, if im going to be brutally honest, on record, Fletcher do nothing for me. I bought their ‘My Revenge’ album on the strength of their live show, and I was disappointed. However, on stage, the songs take on a whole new identity and tonight the boys do good. The title track sounds huge, and each saccharine coated punk number takes on a life of its own, but it’s ‘Throwaway’ that impresses me most. It sums up all the good things about Fletcher in one neat and tidy package and as such, is the song I associate with them whenever the name is mentioned. However, they still aren’t really my thing and by the end of the set, it’s all become a little samey, especially after the hardcore onslaught of the Mingers. Still, they are probably the best UK band around at the moment plying this particular kind of pop punk, and for that I salute them (7)
But the show was inevitably taken by JERRY BUILT. Sami’s last show on four string duties and JB’s first headlining gig in god knows how long, the band came home and conquered. New material was interwoven with old to create a fantastic set of intense post-hardcore goodness, but the whole shebang was overshadowed by the departure of ol’ Sami. After so much time spent writing new material and gaining a foothold in the UK scene, it will be a tragedy if this departure held them back in anyway, and we can only hope that it doesn’t. Still, you could hardly tell that it was time to part ways as they rocked out on the floor of the Fighting Cocks and proceeded to plant huge, shit eating grins on the faces of everyone present. (8)
So, alcohol was consumed, new bands were witnessed, old bands rocked like we always knew they could and I ticked off another random venue on the old travel map. Still, it’s good to be back north again. Bloody southerners…..
Ross
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