Piebald, Camden Underworld
*This gig was at the Barfly*
So, what has undoubtedly been the biggest Punktastic tour to date came to a close with a second night at the Camden Barfly. What made this night even better was that is was free as a thank you for all the support the bands had received on the tour. I was expecting the venue to be full to the rafters, but when I arrived it turned out it was a good, if not great turnout.
First up were perennial Punktastic favourites MY AWESOME COMPILATION. Now considering the fact that we’ve been pushing these guys for years it might be surprising to learn that this was the first time I’ve seen MAC live. What I saw certainly impressed me and lived up to everything I’ve heard about the band in a live setting. During the course of their short set they played the likes of ‘Wish You Well’ and the storming ‘Butterflies’. They were consistently strong and entertaining throughout the set and I look forward to seeing them play bigger and bigger crowds in the future. (8)
Next to take the stage was MC LARS, a man who has proven to be the star of the tour. The biggest crowd of the night crammed into the Barfly’s small stage area to get a glimpse of the likeable American in action. From the off it was easy to see why Lars has been drawing rave reactions throughout the country. The simple fact is that this guy exudes personality. I don’t think one person in there could fail to find him fun and entertaining. Sure, he may not be the best MC in the world, but his songs are smart and funny and are performed with gusto by the three men on stage. From ‘Signing Emo’ to the superb ‘Mr Raven’, the crowd took MC Lars to their hearts. If he gets the right kind of push, this guy could be huge. (9)
AUDIO KARATE must have been surprised to find that the room emptied quite a bit after MC Lars’ exit. The pop-punk quartet played a mixture of songs taken from ‘Space Camp’ and their excellent new album ‘Lady Melody’. What surprised me was that the band seemed to have a big problem with the sound on their newer tracks. The likes of ‘Jesus is Alive and Well’ and ‘Hey Maria, despite being great songs, were swallowed up in a wall of noise. It was the older tunes such as ‘Rosemead’ and ‘Nintendo 89’ that were better received, mainly due to the fact they sounded clearer. Overall this was a steady, if not explosive, performance. (7)
Now unfortunately I only got to see a couple of songs by headliners PIEBALD, so it would be unfair to give them a rating. However, they did sound in great form before I had to depart to tackle London’s transport system.
The latest Punktastic tour then has certainly been one of our best. The bands won new fans up and down the country and this night’s series of performances was no different. A great night’s entertainment and made all the more sweeter due to the fact it was free. You certainly won’t see these four bands in venues this size again very often.
Mark
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