4ft Fingers, Camden Underworld
It felt like ages since I’d been to a proper show, I can’t really think how long but it felt like too long. Anyways, I booked the time off work for the Big Cheese annual Xmas bash knowing it would be a good show and to be fair it lived up to my expectations. Six bands in one night can be a lot of work but as soon as I walked in the atmosphere was pretty cool and thus, the scene was set for an enjoyable night.
Anyone who reads this site should know how much we love FASTLANE and as a result, they need no real introduction; if you haven’t heard of them by now you will do very soon, I promise. They only got to play a five song set, but bloody hell they rocked hard. This band really is on fire now and if you read any official review on this site it’ll say the same, so I won’t go into it in depth. In a live setting they are so full of energy and are incredibly tight, add this to the fact their music is damn good too and you get the picture.
RIGHT TURN CLYDE, are for me, on of those bands you know about but haven’t ever properly checked out. So tonight I decided I’d get on the case. To sum it up in a sentence; I was quite impressed. On paper they sound pretty much perfect; melodic without sounding wimpy, tight without losing energy and just generally pretty entertaining to watch. But unfortunately there was just something missing which I can’t place my finger on. Their drop-D riffs are a nice change when combined with the mid-paced speed of their tracks and the split vocal duties kept things fresh but as I say there was just something missing which didn’t leave me blown away. A good, solid performance nonetheless.
5 CENT DEPOSIT are a band I’ve heard briefly on CD and I think I quite liked what I heard so I was fairly eager to check them out. Unfortunately most of the crowd didn’t feel the same and the band were left playing to not as many people as they deserved. The three-piece ply their trade with ‘proper’ pop-punk which is a good thing in my eyes, but I can’t help but feel they’d have gone down a lot better in 1994 as opposed to 2004. Still they put on a good show and the short and punchy songs were delivered with plenty of verve and left me tapping my foot so all was good. I took a breather (i.e. went to the bar) after their set and missed FLETCHER entirely. But I was back in time to see…
…ROUTE 215, another band I can’t really get enough of. Although their set hasn’t altered that much at all in the last year and a half I’m still always more than entertained by them. And the reason for this is simply that they put on a great show every time. For example, within forty-five seconds of the opening song front-man, Rod, had launched his bass across the floor and totalled a mic-stand. The closing song saw a stage invasion of about thirty people and just general all-round chaos. You never know what’s going to happen when you see 215 and it’s this wildness which keeps people gagging for more. As Rod himself pointed out, they’re not doing anything new; they just want to piss people off. It’s rock and roll, and I like it, a lot.
I hadn’t seen 4FT FINGERS for well over two years and both times I had previously seen them I’d walked out on them mid-set. Now considering skate-punk is probably my favourite sub-genre this kind of says something about what I think/thought of them. So I had myself ready for an early journey home but though I’d give them another chance. And I’m glad in did as they proved very entertaining and quite enjoyable, definitely a lot better than I remember. The crowd loved every minute and they were easily the most popular band of the night. The atmosphere was good and the band fed off it well. I’m not so sure about the random German guy with the large foam hand who insisted on staying on stage for the majority of their set, but I suppose he was enjoying himself at least. All in all, it was a tightly executed set in which the songs were delivered powerfully and with plenty character. A top quality performance to end a great show in general; roll on next year.
Mike
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