King Prawn, Mean Fiddler, London
*This gig took place at the Kentish Town Forum*
Due to a combination of having sod-all sleep the night before and falling asleep during the afternoon I only arrived at the Forum just in time to see Capdown. It’s worth mentioning that the Forum’s a pretty darn large place for a gig, and it was heartening to see so many people turned out for the ‘Prawn’s last London show. After briefly running into Laila Boom it was time to watch one of my favourite bands do their stuff – the oft-maligned and written off CAPDOWN.
The thing with these guys is that everyone and their dog has an opinion on what they should do, how they should act and what they should say. But behind the all the hype is the reason why they got so hyped – the fact that they’re a stunning live band with some of the best skacore tunes to have burst forth from these isles in years. Kicking off the ‘The Neverlution’ Jake immediately worked the crowd into a frenzy, bounding around the stage as Keith’s riffs ripped from his overworked fingers. Capdown have always been mentioned in the same breath as King Prawn, in terms of their abilities in mixing and matching musical styles to powerful effect, and boy, are they on form tonight. From the ska intro of ‘Act Your Rage’ to the crunchingly harsh chorus of the very same track to their closer ‘Faith No More’, complete with new(ish) outro and manic circle pit the only conclusion that can be reached is that Capdown are still exactly the same band they were three years ago, they’re just a lot better at it. Yes, I was a fan before tonight and I’m still one, but it’s not as if they don’t deserve every success they get (9).
The last time I saw SNUFF I didn’t really ‘get’ them. They seemed…sloppy and a bit hit and miss. Tonight they clicked, with Duncan’s inimitable vocals bracketing their abrasive punk rock. Yeah, they’re not the most professional band but that’s merely part of their charm. The sound was a bit shit – it was noticeable during Capdown, but now it’s annoying – because if you get anywhere near the front there’s a horrible echo but that hardly handicaps Snuff, switching from driven rock to frantic hardcore throughout their set. They’re not the most energetic of bands but their ‘quirky’ banter is pretty funny – I just don’t see where Snuff are really going right now. It’s a shame because they have some excellent songs, and are strong live (7).
Tonight was strange. It didn’t feel like KING PRAWN’s last gig (it wasn’t – they played in Milton Keynes the night after) and there wasn’t the emotion of the Lightyear finale. Having said that, Al and the boys acquitted themselves well, eastern ska rhythms bouncing off chunky hardcore, and with huge singalongs like ‘Dominant View’ and ‘Smoke Some Shit’ they got the crowd swirling and dancing in equal measure. The trouble was that it was obviously going to be a long set and KP are one of those diverse bands that can be raising hell for a circle pit one moment and settling back into an atmospheric groove the next. As such it feels somewhat disjointed – it’s strange calling one of the bands strongest points a handicap when it comes to playing live but that’s what it felt like. I’m not the hugest KP fan but it’s obvious they’ll be missed: the amount of bands around at the moment taking the time and dedication to create something unique (8).
Ben
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