Phinius Gage, Kingston Peel
Ah, it had been a while since I last visited The Peel and after having no idea on the way, a nightmare traffic jam and the longest wait for chips ever in a greasy chicken shop I didn’t think I’d get to see any bands. So after finally arriving I found out I had missed HOORAY FOR ME which was a tad annoying; firstly I didn’t know they were playing and secondly I’ve never got around to seeing them before and thirdly they were apparently really good! What struck me about the show tonight was the fact that the crowd was so sparse, I couldn’t believe there was so few people there… damn Drive Thru tour. What also pissed me off was the fact that the bar staff were refusing to serve certain people even though they had I.D… so much for a heavy night’s drinking…
I’ve seen FASTLANE three times in as many weeks and I’m still blown away by them. I don’t think there’s a band that can pull off three way harmonies live so consistently well and not look like a bunch of choir boys; top stuff! Normally I have to hear a band’s CD a few times before I can remember their material live but FASTLANE are so fantastically catchy you’ll have the choruses ringing round your head in a week’s time; the hooks are so massive they could land a whale on speed. Unfortunately with a crowd so non-existent it’s a hard task to work them into a wild, passion fuelled frenzy. Many a band would break in this situation but FASTLANE kept on at it and knocked out another top notch performance. Go see this band. (8)
PHINIUS GAGE never play a bad set, or if they have I’ve yet to witness one. I really think this band should be massive by now: fast paced, aggressive, meaningful skate punk with an entertaining and energetic live show; what more could you possibly want! They gave the select few in the crowd (and when I say select few I mean you could count the crowd members using fingers and toes and still have some left to catch the tumbleweeds rolling by) a showcasing of new material which is, to be honest, superb; you can never have to many ‘woahs’ on a wet Wednesday night. PHINIUS GAGE played around 150 shows last year and as a result, they’ve become a much more than capable live act; Matt and Ade’s on-stage banter kept the awkward silences, well, not so awkward and at times was quite hilarious to watch. PHINIUS GAGE are flying the flag for UK skate punk right now, and they’re doing a damn fine job, it’s a shame there wasn’t more people there to witness why. (8)
So all in all, an interesting show. Missing HOORAY FOR ME was a frustrating, and the disappointing turn out was shocking, but two top-class performances from two bands very much on fire was more than enough to make up for this. We’ll be hearing a hell of a lot more from both PHINIUS GAGE and FASTLANE this year as both will have new recordings out sooner rather than later. Roll on summer. (3/5)
Mike Frankal
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