Sup, London Camden Underworld
The gig was at the Verge.
An early start to tonight’s proceedings meant daring London’s rush hour traffic and as always when you’re in a hurry, there are five times more cars driving at 20MPH than normal, so as you can guess a late arrival was imminent. But on the plus side, 6 bands for £4 is a bargain on any night of the week let alone a Thursday….
Fortunately we weren’t running as late as I thought, and/or the gig was running behind schedule, either way I managed to catch half of FAITH AND INJURY’s set and I was also fortunate that I didn’t have to see the first half. F&I used every clichéd emo trick in the book and not particularly well, also sporting the t-shirts of the peers they are ripping off and hair cuts straight out of the T&G catalogue it goes without saying what sound they go for. They did have a lot of energy in their performance which is always a good thing but I wonder, when the bubble bursts if bands like this will still be playing the same music that they are now. (4)
Next up were a band who pull off emotive punk better than most of the tripe out there. POINDEXTER had some technical difficulties before they could start their set and as a result it seemed really short although it could also be due to the fact I didn’t want them to stop playing. Unfortunately they also had a fight with the venue’s feeble excuse for a PA which was never going to be triumphant and it brutally wounded their set. They put on a really good and energetic performance as well as having really good quality songs, so it is a crying shame the sound really buggered it up for them tonight, but saying that I really didn’t want their set to end as I was thoroughly enjoying it. (7)
REASON 69 blew me away. Tonight was the best I’ve ever seen them play. If fast and furious skate punk is your thing then R69 are well worth checking out. They really rocked hard, and probably had the best sound of the night as well which helped a great deal. Plenty of humour between and often during songs was well received and it was pretty much breath-taking just watching the four-piece tear up the small stage. A preview of new material was also a nice treat to add to a really solid performance. People are starting to say that this is going to be the year of skate punk revival; REASON 69 have the skills to pay the bills and are in the right position to ride the crest of the wave. (8)
ALL BUT NONE shouldn’t have been this far up the bill. They were really disappointing. After what seemed like a really promising intro things fell apart quicker than an old jigsaw puzzle. As individual musicians they’re good; the drummer was impressive and there was plenty of guitar shredding going on but they were really un-tight and it just sounded messy. ABN play a blend of emotive punk with loads of technical riffs but I swear when the singer is out of key all set and the band are out of time with each other a trip back to the drawing board is in order. The songs have a lot of potential and are full of ideas but something just wasn’t right. I’m hoping it was an ‘off-night’. (3)
GREEBO could teach certain bands a lesson in tightness, as they were tighter than a tick’s arse, and if you haven’t seen one of them, it’s because they’re so damn tight. From the opening song, I knew it was going to be crazy riffs ahoy with this band. They have never impressed me in the past but they really changed my opinion tonight. Describing them is a tricky one, and without delving too far into unheard of sub-genres; sticking them on the ‘prog-punk’ board isn’t being too far off the mark. Sometimes the songs got a bit too random for my liking but the fact that they’re a three piece was most impressive. How three guys can make so much noise is incredible; switching all the time from melodic choruses to technical riffery and hard edged break-downs in a seamless manner is the reason why GREEBO are going to finding themselves increasingly popular with every show they play. (8)
By the time $UP came on stage I was absolutely shattered and didn’t think I’d stay awake to actually watch their set, but I’m glad I did manage as they were very impressive indeed. Along with bands like NO COMPLY and ADEQUATE 7, $UP are really pushing the boundaries of ska completely into another realm. Absolutely brutal hardcore and metal riffs and break downs juxtaposed against dark, aggressive ska-core verses with a saxophone thrown in for good measure is what you get with $UP. And they pull it off to an impeccable standard. Their performance tonight was immense; so powerful and full of verve. I’d not actually heard much by them prior to the show and was certainly not in the mood for the CAPDOWN-esque band I was expecting but $UP gave me a violent slap back to reality which is the reality that they’re pretty damn unique and pretty damn good with it. (8)
So it turned out to be a long night which had at least one band to cater for everyone’s taste and such diversity can always be noted as a good thing in my book. The Verge’s pitiful P.A and awful acoustics were too much for even the best of ear plugs, so the drive home was completed with a stonker of a headache but I was more than satisfied with the cause even if the result was undesirable, as I witnessed some awesome music tonight.
Mike Frankal
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