Guildford Pop Punks Fastlane announced a reunion show to mark the tenth anniversary of their ‘New Start’ album. Tickets are now up for the gig, being held at the University of Surrey student union.

Guildford Pop=Punks Fastlane are to play a one off reunion show on September 12th at Guildford University to mark 10 years since the release of their ‘New Start’ album. Full lineup and ticket sale links to follow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Start_%28Fastlane_album%29

It’s the reason why I never go to local gigs like this, because without sounding like a snob, I like to enjoy the music and not play kiss chase or have a sneaky snog underneath a table. So when you have punk rock family in town, you just have to make the extra effort. Whilst [SPUNGE] are headlining this little two-week jaunt (and it’s the ska-punks who the kids have come to see), I’m out for my good friends in ROUTE 215 and FASTLANE. I haven’t seen these boys in far too long and we arrive just in time for 215 to grace the stage.

Now I’ve seen Rod and co go through three new births as a band and they’ve probably hit their mark with their current scuzzed up rock-influenced sound. 215 are always a great live band, but look a little lost on a stage which has a large barrier separating the kids from the band. Still, running through the vast majority of ‘Shock ‘Em Dead’ the band impress as usual, even if they’re not running at 100% ‘Taste Your Sweat’ and ‘Jesus Was Sexy’ even embark minor singalongs. Or it may have just been me and Dave. Either way, solid as usual and always worthy of your English pounds if they visit your town. (7) for the set, (11) for catching up as I haven’t seen them in forever.

FASTLANE should be so much bigger than they are. Infact, it’s an absolute travesty why they’re not criss-crossing America as their sound is perfect for the Yanks. Tighter than a knats arse, the band simply get better every time I see them. Feeding off the crowd’s energy (spinkicks and hardcore moves to Fastlane?!) the band throw themselves into the majority of ‘New Start’ and do it with their usual excellence. I don’t need to go on – any regular reader knows I love these guys like family and that won’t change. Go out, catch them on tour and be inspired by one of the UK’s best live bands. (9)

www.myspace.com/route215
www.myspace.com/fastlane

Paul

I tell you what is worse than watching youngsters touching each other up and making me feel like a dirty perv, and that’s fucking horrible local bands that cannot play music. Jesus fucking christ, who the hell can’t play ‘Hitchin A Ride’? Wait, a band of kids from Grimsby?! Jesus, rule one of being in a band is learn to play your instruments. At least have the decency to play the songs properly if you’re going to make my ears cry for 20 mins. I’m not sure what was worse – the vocalist’s “singing”, the guitarist failing to remember the four chords in the correct manner, or the fact the unnamed band’s fourth (and last song) was exactly the same as their first. ‘Hitchin A Ride’.

GOD FUCKING HELP ME.

FASTLANE are amazing mind, but then compared to the abomination that had just played, I’d have been inclined to believe Whitmore are the greatest band in the world (chortle). It’s astonishing to think how this band, and many, many others in the UK, have ben languishing in the murky depths of the UK toilet circuit when they are far superior than a great many US acts. But then that;s what you get when the suits throw money at bands and make them big. The sound may be shite, but Fastlane still excite the raging hormones sipping their Iron Bru’s into circle pit after circle pit. ‘New Start’ is immense on CD, but Fastlane are so, so much better live and support slots with New Found Glory and Avenged Sevenfold are taking them to the next level.

Thank fuck the next level will mean they’ll be bypassing holes like this on their next tour…

www.fastlanerock.com

paul

Then I got a second wind when someone close to me suggested something a little smaller. So, the idea of POW was born and, maybe as a one-off, the idea of a weekend in small venues, intertwined with Punktastic’s first ever bowling tournament, began. For me it was more an experiment to see if I had the apetite to want to continue to do these kind of things, hence why not one single poster or flyer was handed out in Leeds. It could have backfired spectacularly, thankfully it didn’t. The 70-capacity Packhorse was full to the rafters, with around 140 people turning up during the evening. The atmosphere was fantastic too, so many smiling people having a great time – just how PT events should be. Not to mention just how good all five bands were on the night.

Local lads PENKNIFELOVELIFE open things up at 7.15pm with a short and sharp 20 minute set. One look at their skinny frames and dyed black side partings suggests they sound like the offspring of Poison The Well and Atreyu – so it’s no surprise that when they start playing the music is as aggressive as I thought it would be. Pete @ PT had copied me five songs of PKLL’s to prepare me for the gig and I thought they were really, really bland, but live these youngsters are so much better. The drummer double-kicks his way through a riot of guitars, while the frontman prowls the stage like the son of M Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold. For teenagers, and young ones at that, PenKnife are very, very tight and while their music currently sounds a little too much like their peers, there’s enough talent on show to suggest a very bright future ahead. They look and act the part, all they need to do now is nail the sound. (8)

I am biased, I know, but THE MAPLE STATE are so damn good it’s startling. They’re as tight a unit as any UK band I’ve seen all year and while their keyboard-fused indie-rock isn’t technically new, they are doing something very bright and very fresh. It makes tracks like ‘Mightiest Monster…’ and ‘…Martial Law’ (I’m not putting the full names, I’m too lazy and they’re too long!) instant singalongs and destined to grab the attention of thousands of unsuspecting music fans next year. TMS arguably get the biggest crowd of the night – people are standing on chairs at the back so they can see and hardly anyone leaves the room whilst they play. The drumming is excellent, the keyboards and samples clever and inventive and Greg’s vocals are spot on too. I won’t forget Christian’s guitar-work either, even if during one song he was a little out of tune (kidding fella…) If there’s anything to work on it’s holding a stage and working the crowd, but that comes with practice and experience. Their mini-album, due out on Punktastic Recordings in January, will blow people away. (8.5)

CHE came up all the way from Worcester and were probably the surprise package of the evening. It’s fair to say that not many people had heard of them before tonight, but they certainly left with a lot of new admirers. The five-piece are fronted by 16-year-old Lydia who has a fantastic voice and on record this really sets the band alight from the pack. But in a live environment it’s the band themselves, not the singer, which take centre stage. Che are insanely tight, there’s hardly a missed note and if there are any they are very well covered up. The two guitars very rarely stick to the same old predictable riffs, instead opting for lead riffs which they bounce off each other. While Lydia certainly has a voice that many would die for, her on-stage persona perhaps isn’t as sassy or showy as it could be. There’s one line I noticed “I can make you shiver, I can make you shake” (I think…) which should probably be delieverd with more sex appeal than Cupid’s arrow, yet it doesn’t quite hit the mark. There are also times when it appears she’s singing to the front row rather than the full room, but these are minor points that come with experience. She’s still got a belter of a voice mind and that’s one weapon that will certainly serve Che well. If they can seal the cohesion – and by this I mean the way they look and act on stage – then big things will happen. (8)

I missed about half of A DESTRUCTIVE ISSUE for various reasons, but they’re a band that I know will go far. They’re still learning and finding their feet, but older songs like ‘Stopgap’ and ‘This Could Kill’ sound great even if they are finally forging their own sound. They have a good, solid fanbase in Leeds and it’s only a matter of time before bigger gigs start coming their way. If they keep working hard, expect big strides forward during 2005. (n/a)

By Jove, are FASTLANE good! Having owned their as-yet-unreleased album for nigh on three months, I already knew just how good this band were, but until you’ve seen them live you really haven’t seen the real band. Mixing high-energy, pop hooks and a metallic edge, the Guildford quintet are arguably the best band in the country at what they do. Frontman Ben is a bundle of energy, while the twin guitar attack throw themselves around the stage with gusto. ‘Elevator’ and ‘Dreaming’ go down exceedingly well, but tracks like ‘Summer Falls’ showcase just how good this band really are. They were so good, and so loud, that the ringing in my ears only stopped on Monday morning. This time next year they’ll be one of the biggest bands in the UK – mark my words. (9.5)

There are too many people to thank really – Pete@PT was a legend throughout the day, Aza for doing doorman duties and not actually seeing the bands, all the bands for their gear-sharing and everyone who came for being fantastic. There were people from Scotland, Newcastle, Birmingham, London… it astounds me how much people will travel to have a good time. And boy, did everyone have a good time.

Paul

For those who haven’t visited The Cardigan Arms before it’s a quaint pub in the Kirkstall area of Leeds, usually frequented by an ‘older’ class of gentlemen who like to sup pints of John Smiths while they fiddle with their pipe, flat cap and slippers. I shit you not. Above the pub is a room which doubles up as a venue. It’s small-ish in size, probably struggling to break the 100 mark, with two large mirrors at either end. This makes for an amusing sight because the bands can see themselves in one mirror, while the crowd can preen their hair and add additional strands of Brylcreem in the other.

The PA system isn’t all that hot either and local heroes CATCH IT KEBABS have the worst of it. Signed to Do The Dog Music they have a really electic sound that takes in brass, keyboards and all kinds of stuff in between. The band remind me of a more manic Rx Bandits and their friends in the crowd lap it up as limbs flail all over the shop. The dual vocals sound pretty poor mind, but with the sound man doing his best with a last-minute patched up system, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Ska isn’t really my bag any more, but CIK, on first glance, appear to be very good at what they do. (8)

With a beer calling my name, I missed out on THAT’S CALLED STEALING, but the Ponte boys sounded a lot like The Ataris from downstairs. Looking back, maybe I should have watched them after all. But after a long drive I really did need a beer to quench the thirst. With three-quarters of ROUTE 215 not present in the venue, it’s up to guitarist Ryan to hold the fort with an acoustic set. Now RYAN 215 (as he will be affectionately known), freely admits to being a little nervous on stage (“I’m fucking shitting it,” was closer to the truth) and the first two songs show that. But by the time ‘Jesus Was Sexy’ and ‘I Am What I Am’ come round, Ryan’s on form. Lazily you could make Dashboard references, but in sound there’s more of a Goo Goo Dolls tone in the guitars. For a last minute thing, Ryan did super well to pull this out of the bag. (7.5)

I haven’t seen SONIC BOOM SIX for a few months and in this time they’ve not only tightened themselves up, but they appear to be playing everything harder, faster and harder still. At times SB6 sound like the ‘new’ NoComply, with harder drums, squallier guitars and faster vocals. It’s not hardcore by any means, but it’s a lot darker and heavier than their ‘Turbo’ debut. For 30 minutes the kids go apeshit and SB6 lovingly participate and throw in a bunch of set pleasers, including ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ and ‘Blood For Oil’ from their Moon Ska debut. SB6, in style and influence, aren’t usually a band that I’d listen to, and I can sympathise with some of the lazy ‘Miss Dynamite on crack’ references I’ve seen before, but you cannot fault the energy, exuberance and enthusiasm that the quintet omit. (8.5)

FASTLANE‘S forthcoming album is the best record you haven’t heard yet. Simple as that. I was primarily at this gig to see the boys in action, I won’t lie, having heard so many positive comments. And despite the shitty PA and Ben’s fucked up voice, Fastlane show exactly why they are so highly rated. ‘Summer Falls’, ‘Elevator’ and the fantastic ‘Dreaming’ are all highlights, and it helps no end that there are a handful of people who sing along from the crowd. But what sets the band apart from the thousands upon thousands of pop-punk bands with good songs, is that Fastlane also look and act the part. There’s guitar swinging, star jumping and metal solo preening, while Ben owns the small stage like any good frontman should. The simple fact is that in 6 months time they will be your new favourite melodic punk band. (9)

Paul

Tonight I remembered why I