Last year the band released their fourteenth self-titled album on Special Potato.

OCTOBER
12 NORWICH Waterfront w/ Millie Manders and The Shutup
13 NEWCASTLE Think Tank
14 NORTHWICH The Salty Dog
15 BELFAST Empire w/ Aggressors B.C. + The Vibes
16 GLASGOW Audio
17 LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
18 LONDON The Underworld
19 LONDON The Underworld

Tonight? Well, this afternoon. The early stage time means that THE EXPOSED?s set is pretty much done with as we arrive. Thank you, friendly corporate venue. Warm-up duties are therefore left to DIRTY REVOLUTION [4/5], another band that Punktastic is more than familiar with. Tonight the Cardiff quintet?s set is slick and tight. A three-in-a-row presentation of new tunes mid-set overshadows staple tunes such as ?50p? and ?I Love Reggae? suggesting that the future is looking upbeat. Bring it on.

THE SLACKERS [5/5] play their twentieth year of songs exactly as they have the 19 previous; a well-stocked set featuring fan favourites, dusty gems, and a heap of audience requests. This ?Supper Time Set? (as christened by saxophonist, Dave Hillyard) mixes up the haste of ska, the mellowness of reggae, and the ease of rocksteady, all into one aurally delightful, double-celebratory (it?s also bassist, Marcus Geard?s birthday) sonic treat.

So what?s on offer in this particular party-bag? You can check-off the likes of ?Watch This?, ?What Went Wrong?, ?Feed My Girl? and ?Run Away?. There are admirable tributes to band influences, Lloyd Knibb (The Skatalites) and Glen Adams (The Upsetters), both of whom passed away recently. Add in curiosities like ?Rider? and a cover of The Misfits? ?Attitude? and you go some way to getting the vibe; standard Slackers fare.

The band are onstage for nearly two hours, and that?s not enough. Not for the near capacity crowd, nor the six men on stage. It?s a testament to The Slackers? quality. How many other bands out there would you listen to for this long? Ultimately, when the show does come to an end it?s a triumphant one. 20 years down the line and this bunch of middle-aged guys are still kicking it better that the young ones. ?NYC?s finest purveyors of Jamaican rock ?n? roll? may be a tag, but it?s a well-fitting one. Here?s to another two decades of The Slackers.

ALEX HAMBLETON

Photos by JOSEPH DUNCAN

Short changed. An odd way to start a review of one of the best value-for-money bands around, but that?s the feeling at the end of the night. Well, the evening. Scheduled to play for just 75 minutes, The Slackers have actually gone over that just a little, but it still feels as though the New Yorkers have barely dipped a toe in the vast ocean of a back catalogue. Don?t get me wrong, 75 minutes is more than enough time for nearly any band out there, but The Slackers are just something else, and tonight even the band is a little perturbed by the 22:00 curfew (that?s not stage time, that?s everybody out of the building time). That?ll be London club nights then. Oh the joy. So that short changed feeling is levelled entirely at the venue, and not the band. Rant over; on with the review.

Punktastic manages to fail miserably with the early doors policy and arrives midway through openers DIRTY REVOLUTION, although the number of times we?ve bumped into the band this month it?s hard not to look stalkerish; the ink?s not even dry on the restraining order. A fair sized flock of early birds watches the Cardiff quartet bash out some feel-good reggae ska, not a bad prelude to our headliner. Incidentally, the duo playing steel drums outside Angel tube station should have been cajoled for the calypso vibed ?Feel the Fear?.

THE SKINTS have been a little quiet since the Rebel Alliance tour wrapped up in February, but it?s plain to see what the East London quartet has been up to since. This evening?s set is packed with new songs. New songs! It?s barely six months since the band released a debut album, and now we?re treated to more newbies. A brave move but one that?s sold by the quality of the material. There seems to be a definite move toward the reggae end of the spectrum, with the raucous punk rock aspect of the band seemingly taking a back seat. Look at the swaying crowd and you can see it?s not a bad move. Innovative and exciting, The Skints might just be the best band around. Scratch that. There?s no might about it.

Paul summed it up nicely in his recent review of ?The Great Rocksteady Swindle?, the latest offering from THE SLACKERS, when he said the band has outlived a ska revival about three times, yet never really managed to get the success it deserves. Well success might not have come in gold records and the riches of a small country but the near capacity crowd tonight pays out in adoration and dance skills (although skill is such a subjective word). It?s no exaggeration to say that the room is dancing, front to back (Punktastic knows the two girls suspectly dancing at the very back).

On stage it?s vintage Slackers, with the sextet serving up tune after tune, and looking pretty dapper whilst doing so. ?Watch This? (perhaps the band?s biggest song) gets an early outing, whilst ?Everyday is Sunday? sounds particularly decent tonight. From the new LP (which isn?t pillaged all that much considering it?s brand new), ?Bo Evil? stands out, a boisterously danceable number spearheaded by trombonist Glen Pine?s (relatively) aggressive vocal stylings, whilst an instrumental cover of ?Ain?t No Sunshine? brings that ?where do I know this one from?? look to a fair few faces. It?s a fair cover but it?s the band?s rendition of Sam Cooke?s ?Cupid? that still stands tall in a set that includes not one duff song.

That?s what makes it so hard to traipse out of the venue so early. We?ve been indulged, but like the proverbial gannet, the appetite?s not been sated. I guess previous shows have spoiled. Those split set shows. Those late nighters. Even Vic Ruggiero?s near three-hour solo night at the Brixton Windmill last year. By continually shining through, The Slackers make you want more, and then a little bit more. Sometimes though, you don?t get what you want. Still, a fantastic performance is a fantastic performance, and that?s what Islington gets this evening.

Alex Hambleton

?You think our New York shows are these big cool things but they?re mostly like this,? informs Vic Ruggiero. ?Except sometimes there?re meat-hooks. You?re never quite sure how a show?s going to go when there?re meat-hooks about.? If there?s one thing you can be sure of at a Slackers show it?s that you?re not going to be force-fed generic onstage remarks. No ?this is our favourite place to play? and no ?you guys are better than [insert town name] last night?. Everything is honest, unique and far from the ?robotic? banter that so many others bring over the Atlantic. You might even say it?s a little peculiar.

Bad puns aside, this evening is an odd one. For starters, a nasty storm is whipping across Brighton, huge gusts making it somewhat challenging to even get to the seafront Engine Room (well, if you?re walking anyway). Ska music is perfect for the summer rays, but they?ve decided to take a leave of absence. Secondly, The Great Escape festival is sprawled across the city this weekend making this little number seem slightly out of place amongst the indie droves. Finally, opener The Meow Meows has been allotted a near 45 minute support slot, a rare treat for a support act.

Fortunately, the hometown nonet has enough to ensure time flies by. Packed onto the small stage (and I mean packed) the band plays a gentle blend of reggae/ska highlighted by dual vocals, that have as much soul in them as ska, and a three-piece brass section. It?s been five months since the band?s last performance and tonight marks the first show for a new drummer, so things could have easily gone horrible. Not the case. The Brighton faithful dance and sing along to a band that?s really found its identity and is well worth checking out. (3.5/5)

It?s hard to argue against The Slackers being the best band in its field (by a country mile). It?s refreshing then to see the band set up instruments, test microphones and generally do its own dirty work. The NYC sextet is humble to say the least, a trait that comes across throughout the set. ?We always seem to play these basements,? states Ruggiero. ?They put us underground in these musty, dank rooms. We love it.? Tonight?s musty, dank room is crammed. It?d take a shoehorn to get anybody else in. It?s hot, sweaty and rife with exultant punters. The absolute opposite to the inclement weather outside, you might say.

It?s got to be hotter on stage. The band dons its traditional shirts and suits (bassist Marcus Geard in a gleaming whiter than Daz white number) and sweats through what ends up being a set of somewhere between 90 minutes and two hours. Now that?s a long set, but the band has no trouble filling the time with a near 20 year back catalogue. In fact it feels as though the surface has barely been scratched. Last year?s long-player ?Self Medication? is the basis of this tour but even that?s not borrowed from too heavily.

Amongst the songs picked out tonight, ?Ever Day is Sunday?, ?What Went Wrong? and ?Married Girl? are included whilst the likes of ?Watch This?, ?Don?t You Want a Man? and ?Propaganda? (?I need to rewrite that,? quips Ruggiero. ?We like our president now.?) are missing. It?s inevitable with this sort of catalogue some songs aren?t going to make the cut. But there?s no disappointment from the crowd. This is a night of glee. From Ruggiero?s oh-so-cool vocals and Glen Pine?s more intense, rabble-rousing singing, not to mention aggressive trombone, to Dave Hillyard?s amazingly accomplished saxophone, everything seems spot-on. Touches of soulful jazz sit amongst the ska whilst a carnival atmosphere lurks menacingly below the surface. It?s cool. It?s so well delivered. And it?s danceable. Highly danceable!

It?s all closed out by a cat-and-mouse, will they/won?t they game that finally results in ?Sarah?. The band has taunted the crowd all night that they?ll be no such performance but finally abides the calls. A sing-along ensues that defines everything that has come before: the band has smiles whilst the crowd is ecstatic. It?s the sort of response The Slackers has received for years: devoted and heartfelt. And don?t even get to thinking this is going to change anytime soon. (4.5/5)

Alex