As well as being a staple in the UK's ska punk scene, The JB Conspiracy have become one of the most well respected and influential bands in the genre. They are also up there with the very best live bands in the entire world. This year the band are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their classic debut album, This Machine, by playing some special album shows. This was guaranteed to be a show not to be missed so Emma and I excitedly made our way to the Boston Music Room in Tufnell Park, London, for what we were expecting to be among the best gig nights of the year.
We shot across London to make sure we got to the Boston Music Room to catch the opening act of the night, a particular favourite of Emma's - it was Kingston's favourite Celtic punks, The Lagan. The Lagan were a fairly late addition to the bill and were on fairly early, especially if you were coming from work or lived outside of London. I had to finish work early to make sure I was there in time. This however didn't stop the six piece playing a very lively set. Although they were the only band on the bill that didn't really fit under the umbrella of ska or reggae it didn't stop them giving the small crowd that had gathered early a great time. For me, this shows an incredible amount of skill to get a crowd onside that wouldn't necessarily be into this type of music. Finishing with the song Same Shite Different Night, a ode to their hometown, The Lagan got the night off to an excellent start.
Next up were Welsh reggae act Tree House Fire. These guys had been on tour with The JB Conspiracy and have been getting rave reviews from all over the place so I was looking forward to seeing them again. Tree House Fire are so effortlessly cool and unbelievably slick on stage. All five members are obviously an extremely talented group of musicians who work together brilliantly and can write some great reggae tunes. It doesn't take them long to get the burgeoning crowd bopping along with big smiles on their faces. The band also come across as being an incredibly humble group of gentlemen, frequently giving props to and thanking the other bands on the bill. I really like Tree House Fire anyway but I did find this extra endearing. I really think with continued hard work and a little bit of luck, Tree House Fire could become the next big mainstream crossover band from our scene. There is something special about them that I can see not so diehard reggae and ska fans loving if they're given the chance.
I was particularly excited for the next band to take the stage - P.O. Box! I love these ska punk legends from France. I'd waited years to see them and finally got the chance back in July at Level Up Festival so getting the chance to see them again less than six months later was a real treat! The French six piece have been good friends of The JB Conspiracy for years so it only seemed right that they would share the stage for this special celebration. Playing a ferocious brand of ska punk similar to Destroy To Create era The Flatliners, P.O. Box stormed through their set and gradually got more and more people involved in the pit. Despite the crowd taking a little time to fully warm to the band, it didn't stop P.O. Box having plenty of fun amongst themselves whether it was their between song banter, particularly making quips about their French accents and French humour, or the band bounding around the stage like mad men - it was clear all six members of the band were having a great time. There was a nice moment where The JB Conspriacy's saxophone player Joe joined them on stage for a song and a nice, if a bit short, cover of Sublime's classic Santeria. Just like at Level Up the set was completed with the absolute classic Look What You Have Done, earning some massive sing-a-longs from the Boston Music Room crowd. That was great!
Next up it was time for The JB Conspiracy to play one of the most loved albums in UK ska punk history in full from start to finish. I've been thinking a lot recently about what sets apart The JB Conspiracy from their contemporaries. It's been well documented that they have somewhat of a different sound compared to other bands in the ska punk world. It always sounds so big; the four pronged horn attack and the keys somehow manage to just create an epic feeling with their songs, especially live where I believe the band really do excel. Obviously this being an album show there weren't many surprises during the main portion of the gig as we all knew what song was next. It did make me remember just how much I love this album though and it was great to hear songs that I haven't heard live for a while. JB lead singer and guitarist Lank talked about that band's history, starting out as Duff Muffin a long time ago and never ever expecting to be playing a ten year anniversary show. Clearly the band wanted the show to feel like one massive party and provided loads of special balloons for the crowd to play with whilst skanking up a storm down the front. This was one big party with people all around us gleefully singing and dancing like it was 2007. Once the main set had finished the band began their encore. Over the years the band has had a number of different members and many of them were in attendance of the show. Of course, they were invited on stage to join in with the encore. This meant that now there were eight horn players on the stage! Lank spoke about the band's influences as teenagers and how they had passed around a CD at school that was put out by Asian Man Records named Mail Order Is Fun. This lead to a fantastic cover of Slow Gherkin's Shed Some Skin. Not a whole lot of people knew the song but for those of us that did this really was a great feeling and for me personally a highlight from any gig I've ever been too. Then they played a cover of a song everyone knew - Less Than Jake's Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin which went down a treat. To finish off what was a fantastic night they band played the first song off of their latest album, still with an eight person horn section, The Escape to an amazing reception.
This gig review was written by Colin Clark. Photos by Emma Prew.
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