One of the very best things about festival season is the stacked line ups you get at shows. In early August we were treated to a ridiculously good gig, headlined by the legendary Descendents and supported by the legendary CJ Ramone playing his last ever London show as well as, probably future legends, Pears. Taking place at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in West London, we made sure to get down early to ensure we got a good spot for the entire night.
We weren't the only people to make sure that we got down early as
Pears got to play to a big crowd despite it only being 7.30pm. The New Orleans four piece have been steadily making a name for themselves since the release of their debut album in 2014, with their popularity growing with second album in 2016 and a split with Direct Hit in 2017. As strong as they are on record, it's the Pears live show that really stands out. It's fast paced, it's intense and it's a lot of fun. Frontperson Zach Quinn was once described by this blog as ‘Freddy Mercury possessed by the devil’ and I still think that's a fair description as he strutted around the stage in a way only he can. It's nice seeing how Pears have progressed as a band – they've added more melody to their sound as they've grown as a band without losing any of the raw power that was found in their debut. There aren't many bands who excel on a stage like Pears do and I look forward to seeing them again.
Next to the stage was
CJ Ramone. I had previously seen him play at MK11 in Milton Keynes a couple of years ago and it remains one of my favourite live sets ever. Playing a mixture of Ramones classics alongside some of his solo material, CJ proved that despite his advancing years he's certainly still got it. For the most part of his set, CJ and his band played a Ramones classic and then a CJ song. Obviously the Ramones songs got the biggest reactions but I also really enjoyed the originals. He played a host of songs from his new album, The Holy Spell, including Rock On which was about the late great Steve Soto who is most famous for his time in the Adolescents but he also played with CJ Ramone many times. Other songs from The Holy Spell included Stand Up, Blue Skies and Movin' On. Whenever I hear a band cover a Ramones song I get super excited, so to see an actual Ramone play them forever blows my mind. I fanboyed hard when those classics were played. The first two Ramones songs played were Bonzo Goes To Bitburg and Rockaway Beach which just so happen to be my two favourites. From then on we got other greats such as Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment, The KKK Took My Baby Away, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, Outsider and, of course, Blitzkrieg Bop, before finishing with a cover of The Ramones cover of Motorhead song R.A.M.O.N.E.S. It's an absolute pleasure to see CJ Ramone play live and I'll be forever sad this will probably be the last time. Thanks for the memories CJ.
Up next it was time for the
Descendents! This was super exciting. When they last played in London we were treated to a thirty-five song set which included two encores and it was magical. We decided it would be the best idea to get as close to the front as possible (a decision that my body told me was stupid the following day) to really soak in the atmosphere. As soon as the band took to the stage and played the opening lines of Suburban Home, the crowd in Shepherd's Bush went absolutely crazy with basically the whole floor becoming one huge mosh pit. Bodies were everywhere as we sang as loudly as we could to songs such as Everything Sux, Hope, Silly Girl and I Like Food. The craziness continued throughout the set and the band seemed to really appreciate the massive reaction they were getting. We all know how the Descendents are very part time so when they do get over to the UK it's such a special thing. It seems as if the band themselves can't quite believe just how much they are still loved in London. Whether they played a deep cut like My Dad Sucks or something from newest album Hypercaffium Spazzinate such as Victim Of Me, every word was shouted back at Milo. The ninety minute set absolutely flew by and I had the absolute best time. The Descendents are an absolutely timeless band. The final six songs of Get The Time, Coffee Mug, When I Get Old, Coolidge, Thank You and Descendents was one of my favourites twenty minutes or so of music ever. When I Get Old got an extra big smile from me as earlier, on our way to the venue, I'd spotted Milo riding around the streets of Shepherd's Bush on a bike – so yes, he will still get on a bike and ride around town when he gets old. When they came back on stage for their encore, Bill came out from behind his drum kit and spoke to the crowd with a biggest smile on his face. He seemed so genuinely touched by the reception his band had received and it was so sweet and touching. We were then treated to a rare play of 'Merican which really got the crowd excited. I imagine it was one of the first songs of theirs a lot of Descendents fans around my age ever heard when it was released in 2004 so it was just lovely to finally hear it live fifteen years after its release. After one encore the band left the stage and quickly returned for one more encore – how many bands can get away with playing two encores and be loved for it?
This was a fantastic night and probably one of the best "bigger venue" gigs I've ever attended. The atmosphere was great and all three bands really pulled out all the stops.
This gig review was written by
Colin Clark.
No comments:
Post a Comment