Gig Review: Level Up Festival 2019 Day Two 20/7/19

The first night of Level Up Festival served as a perfect starter for the weekend. Lots of fun was had and people were in great spirits ready for the next two days of ska punk shenanigans. Along with plenty of bands on the main New Cross Inn stage, there would now also be an acoustic stage down in the Stocks Bar basement if you fancied something a little bit quieter.

(Note: Colin's parts are in regular text and Emma's parts are in italic.)

Originally formed in Leeds way back in 2004, Damn Skippy are now based in London and were tasked with kicking off day two of Level Up Festival 2019. Usually a fully electric five-piece, the band were playing semi-acoustic on this occasion as their drummer couldn’t make the gig (or had left the band – I’m not really sure if they were joking when they asked ‘Does anyone know any drummers?’). Having not seen Damn Skippy before, I embraced their drum-less set as if that’s how they always sound and found it very enjoyable. The bouncy horn lines produced some early bopping in the room and ensured this was a fun start to the day.

After opening the festival on Friday night, Ell and Brad from BaldHead And The Dreads were also given the task of opening the acoustic stage with a reunion of their old band, Les Denis Tribute Band. I wasn't at all familiar with what they might be like but when we wandered downstairs we found Ell with an acoustic guitar and Brad with a cajón, ready to play what were without a doubt the least PC songs of the weekend. They were played in a way where it was very hard to take any offence though as lyrically they were packed with a lot of tongue in cheek humour and it was pretty clear you shouldn't be taking these songs seriously. Both Ell and Brad looked a bit sheepish during the set but it was a lot of fun and something quite different to anything else on the line up.

Smiley And The Underclass was one of those band names that I’d seen around but for one reason or another I’d never actually listened to the band or happened to see them live until this weekend. That’s the great thing about festivals such as Level Up however, there’s always going to be several bands you know nothing about but you might just come away with a new favourite. Smiley And The Underclass are described as ‘wicked and wild dub punk’ and, now that I’ve heard them for myself, I would instantly liken them to The Clash. There was a distinct element of reggae to their sound but their righteous energy was pure punk rock. A captivating band to watch on stage as well.

Up next was Filthy Militia's Frosty who was a last minute replacement for Triple Sundae's Hassan, who sadly had to pull out. This was quite exciting for me as I'd never seen Frosty perform acoustically before and I was interested to see how it would go. Very, very well is the answer to that question. He stated at the beginning of the set that he would be playing a mixture of covers and a couple of Filthy Militia songs – he couldn't play more FM songs as he claimed they don't all work played acoustic. Whether he was playing Little Sister, Be Real or a cover of Jimmy Cliff's Harder They Come or Pkew Pkew Pkew's Before We Go Out Drinking (which I really enjoyed!), Frosty proved himself to be a great performer and a very welcome late addition to Level Up Festival.

Level Up wouldn’t be Level Up without the Belgian ska punk scene being represented within the New Cross Inn’s walls – both in terms of attendees and performers. This year, the first Belgian band to take to the stage were a seven-piece called The Happy Suspended from Ghent. The band wasted no time in bringing their party vibes to Level Up with their high energy and infectiously catchy ‘4th wave’ ska getting the room moving in no time at all. A song called In A Bar was particularly apt with a friend of the band handing out beach balls to be blown up and bounced around the room and adding to the chaotic fun of the performance. Finishing up the set with their trombone player in the crowd ensured that people wouldn’t be forgetting this band any time soon!

We ducked outside for some much needed fresh air after The Happy Suspended’s set which did mean missing Laurence Crow downstairs in Stocks Bar. It was a shame to miss one of the acts but at least we opted for one that we’ve seen before – and, as a New Cross regular, will likely see again. Sorry, Laurence!

Prague's Jet8 were next to take to the New Cross stage. The six piece had travelled all the way from Prague to play just one show so I was very pleased to see them get a great reception. Focussing more on the punk portion of ska punk, the six piece really amped up the intensity in the New Cross Inn. I found myself mesmerised by them. Whether it was the pounding drums, shredding guitars or those superb brass lines, Jet8 have some really good songs. Much like Jake from Capdown and Robin from Random Hand, frontman Martin combined singing with some expertly played trombone. I'm always amazed by lead singers who also play a brass instrument, how do they have the breath? As the set progressed, Jet8 were clearly impressing more and more people as the dancing, skanking, moshing pit grew. Jet8 were one of the big highlights from the Saturday of Level Up and I hope to see them back again soon.

By this point, it’s basically a given that Folkert Van Kerckhove will appear at Level Up Festival in one band or another. For the first Level Up in 2017 he was one quarter of folk punk band Chrandesyx, who I loved, and last year he was back with ska-meets-circus punks Koala Commission, who I also loved. Do you see the pattern emerging? It wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that Folkert’s solo set, down in Stocks Bar, was of one of my most anticipated of the weekend. Playing some solo songs that I hadn’t heard before as well as a couple of Chrandesyx songs – Shelter and Beer, Chocolate & Chips – Folkert’s performance did not disappoint. The latter Chrandesyx song even received a wonderful singalong from everyone squeezed into the basement space. In fact, the singalongs didn’t end there as Folkert successfully got us to sing along to a brand new song which closed his set  (na, na, na, na, na, etc.). Lovely!

There was a lot of anticipation among the Level Up crowd for Abraskadabra's first show in London. The six piece from Brazil were just starting a big tour of the UK, before popping over to Japan and then doing a few more shows back in the UK. I arrived back upstairs, after Folkert's set, just as the band were getting started and saw a massive crowd had now assembled. A lot of Brazilians living in London had bought tickets especially to see them and were very enthusiastic. Playing a mix of pop punk and ska, the room seemed to start moving instantly for the band and there were plenty of folk singing along. I spied Mike Be Sharp making a rare appearance down the front singing along very enthusiastically. The band were clearly very well practiced together and were very slick in their performance. I personally enjoyed that they had multiple lead singers, giving the music different dimensions. The set was mostly comprised of songs from 2018's Welcome album. Abraskadabra were just magic. I hope this will be their first of many trips to London in the future. They'll definitely be welcomed back at the New Cross Inn.

Is there a better party band than Imperial Leisure? Judging by their performance at Level Up Festival 2019, you’d think not – and they weren’t even the headlining band! By this point of the evening, the New Cross Inn was very busy and also very, very warm. It always amazes me how bands like Imperial Leisure can go up on stage when it’s ridiculously hot and still put absolutely everything into their performance without, y’know, keeling over from heat exhaustion or something. Temperature aside, the party levels were instantly cranked up when the large ska band took to the stage – I’ll be honest, I don’t know exactly how many people are in Imperial Leisure (at least 7?) – and two enormous beach balls were thrown into the audience. They certainly put The Happy Suspended’s beach balls to shame but perhaps did making viewing the stage a little more difficult for those at the back. After the first few songs, the beach balls were safely returned to the side of stage and the only things up in the air after that were enthusiastic music fans (including CPRW pal Ian who later said it was his first crowd surf in many, many years – go Ian!) – plus Imperial Leisure’s frontman Denis who ended up in the crowd on more than one occasion. Damn, that man has so much energy – it’s exhausting just watching. As for the songs, every single Imperial Leisure tune feels like a big hit so it’s hard to highlight the best moments. Whether it’s Lucky People, Isle Of Slice, Landlord’s Daughter or Man On The Street, the crowd laps it all up – along with the alcohol that Denis distributes to those in the front rows. Before too long, the band has exhausted their setlist but have the crowd well and truly pumped up for the night’s headline act – Jaya The Cat.

It was now time for the Saturday headliners and I can honestly say that I've never seen the New Cross Inn more full. Loads of people showed up for Jaya The Cat – it was a shame they weren't there all day but that's a grumble for another day – and the levels of excitement were extremely high. Jaya The Cat are a band that are perfect for a big sing-along with all of your friends on a warm summer’s day. As soon as Geoff and the boys took to the stage, there was a pile of bodies down the front singing along to every word. Then, of course, it wasn't long before the crowd began to get rowdier with the pit getting started and plenty of crowd surfers. The temperature in the room was also continually rising so Emma and I decided to pop outside for some air about halfway through the set. This being New Cross, and a festival, we accidentally ended up outside longer than anticipated as we got chatting to pals. I did run in halfway through a conversation when I heard them playing Fake Carreras (one of my favourite songs ever!) and was greeted with a wall of heat. It was what I imagine walking into an oven feels like – it felt like somebody had switched the instant sweat button on my body on. The set finished, of course, with Here Come The Drums – a song that's been celebrating its seventh anniversary and is a big favourite among Jaya The Cat fans. I made the choice to pop back outside before the extra long outro began to get some much needed cool air. Jaya The Cat are a special band that don't come along so often and it is so lovely to see so many people enjoying them at the New Cross Inn.

You would think that a double bill of Imperial Leisure and Jaya The Cat would have people all partied out but a big group of hardcore ska punk party animals stayed at New Cross for the official after party band. The El Topo All Star Band are a collection of guys from numerous bands who are regularly booked by Jason of El Topo Bookings, playing ska versions of your favourite pop songs. As the band had come from Belgium, nobody was really sure what on earth was going to happen but we were sure it was going to be a good time. Ska covers always go down well! Something that really struck me quite quickly was just how slick the band were. Despite the late hour and the fact they'd probably been drinking all day, they all seemed on top form. Clearly well rehearsed and perhaps taking the El Topo All Star Band a little too seriously, I was really impressed with how they seamlessly blended different songs together, as was demonstrated with the opening riffs of Africa (by Toto, obviously) into What Is Love by Hadaway. Immediately the crowd were summoning the last of their energy to have one last skank to ska versions of songs such as I Want It That Way, Time Bomb, Livin' La Vida Loca. The band did such a great job of making the songs their own. A big highlight for everyone still left at the New Cross Inn was their version of Eminem's Lose Yourself – who would have thought that an Eminem song would work as a ska song? The crowd loved the All Stars so much that they demanded they come back for an encore which included Backstreet’s Back, Toxicity, The Bad Touch and All Star. This was such a fun time and, basically, if they're not invited back to Level Up 2020 I will be sulking until Level Up 2021.

Day two of Level Up 2019 was a huge amount of fun and we were already looking forward to day three! It was going to take some big willpower to get through the day but we already knew it would be worth it.

This gig review was written by Colin Clark and Emma Prew.
Rubbish photos also by Emma.