Gig Review: Level Up Festival 2019 Day Three 21/7/19

The third and final day of Level Up 2019 was upon us and our hearts were as full as our legs were achy. We were excited for another day of fun with so many friends but my body was telling me I'm getting too old for this stuff. The night before, Emma and I were invited to the New Cross House across the road from the Inn for a Sunday roast which we quickly accepted. It was large, delicious and left me feeling very full and ready for the day.

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

Up first were The Lovespuds. Assuming many people had run out of steam from the weekend's earlier activities, there wasn't the biggest of crowds for the London act but those folk who did arrive at New Cross Inn early were very enthusiastic. I last saw The Lovespuds back in February and, at the time, they didn't have a brass section with them. On this occasion however, they were at their full strength and really treated us to a show. Providing something a bit different to the rest of the day’s line up, The Lovespuds added a bit of theatre and cabaret to their set and quickly got people in the room moving. They finished with a cover of Rolling On The River by Tom Harder which was accompanied by some great dance moves from New Cross regulars and dancing superstars Frosty and Sleeman.

First to play downstairs on the Sunday was Jonny Cloke, a familiar face at the New Cross Inn and former member of Brighton band River Jumpers. Playing a set mostly consisting of cover songs, I was instantly hooked in with the Lawrence Arms and Iron Chic tracks but, this being a ska festival, it was the ska songs that received the biggest reaction from the rest of the crowd. The ska songs in question were Drinking For Eleven by Mad Caddies and The Science Of Selling Yourself Short by Less Than Jake. The tracks were not only skilfully played and sung by Jonny but also featured a make-shift horn section in the form of the voices of those gathered in the room. It was just one of those lovely moments that leaves a great big smile on your face.

Heading back upstairs, it was time for everyone’s favourite ‘bin-loving, state-hating ska kids’ – Bristol’s Boom Boom Racoon. Having seen the trio a few times now, I know how much fun their live show is and their Level Up Festival 2019 appearance was no different. If you’re unfamiliar with the band, they play upbeat and fun ska-folk punk tunes with topics that seemingly range from lotus biscuits to Lisa Simpson but they’re actually more socio-political and thought-provoking than those subjects would suggest. Highlights of the set included when trumpet player Rosie was crowd surfed whilst playing her instrument, because she’d watched a video of someone else doing so on the way to New Cross, and a guest appearance from Tommy (of BaldHead And The Dreads and C-Rage) who played the cajón for a number of tracks. That and everyone singing and dancing to Boom Boom Racoon – to the tune of the Vengaboys classic, obviously!

Second on the acoustic stage in the basement was London acoustic punk rocker What Did You Expect?. Unfortunately he was feeling a little under the weather but that didn't stop him delivering a powerful performance of angry acoustic music. The songs were packed with plenty of social and political content that was certain to get you thinking and they were sung with such intent that you really believed every word. I was also impressed with the amount of energy put into the performance. Not one to stand still, he played his acoustic guitar with the same power than I imagine he might strum an electric in a full band environment.

Bristol's The Larryfish Experiment were of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing on the Sunday of Level Up Festival. The set started with bassist Chris Durbin jumping off the stage and charging around the floor. From there we were treated to half an hour of fast paced ska punk that got everyone dancing and smiling. Clearly they are a generous bunch as throughout their set they constantly chucked free T-shirts into the crowd, which I saw many people wearing throughout the rest of the day. Obviously not a band who take themselves too seriously, decked out in colourful shirts, face paint and a poncho, they had plenty of songs about skanking, having fun and professional wrestling that the crowd adored. They gave a special shout out to fellow Bristol dweller Fishlock before Chris [the bassist] jumped off stage, through him over his shoulder ran round the floor all whilst somehow continuing to play bass. Seeing The Larryfish Experiment was quite the spectacle and one I hope to repeat sometime soon.

When Just Say Nay (who are sometimes an 11-piece) were announced as being one of the ‘acoustic’ acts of Level Up this year, we assumed that they would play as maybe a 4-or-5-piece… Of course they didn’t! Stocks Bar is small and warm even when there isn’t a band playing down there so a 9-piece semi-acoustic Just Say Nay plus a lot of eager ska punk fans rammed in there was quite frankly ridiculous – ridiculously fun though! Despite the relatively confined space, there was dancing a’plenty and tracks such as Jiggy Bean, Mr Plank Goes To Town, Bouncer and Low Blow received some eager singalongs. And we also got to hear a handful of new songs from the band’s much anticipated debut album which vocalist Jak says is coming October – it sounds like it will be well worth the wait. And at one point during the set, trombone player Mikey made a religious-style speech in which he referred to Paul Smith as being the patron saint of ska. Brilliant! This set was definitely one of the overall highlights of Level Up 2019 – and you can see it for yourself below:

With spirits running high after Just Say Nay’s triumphant set, the folk in basement flooded back upstairs to join those already eagerly awaiting the next band – Lead Shot Hazard. Fellow regulars at the New Cross Inn, Lead Shot Hazard have been hard at work on their debut album and promised to play a selection of songs from it. Fire To Find Our Friends will be released this month on Bad Granola Records and if the live versions are anything to go by then it’s definitely worth checking out! The six-piece had the the room bouncing throughout their set, despite the fact that a lot of the songs were brand new. Throwing in a cover towards the end was a sure fire way to keep energy levels up and ensure that the crowd would sing along. My Friends Over You by New Found Glory given a ska spin went down a treat with the Level Up attendees. Oh and the band handed out free Level Up exclusive Lead Shot Hazard t-shirts at the end of their set which was kind of them. Punks are lovely.

Finishing up on the acoustic stage was a special set from C-Rage. Having been a solo acoustic act for years, this year Craig has teamed up with James and Tommy from BaldHead & The Dreads and New Cross regulars Rosie and Bee to make some of Craig's setlist full band and, I assume, also working on some new material. A nicely sized crowd of people made their way down to the basement after Lead Shot Hazard's fantastic set. Opening the set solo with the songs Best Thing and Punk-O-Rama eased the crowd in before the rest of the band joined him. As nobody had heard them full band previously, there was a lot of speculation about how well this would go and I thought it went really well. Hearing songs such as Fenchurch St., Soundcheck and Wherever You May Be fleshed out with bass, extra guitar, percussion (cajón) and viola was really good and showed off Craig's skill as a songwriter well. I look forward to the next C-Rage full band show, where perhaps they'll have a "proper" band name?

I must admit that Bogus Gasman are a band that we knew next to nothing about before Level Up. I did however know that a lot of other people were excited to see the band as, based in Lewisham, they are somewhat local legends. The band have been around in one form or other for over 20 years but they recently added two new horn players to their ensemble – Katy on trumpet and Dave on trombone, who also happen to be in Just Say Nay! Blending traditional ska punk with hardcore and oi music, Bogus Gasman offered something a little different to what we’d heard all weekend. To be honest, it was the horn melodies that I enjoyed the most and they had me dancing but I did also enjoy yelling ‘oi, oi, oi!’ back at frontman Liam Gasman. 

The penultimate band of the day, and the entire festival, were a band who were actually playing their first UK gig. Born from the ashes of UK skacore legends Beat The Red Light are Redeemon. Playing that wonderful thrashy, death metal, ska punk, Redeemon quickly set about trying to turn New Cross into rubble. I think it was the first song where lead singer and trombone player Pook and one of their two guitarists launched themselves into the crowd. Beat The Red Light were well known for their frenzied and chaotic shows and Redeemon were no different. The Level Up crowd were really getting into this change of pace to anything else we'd been treated to this weekend. The mosh was harder, the skanking faster, some huge human pyramids were erected and there was a Macarena. Basically this set was ridiculous – ridiculous fun! I would assume that Redeemon won't have the busiest of tour schedules but when they're in town it's obvious that they will be a must see act!

It was now time for the final band of Level Up Festival 2019, the one and only King Prawn. Returning to Level Up Festival after headlining the first year in 2017, it's always fantastic to see King Prawn live. I obviously wasn't the only one who thought so as a big crowd gathered around the front of the stage ready to sing back every word at the band. Sadly, as this was the last day of the festival, my memory of exactly what songs they played is very hazy and pretty much non-existent. I do know they played a good mixture classics (of which they have many) and a host of new songs from their recently released The Fabulous New Sounds Of album, including the appropriately titled Level Up Festival. At this point there can't have been many people standing still despite plenty of legs feeling like they've aged considerably over the weekend. King Prawn are one of those special bands that have a fantastic way of connecting with an audience despite not really moving around too much on stage. Armed with such a fantastic collection of songs though, the Level Up crowd lap up everything that is happening on the stage. Determined to squeeze every last drop out of the festival, the crowd seem wilder than ever before with bodies just knocking off each other in the pit. It was a joyous time and there were smiles and hugs a plenty filling the New Cross Inn. Sadly we had to leave before the end of King Prawn's set to catch our train but we left safe in the knowledge that the party was poppin'!

Level Up Festival gets better every single year. The ska punk community that descends on the New Cross Inn each July is an absolute joy to be around. It's just magical seeing so many familiar faces every year – reacquainting with some, talking to others for the first time. The New Cross Inn just fills up with so many lovely like-minded people and every year you leave with the lovely feeling of the fuzzies when you know you've been a part of something truly special. This festival wouldn't happen without the promoting brilliance of Paul and Mike from Be Sharp Promotions, Chris from Fishlock Promotions and Jason from El Topo Bookings. I know personally that this year was one of the hardest Level Up Festivals to book for a number of reasons. But the fact that things went so smoothly and for my money it was potentially the best one yet is a testament to the hard work that these wonderful gentlemen put in. We can't thank them enough for doing this. If you're a fan of ska punk music and you still haven't made it to Level Up Festival, you really need to sort that out in 2020. There isn't a better ska punk festival in the UK. Incredible bands and even better people. There aren't many better ways to spend a weekend in an Inn on a July weekend. See you next year!

Here's the aftermovie from the weekend filmed by the hardest working person of the entire weekend, Ell from Elliot Bobin Videography. Check it out, if you were there relive the memories, if you weren't see what you missed out on and get excited for Level Up 2020.

This gig review was written by Colin Clark and Emma Prew.
Rubbish photos also by Emma. Just Say Nay video by Just Say Nay. Aftermovie by Ell Bobin.