Gig Review: Filthy Militia Coping Mechanism EP Launch At The Black Heart, Camden 12/2/22

I always enjoy an album or EP launch party. There’s something about them that always seems to add some extra excitement in the crowd and the bands seem to bring that little bit more to their performances. It’s a good time all around. On Saturday the 12th of February, London ska punks Filthy Militia had their launch night for their new EP Coping Mechanism, at the Black Heart in Camden. The band had also invited their long time friends Codename Colin, Easydread and Laurence Crow to play the show. It was set to be a great night.

After finishing work we hurried to the station and made our way to London. Whilst on our way we discovered our branch of the Northern line was closed so would have to find another route to Camden for the gig (thanks for the heads up, Paul). This unfortunately delayed us getting to the Black Heart on time, as well as making me have to hear a busker playing Wonderwall. When we made it into the venue Laurence Crow was already a good way through his set. This was billed as Laurence’s last acoustic show and he seemed to be doing his utmost to make sure that he and everyone in attendance was having the best possible time. From what I managed to catch it, was an enthusiastic and spirited performance. The perfect opener to get the crowd warmed up for the rest of the night.

Next up were Bedfordshire ska/reggae act Easydread. I love Easydread. They’re my local band but this was my first time seeing them in years. There was a time when it felt like I saw them every month. On this occasion they were playing as a seven piece, which included a four person brass section which sound amazing. The band decided to start their set a little early so they could attempt to squeeze an extra song in (spoiler: they unfortunately failed). As it had been so long since I’d seen Easydread, I had forgotten just how much I enjoy seeing them live. The first half of the set seemed to be mostly new songs that they all STILL yet to release – but all sound fantastic. They then finished their set with classics such as Crosshatch Line, Fyah and, of course, Scrotes. It was a great set and I really enjoyed seeing how giddy they all seemed to be playing together again. When a band has as much fun as Easydread did it’s hard for that energy not to find its way into the crowd.

Codename Colin are one of the bands I’ve seen the most amount of times since gigs started to come back. They’re a band we’ve needed as they always bring the party-fun-times to their shows. Despite being a man down and Snowy having to be a one person brass section, they had the same energy and enthusiasm as always. Leaning into the pop punk side of ska, the band get off to a blistering start, instantly getting the crowd on side for a sing-along. To my surprise they played Kelly’s Missing as their second song. This got plenty of fists in the air with that brilliant chorus calling out pay to play gigs. From then on, they stormed through their set, showcasing just how many really good songs they have in their repertoire. They did take the time out to play a brand new song that they are in the process of recording as well as their now traditional cover of I Just Can’t Get Enough which lead to a room sized circle pit. There was unfortunately a moment where frontman Charlie had to ask some of the crowd to calm down slightly as some were getting too rowdy. I felt like he dealt with it brilliantly and the rest of the set went off without a hitch. This was a rare chance to see Codename Colin play a longer set and they absolutely smashed it. Great stuff.

It was soon time for the evening’s main event, Filthy Militia. This moment had been a long time coming for the band. The process of writing songs, doing their Kickstarter funding, recording Coping Mechanism and then finally getting the EP released had been over a year in the making and the band were now about to play the set of their lives. Starting the set with Coping Mechanism’s opener Another Day got the next forty-five minutes or so off to a wild start. It was nice to see the venue so busy and so excited for the set and that excitement only escalated as it went on. As well as playing all of the songs from Coping Mechanism, the band also played tracks from their first EP, Innocent Until Proven Filthy, as well as, the rarely performed live, Jesus. I was fortunate enough to get the EP early because Frosty is a super babe and I’ve been listening to it on repeat ever since so it was really cool to see the songs performed live. All were performed excellently and are making fantastic additions to the Filthy Militia live experience. Filthy Militia are a band that also like to have a bit of fun when they play live. At one point they stopped playing a song (I can’t remember which) to play the theme tune to the classic CBBC cartoon Arthur which got a great reaction. The highlight of the set for me was when they played the awesome Differences from Coping Mechanism. It’s a song about people overcoming the things that set them apart to unite. It’s a wholesome and positive song that feels as needed as ever in the current societal climate and it was great to have a sing-along to it. Despite it being the most complicated sing-along in ska punk. It’s not a classic Codename Colin “whoa-oh” segment that’s fer sho! When a whole room sings along though, it’s a special moment and I can’t wait for the next time I get to experience it. The set was finished in epic fashion with Land Of The Dead. The band were joined on stage by Tom Crabb of Lead Shot Hazard to play guitar so that Frosty could get in the crowd to sing the song. This then ended up with Frosty getting lifted up by the crowd and surfed within a three metre radius of the microphone – that’s how long the cable was. It all turned into a chaotic mess but it was just wonderful to see. Frosty’s best friend Sleeman hopped on stage to lead the chanting finale of the song and in one of the sweetest moments in gig history (maybe) they pointed Frosty out and said ‘that’s my friend’ with so much pride. It was wonderful.

I said in my review of the EP that Coping Mechanism was Filthy Militia taking things up a step. This set proved that they are no longer show openers and could easily find themselves in positions much higher up any ska punk bill and I’ve no doubt they’ll soon be headlining shows on regular occasions. It was a lovely night.

This review was written by Colin Clark. Photos also by Colin.

Gig Review: [Spunge] "Room For Abuse 20+1 Years Anniversary Tour" at New Cross Inn, London 11/10/21

After three fun and fantastic (but long) days in New Cross for Till The Fest, Emma and I decided to hang out in South London for one more day. This was for what was kind of an unofficial after party for the weekend at the New Cross Inn. Following on the previous nights seeing The Filaments, Sonic Boom Six and Lightyear, it was now time to see another legendary UK ska punk band in the form of [Spunge]. The band had been on a country wide tour celebrating the twentieth plus one year anniversary of their second album, Room For Abuse. As [Spunge] are one of my all time favourite bands I had to suck it up and go for a fourth gig in four days to see it.

New Cross Inn favourites Codename Colin were the band chosen to open the gig. We arrived at the venue about fifteen minutes before the band were due to start and were pleasantly surprised by how many people were already at the venue. It did look as if it was mostly people who weren’t at the festival all weekend so there was plenty of people who didn’t feel like they were about to collapse. If there was ever a band to inject some energy into a crowd early it’s Codename Colin. It didn’t take long for the band to get the crowd invested into the set. The band’s high energy poppy ska punk never fails to put a smile on my face. The band know full well that their job is to get the crowd warmed up for the main event later in the evening and they excel at this. Favourites such as Losing Touch, Kelly’s Missing, Escape From Everything, Little Things and Friday The 19th all get run outs and by the end of the set they’ve managed to coerce a sizeable crowd down the front for a dance. Class as always from Codename Colin.

Next up were tour support Slagerij. Slagerij are a three piece who have been going for ages now. They don’t get to London very often so this was a rare chance to see them live. Slagerij, much like [Spunge], are a ska punk band that doesn’t feature horns, instead relying on bouncy, upbeat rhythms to encourage the crowd to get their knees up. I always enjoy a band that has more than one lead singer, something that Slagerij possess. The vocals contrast each other nicely allowing for some great variety in the set. The majority of the set is full of high energy songs which have the guitarist and bassist hopping around the stage, I’m sure the drummer would too if they didn’t need to be behind the kit throughout the set. On the times they did slow things down they did so with plenty of charm and wit. It’s quite clear that Slagerij are all about having as much fun as possible and the band do an excellent job portraying that. I had fun watching them too though I was a little disappointed that they didn’t play Can’t Stop A Nation – such a good song. They will be back at NXI in April next year in support of another ska punk legend – Whitmore. I look forward to seeing them again.

Next it was time for [Spunge]. By the time they took to the stage our legs were really struggling after such a long weekend, how did we used to do this? Of the band’s first three albums, Room For Abuse is probably the one I listened to the least growing up and I feel like it’s one they don’t play as many songs from live. This album show was a chance to see some songs for the first and potentially the last time ever live. Songs like Second Rate (where Al did the male and female vocal parts) and Rockabilly never get played live and it was awesome to see it. The problem with album shows is that they don’t leave much room for surprises – if you know the album, which I assume the majority of the people in the room did, then you know what’s coming next. This didn’t stop the crowd from having the most wonderful time though. There were so many people down the front skanking and moshing, having a delightful time. As ever, the between song banter between Jarv and Al entertained me, talking to each other in a way that only people who have been in a band for twenty plus years can. I believe the band had been hard at work rehearsing the set four times a week for a few months before the tour and it really paid off as they were super tight. Lesser bands would have just been a bit sloppy on some of the deep cuts but [Spunge] really put the effort in to put together a brilliant set, proving to me what a great band they are. Despite my exhaustion, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and we were even treated to a two song encore of Kicking Pigeons (where they were belatedly joined on stage by a trumpet wielding Snowy from Codename Colin) and Skanking Song, which they apparently played as I mentioned to Paul Be Sharp that I was initially glad they wouldn’t be playing it as my legs couldn’t take it.

[Spunge] are a super special band to me and it was quite a moment to see Room For Abuse in full. The Story So Far turns twenty years old next year and I assume they’ll be out on tour to play that in full next. I’ll see you back at NXI.

This review was written by Colin Clark. Photos also by Colin.