Video: No.3 - Punk Rock Houseshows

This is a great little documentary about the DIY punk scene in Southampton.

Gig Review: The Front Bottoms at The Garage 5/9/14

When I turned up at The Garage in London on Friday night I was in for a bit of a shock. There was a queue! I can’t remember the last time I had to queue up for a gig. I wondered when did The Front Bottoms get so big? I mean it’s great for them and it’s well deserved but it did take me by surprise.

The opening band were one of the most talked about bands of the summer, Canada’s Pup. I haven’t had a chance to listen to Pup at the time but a friend I had made in the crowd named George described them as a Canadian Gnarwolves, can’t go wrong there then. The Garage was already pretty much full by the time they got on stage, probably something to do with the one hour and fifteen minutes gap between doors opening and Pup starting the set. Frankly a wait of that long is ridiculous but that’s a blog for another day. Within the first song I realised why there was such a big buzz surrounding Pup, my gosh they really give it some beans live. Pup don’t slowly ease into a set they attack in full speed from the start. Despite never hearing any of the songs before I found myself wanting to sing along with them, that’s how catchy they were. With some slight prodding from Pup the crowd were getting crazy with some fantastic crowd surfing. As well as being an excellent band and excellent songwriters they also came across as incredibly nice and humble guys on stage, constantly thanking everyone around them. I can’t wait to see them again and hope they go really really far.

After Pup had finished it was time for New Jerseys The Front Bottoms. I was amazed at just how far they had come in a short space of time. I remember seeing them support The Menzingers at The Borderline in 2012 and not really having a clue who they were. I fell in love with them that night; I found them to be really infectious and was really happy to see them headlining a venue easily twice the size just two years later. From the off The Front Bottoms had everyone in The Garage in the palm of their hands. Their unique folk/pop punk songs were sung loud and proud by everyone in the increasingly warm room. There is an uplifting quality about The Front Bottoms songs, even that their darkest topically it’s hard not to crack a smile when listening to them, especially live. I hadn’t realised just how many great songs The Front Bottoms have, playing great song after great song. Every song was very well received but the biggest reactions were saved for Flashlight, Au Revoir, The Beers, Swimming Pool, Maps and Twin Size Mattress. Another highlight was during the song Backflip where front man Brian got a member of the crowd on stage who he had spoken with earlier and got him to stage dive. I have to say this was one of the best stage dives I had ever seen, the guy got some great height and was actually caught by the crowd. Speaking of the crowd, this was one of the loveliest I had ever been in, especially at a gig of this size. Everyone was super friendly. At one point I was helping a guy crowd surf and somehow my headphone which was hanging out of my shirt managed to get caught in his laces and pulled my iPod of my pocket. I had no idea where it went until I saw a lovely lady with it in her hand. The kindness of strangers is brilliant.

This was a fantastic gig, both bands were great and everyone had a brilliant time. Can’t wait to see both bands again.

Check out Pup here: https://www.facebook.com/puptheband

Check out The Front Bottoms here: https://www.facebook.com/thefrontbottoms

Now listening to Prisoner Of Society by Luke Hilly and the Cavalry

Album Review: The Path Of Least Resistance/Among The Wretched Double A-Side by Sink Alaska

This week Glaswegian melodic punks Sink Alaska released a new Double A-Side 7” single on Make-That-A-Take Records.

The first song is called The Path Of Least Resistance. Straight away you can hear that the band is influenced by that legendary 90’s Fat Wreck Chords skate punk sound. This song is about the frustrations of going against the grain and trying to make people listen to your difference of opinion. The strength of the vocals really stands out on the track, crisp and clean but filled with angst and urgency and backed with some fantastic harmonies.

Official Video for The Path Of Least Resistance

The other song on this double a-side is called Among The Wretched. Again lead singer Alshy’s vocals stand out as he sings about being down and out and coming to terms with that. The musical arrangement in the song is great, with all the instruments playing a part in making a very interesting song. Some fantastic guitar riffs helped along by some great bass lines and some brilliant drum rolls.

This is the first I’ve heard of Sink Alaska and it’s a very good start. I am definitely going to check out some of their older releases and look keenly for what they do next. You should too. 

Stream and buy this release here: https://makethatatakerecords.bandcamp.com/album/double-a-side-7

Now listening to The Path Of Least Resistance by Sink Alaska

Album Review: Fail Forward by Wank For Peace

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that most people’s music collection in any genre is filled with bands from either the UK or the United States. That can definitely be said about mine. Sure I have some bands from Australia like Frenzal Rhomb and The Smith Street Band and there are a few bands from Europe such as The Apers from Holland, The 20 Belows from Denmark and of course ASTPAI from Austria. At some point last year I randomly discovered a band from France named Wank For Peace who I thought were pretty good. In July I had the opportunity to see them in May at The Windmill in Brixton with Ducking Punches and River Jumpers which you can read about here. This Autumn Wank For Peace release their second full length album Fail Forward.

Wank For Peace describe their sound as melodic punk and hardcore and that description certainly fits on Fail Forward. Opening track Friends First is just over a minute long and really shows a statement of intent from the band. It’s a ferocious opening for the album and the rest of the album doesn’t really slow down.

Track two – Heavy Shoulders really stood out on my first listen of Fail Forward. Using a lot of gang vocals gives the song a “we’re all in this together” vibe as lead singer Flo sings with a huge amount of passion. The same came be said about the next song Five Steps To Nothing, which is a driving song with more gang vocals and a great fists in the air chorus.

Up next is Was That What You Expected Kid? In this song the band questions your life and asks if you’re living the way you dreamt of when you were young. The fast paced vocal delivery gives the verse a great pop punk feel. The chorus goes “cause this life, that I live today, doesn’t allow me to be the person that I wanted to be” will resonate with anyone stuck in a job that they hate who feels life isn’t going the way that they wanted.

The next stand out track is Choices/Feedback. It’s only 1 minute and 17 seconds long but packs a whole load of punch. The whole band manages to show off their immense skill with some great guitar riffs, interesting bass lines and some brilliant drumming. This song is followed nicely by Twelve Cheese Sticks. It starts out with a couple of cymbal taps before the band bellows out the words “we were invincible, we were invincible, we were alive, we started out with nothing.” A very catchy chorus which will go down brilliantly with a live crowd.

After a brief Interlude comes another shorter song named Mea Culpa which is then followed by The Sleepless. This song is about always questioning everything, whether it be the people around you or yourself and striving for something more.

The album finishes with another standout song – We’re Not Done Yet, Sorry. It’s a slow building song which will be another fan favourite played when it is played live. There is some anthem like qualities on this song with its slow paced deliberate vocals and a more mid tempo musical arrangement.

In Fail Forward Wank For Peace have a great second album. It has everything you want from this type of music, it’s melodic and yet aggressive, brilliant musicianship and some fantastic vocals whether it’s Flo on his own or the whole band. But most of all this album is delivered with passion. You can tell that every single word that’s sung or note that’s played is coming from someone who really believes in what they are doing. That’s why I love this album and why I love Wank For Peace.

Pre-order and stream two songs here: https://wankforpeace.bandcamp.com/album/fail-forward

Now listening to All That We Know by The Roughneck Riot

Venue Report: The Borderline

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have a terrible sense of direction. I get lost everywhere, whether it is in a little shop or in a big city like London. In 2012 I was going to see New York punk band Polar Bear Club at somewhere called The Borderline in London. I got off of the tube at Tottenham Court Road and headed towards The Borderline. One problem, I got horrendously lost and ended up wandering around Soho for the best part of an hour before eventually finding it. I have since been back a number of times, often getting quite lost before finding it again. At one point I had a theory that it was like the island in Lost and it kept moving so people couldn’t find it. Now I can find it first time, every time and it has become one of my favourite venues. Here is why.

 The first thing that will hit you as you walk down the stairs leading into The Borderline is its size. On first impressions The Borderline looks tiny but it actually holds almost 300 people. It has a decent sized floor space with no barriers between the stage and the crowd. For those not wanting to get too involved in the dancing the area around the floor is raised so you can still get a great view of the stage. What’s more, if you do want to get close to the stage without getting sweaty there is a small seated area, where you can sit with your drink and still see the whites of a bands eyes.

When it comes to sound I don’t ever remember a gig I’ve been to at The Borderline when I thought it was poor. All of the nine gigs I’ve seen (Polar Bear Club, The Menzingers, Make Do and Mend, Random Hand, Jim Lockey & the Solemn Son, Allister, The Beards, Jesse James, The Toasters) have sounded fantastic. My one complaint is that sometimes the times between sets can be a little long and can become quite boring.

Like most of the smaller venues I’ve been to for gigs the atmosphere is always friendly. The security and bar staff are always chatty and approachable. Unlike The Underworld or Our Black Heart security does have a more of a visual presence at The Borderline but they have never stood in the way of people having fun and I’ve never seen them try and throw their weight around which is always good.

If you want to visit a small, intimate venue in the centre of London then The Borderline is the place to go. They put on some great up and coming bands as well as some more established ones. The venue is a great place to see live music and you’ll feel very welcome and at home. If you can find it I strongly advise going.

Now listening to Riverbank by Get Dead

Classic Albums: American Idiot by Green Day

I was shocked and amazed the other day. I was in utter disbelief. I discovered this month it has been ten years since arguably the most successful punk rock albums ever was released. The album I am talking about is of course American Idiot by the mighty Green Day.

Released on the 20^th of September 2004 American Idiot is the San Francisco based bands seventh studio album. It received a huge amount of praise from music critics and fans all over the world. American Idiot that took Green Day from being the biggest punk band on the planet to one of the biggest bands on the planet. Now ten years later I am going to review American Idiot.

The album kicks off with one of the most recognisable guitar riffs ever before blasting into the lead single with the same name as the album American Idiot. This anti-George Bush anthem is everything you would expect from a Green Day song. Music played at a break neck speed accompanied by Billie Joe Armstrong’s poppy snarl as he belts out some smart lyrics.

Track two is where the album get’s interesting. American Idiot is Green Day’s attempt at a rock opera. It tells the story of Jimmy’s life from birth to death. The song Jesus Of Suburbia is the first of two nine minute long songs on American Idiot. A song comprised of five different parts (Jesus Of Suburbia, City Of The Damned,  I Don’t Care, Dearly Beloved, Tales Of Another Broken Home), it tells a tale of Jimmy becoming frustrated with life and running away. For a punk band to write a song this long is almost unheard of but Green Day make it work to fantastic effect.

Up next is Holiday. Opening up with another very recognisable guitar riff this song is the most political on American Idiot. Billie Joe sings with a sneer reminiscent of a man intent on changing the world.

Holiday is followed up by Boulevard Of Broken Dreams. This song tells of how Jimmy has grown disenchanted with life and how he feels alone. He then begins to question his existence in the following song Are We The Waiting. Both of these songs see the band slow things down a notch. Are We The Waiting is a brilliantly atmospheric song and Billie Joe’s vocal delivery is perfect.

Track number six on the album is my personal favourite, St. Jimmy. This fast paced punk rock assault is about St. Jimmy beginning to stand up and fight against the establishment he is so angry at. Armstrong is at his snarling best on this electrifying song. Drummer Tré Cool adds some excellent drum rolls towards the end of the song.

The next two songs Give Me Novacaine and She’s A Rebel could easily be one song. They continue Jimmy’s story as he delves into drugs and meet’s a girl who he feels is dangerous. Give Me Novacaine is a slow tempo number that slowly builds before going into the punchier She’s A Rebel. These songs are followed up by Extraordinary Girl, continuing the talk of women. Jimmy has found himself in a relationship with an amazing woman but finds himself bringing her down.

The tenth song is named Letterbomb and goes back to Green Day’s classic Dookie sound. Billie Joe’s vocal performance is again superb on this song. This is followed by the ballad Wake Me Up When September Ends. Here Billie Joe pulls on your heartstrings as he sings about dealing with the loss of a loved one. This is where Green Day pull out an arena sized anthem from their box of tricks. The song itself is a brilliantly written piece of music but for me it slows the pacing of the album right down and makes it begin to drag.

Wake Me Up When September Ends is followed by the second of two nine minute long songs, Homecoming. Homecoming deals with the death of Jimmy. Split into five parts (Homecoming, East 12^th St, Nobody Likes You, Rock and Girlfriend and We’re Coming Home Again) it serves as a eulogy for Jimmy’s life.

American Idiot finishes with Whatsername. This song about trying to find a loved one feels kind of out of place on the album. It’s another great song but with the story telling aspect of American Idiot you would think it would finish with Homecoming. The placing of this song is one of very few blemishes on this album.

Whether you love or hate American Idiot you cannot deny that this is an amazing accomplishment from Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tré Cool and producer Rob Cavallo.

Jesse James Live @ The Borderline 5/7/14

My favourite gig this year.