Gig Review: PUP at The Dome 9/9/16 (by Emma Prew)

Every now and then there’s a band that everyone seems to be raving about in the world of punk rock and for a while now it has been Toronto’s PUP*. Partly to see what all the fuss was about and partly because he had seen them (and enjoyed them) as a support act before, Colin suggested that we go along to their London show. It was a Friday night gig and, at the time, our September gig calendar was pretty empty so I said ‘sure, why not?’. It was after that that I actually took the time to listen to PUP – mostly their latest album The Dream Is Over – and I did indeed enjoy it so was looking forward to seeing them live.

Opening up for PUP on their UK tour were one of my favourite UK punk acts of the last year, Shit Present. I’ve seen them several times recently (and several other times before that) but that doesn’t mean I was looking forward to seeing them again any less. Opening with Sick Of Me, a track off of their upcoming EP and one that was released to the world last month, it was a little odd seeing the band on such a large stage but they didn’t seem at all daunted. They played a good balance of songs from their first self-titled EP and the new release (out in November), all of which were well received – and deservedly so. I’ve just pre-ordered said new EP, Misery + Disaster, and look forward to seeing them play again soon.

Following on from Shit Present were fellow Canadians (to PUP, not Shit Present) Solids, from Montreal. I’d not listened to the band at all before so had no idea what to expect – always a bit risky when you know you’re planning on reviewing the gig afterwards! Thankfully I knew it’d be okay as soon as the three-piece, consisting of two guitarists and a drummer (no bass player), burst into their set with a loud and melodic sort of musical interlude. In fact, during this interlude I turned to Colin and we both did a little nod of approval. Solids play a very grungey brand of punk rock with mesmerising melodies. It’s certainly not my go-to style of music but it was enjoyable to watch live. As I looked around me, I found that The Dome was packed and everyone was getting into Solids – it was a great sight to see.

And so, the crowd was suitably pumped for the headlining act and we didn’t have long to wait before it was PUP’s turn to take to The Dome’s stage. The band came on stage to some hip-hop music which I have to say was a little bit weird – and I can’t say what exactly it was as I’m not a hip-hop fan – but all weirdness was cast aside when PUP surged into their set with If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You I Will, the opening track from The Dream Is Over. Then, just like on the album, they flawlessly flowed into DVP – it was great. I have to admit, I’m a little bit addicted to the song DVP which I think is mostly due to hearing it for the first time whilst watching the brilliant video game-themed video. This was also the first song of their set that had stage diving – Colin said to me beforehand that he thought the first stage dives would be in the first song, so obviously I bet that it would be second song or later. Unsurprisingly there were many more stage dives throughout PUP’s set and it was great to see so many people having such a good time – I don’t think I’ve been to a venue as large as The Dome for a while. Singer and guitarist Stefan stated that it was their largest ever headline show outside of North America and the fact that it was sold out as well really goes to show how many people love PUP, in London alone. There was never a dull moment during their set and I have to say that they really do excel performing live. They were joined on stage by Louis from Solids who took over singing duties on one song (I forget which, sorry) – he’s actually the drummer in Solids. But a highlight for me was during the ‘encore’ when PUP invited Thom of Shit Present (and Gnarwolves) on stage to sing the rather venomous vocals on Old Wounds, while Stefan got a chance to crowd-surf whilst playing his guitar. It was definitely worth sticking around for and a great end to the gig!

We went to see PUP to see if the ‘hype’ that has surrounded them was justifiable and, having now seen them live for myself, I think it probably is. They may not be my new favourite band but they put on an excellent show and have some great songs.

*Apparently ‘Pup’ has to be written in all caps at all time.

Gig Review: Apologies, I Have None at the Old Blue Last 7/9/16

You probably know this already but I absolutely love Apologies, I Have None. Their recently released second album Pharmacie is already a firm favourite of mine. It's a powerful and emotional piece of work packed with fantastic lyrics and musicianship. Last week they held an album release show at The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch with long time pal Sam Russo and new hardcore band Group Of Man. Of course this was a gig I couldn't miss!

Opening the evening were post-hardcore band Group Of Man. Group Of Man are a band that I had never heard of previous to this gig so was quite intrigued to hear what they were like. After a fantastic musical intro some intense hardcore shouting took me slightly by surprise. It took me a few songs to really get into Group Of Man but once I was in I was definitely in. Group Of Man are clearly a talented bunch of musicians destined for big things.

Sam Russo was up next and this offered up a complete switcheroo in styles. Russo's trademark soft, gravelly storytelling style of songwriting is always completely captivating. For the majority of the people who were filling up the Old Blue Last anyway. Annoyingly, as is often the case with acoustic artists you can sometimes hear people at the back talking between songs. I don't know why people can't just save their conversations for when people aren't trying to enjoy a very, very good performance. Russo always comes across as so natural and confident on stage with nothing seeming to faze him. He played a great selection of songs from both of his full length albums Storm and Greyhound Dreams, as well as a brand new song which I hope will be recorded soon. Russo again proved why he is considered by many as the number one acoustic punk artist.

Next it was time for the reason we were all here - the mighty Apologies, I Have None. Pharmacie felt like it was a long time in the making so for it to finally be out and to finally hear more songs from it live was quite an exciting event - I imagine as much for the band as it is for fans of the band. The Old Blue Last was now pretty much full and Josh, Joe, Simon and James didn't waste anytime launching into some new songs from Pharmacie. Opening up with my song of the year Love and Medication and following it up with Wraith, both songs already feel like established parts of the set and are very well received by the crowd. Love and Medication especially is perhaps even better when played live - Joe's drumming is just superb. Other new songs such as Goodbye Piece Of Mind, Everybody Wants To Talk About Mental Health and A Pharmacy In Paris all went down a storm. This really pleased me. Previous album London is such a classic and is completely adored so new material may not have been received quite so well at a live gig. The new stuff is just so good that this was not a problem in the slightest. It's great to hear the classics such as Sat In Vicky Park, The 26 and Long Gone but having these new songs made the set feel somehow more complete. As well as writing completely brilliant songs AIHN are also just an amazing live band. Playing with an intensity and skill that few bands can match it's impossible to take your eyes away from the stage. It's dramatic, it's emotional and it's just brilliant. It's completely draining but in the very best way imaginable. Between songs front man Josh McKenzie is hilarious, engaging in on stage banter (and often rambling) with the rest of the band and the crowd he keeps the whole room entertained.

This was my thirteenth time (yes I keep track of that kind of thing because I'm really cool) seeing Apologies, I Have None and this show was up there with the best. They are the crown jewel of the UK punk scene and, with gigs as good as this and such brilliant songs, it can't be long until they are headlining much bigger venues all around the country. If you haven't checked out Apologies, I Have None yet I suggest you take a good long look at yourself in the mirror and go and do it. You won't regret it!

Album Review: Got It Made by Guttermouth (by Dan Peters)

Have a conversation about Guttermouth and I’m sure we can mostly agree that Covered In Ants and Gusto are for casuals and weirdos respectively. Other than those later albums everything Guttermouth have done is gold dust. A sixteen year old Dan had this Guttermouth shirt and on the back it had a definition of punk rock which read “a loud, fast, and deliberately offensive style of rock music” . They really epitomised that definition and along with having the best and most genuinely hilarious live show I’ve ever seen they had the most offensive and funny songs too. I stumbled across the fact they have a brand spanking new album by pure chance and after giving a couple seconds listen to make sure it wasn’t another ‘Gusto’ I became hopelessly lost in it.

Guttermouth sound, for those who might not know, like someone got Greenday high on coke and played them on fast forward. As has been then case with many an older band coming back on the scene, this album is a return to the “glory days”. If you are an existing fan, then think Musical Monkey, Teri Yakimoto and Friendly People. For non fans listen to those albums once you finished with this. Couple the aforementioned description of punk with lyrics such as “Your wife is an inbred that married an idiot, it’s no surprise that your kids are deformed” (sung about his own father) and you have a perfect picture of Guttermouth and the measure of this EP. Everything is fast, everything is smeared with juvenile humour and Mark Adkins signature vocals and nothing lasts beyond the 2 and a half minute mark.

This is classic Guttermouth at its best. Trashy, stupid humour, breakneck beats and simple but fierce riffage all through. A lot of their charm comes down to personal taste and sense of humour but if you get it then you’ll love it.

Buy Got It Made here: http://ruderecords.merchnow.com/catalogs/Guttermouth

Like Guttermouth here: https://www.facebook.com/Guttermouth/

A Moan About Moshing

This was a column I never really wanted to write but after events at a gig recently I kind of felt like I had to. It's about moshing.

Something I really love, probably as much as anything in the UK's punk scene is the high level of respect between the audience. Everyone is always polite and friendly. If there is a bit of rowdiness during a gig it's always done in a way that doesn't end up affecting people who are happy just to stand and watch a band. Sure people do get knocked accidently but nine times out of ten there is always an apology. This has always made punk shows feel like an enjoyable and more importantly safe place to go. The punk scene is a community and a community only works if everyone is together pulling the same way. It's something I'm extremely proud to be a small part of.

That brings us to the aforementioned gig. I won't say which gig it was as I think it would be unfair to sully what was actually an outstanding gig other than one incident that really made me sad and uncomfortable. This is what happened.

Emma and I arrived at the gig a few minutes before the opening band were due to go on. Neither myself or Emma had heard of the band before but as lovers of new music we were both looking forward to checking them out. We looked around the venue, which was a tiny one, before the show actually began we and noticed something we thought was a bit odd. We didn't recognise anyone. Normally at a show you can guarantee you will recognise a good 75% of the people there from whatever awesome punk show was on a week earlier. Early on in the night this definitely wasn't the case. We didn't recognise anybody. If it wasn't for seeing the merch table we would have wondered if we were at the right gig. Eventually more and more of the "regulars" did filter in but I constantly had the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right.

Soon enough the headline act of the night took to the stage and the venue was now pretty full. The band were absolutely killing it and the crowd were getting very in to the set, nodding along and singing as loud as they possibly can. Then the "incident" happened. Some people decided to have a mosh. I assume most people reading this will know what moshing is but just in case you don't it's basically a form of dancing where you bump and bash into the people around you. I've taken part in some mosh pits before and it can be good fun but like everything there is a time and place for it and this certainly wasn't it. First of all the room was just too small and crowded to have a fun and SAFE mosh pit. It started out quite small with just some young guys getting a little rowdy until one guy decided to take it way too far!

From my view point he just looked like he was being plain violent for no reason whatsoever. All of a sudden there was a big circle in the middle of the room where he was bashing mindlessly into people. We were getting pushed back against the sides by people trying to get clear of this idiot with no respect for anyone around him. My first reaction to was to get infront of Emma so she didn't end up getting hurt. The thought of protecting somebody should never have to come into someone's mind on an evening out whatever you're doing in. I also noticed a few other girls clambering to get out of the danger zone so they didn't get clobbered by this tool. Seeing women having to run to the side to avoid getting hurt is not something that should be happening in 2016! It's completely unacceptable and really made me angry. It really has no place at a punk show or anywhere else for that matter.

Thankfully this moron was eventually restrained after a bit of pushing and shoving by some of the crowd. I don't know if he was thrown out or just decided to stop being a dick but happily that was the end of the trouble and the rest of the night was 100% fun!

It does make me ever so sad to write something like this and it is a very rare occurrence for something like this to happen. It should never happen. I'd never suggest that people shouldn't go to a punk show. Punk shows are a place for everyone. But everyone should be treated with respect. If you are a newcomer to the scene use some common sense and get a look at the lay of the land. If people clearly don't want to be part of a mosh pit, don't mosh it's pretty simple. Act accordingly. It's like going round somebody's house for the first time, you don't just put your feet up on the coffee table - that's rude. You respect the person whose house it is and the space in general. Basically the whole point of this rant is about respecting people and not being a goon at shows and making other people uncomfortable. It's not that difficult.

Album Review: Pennies For The Dead by Paper Rifles

This past July, with no fanfare whatsoever, Edinburgh acoustic punk act Paper Rifles released a new single named Pennies For The Dead. Pennies For The Dead was released via digital download or you could buy a cool USB penny which came with some bonus live tracks.

Pennies For The Dead starts out with some guitar work and some light piano playing, immediately giving the track a thoughtful feel. Then Paper Rifles' fantastic vocals come into play. He has one of my favourite voices, whether he is taking a restrained approach or really belting a tune out. This is a protest song written out of anger and frustration for the terrible year that 2016 has been politically. The final verse really stood out to me. "You Say You're Sick Of Sitting On The Fence So You Burn It Down And Build A Wall Instead, You Tell Me It's Not Time For All My Liberal Thoughts As You Count Out All The Pennies For The Dead" - it is about being stubborn and only seeing something from one side of the fence and ignoring everyone else as well as the consequences. PR's voice is in full on passion mode which does a fantastic job of getting the point across.

The second song on the single is named Bad Blood. From the outset Bad Blood has a brilliant piano melody that I can imagine a crowd happily replicating at a Paper Rifles gig. On Bad Blood PR sings about how people with the most expensive education are often unaware of how the masses feel about things, thus them not always being the correct person to run our country. This song doesn't hit the passionate highs that Pennies For The Dead does but there is a lot more forcefulness and anger in the music. You can also hear a lot of emotion throughout the track, really showing just how much PR cares about what he is singing about.

Paper Rifles only writes brilliant songs. Here are anther two. Listen to them, learn from them, sing along to them but mostly enjoy them.

Stream and download Pennies For The Dead here: https://paper-rifles.bandcamp.com/album/pennies-for-the-dead

Like Paper Rifles here: https://www.facebook.com/PaperRifles/

Album Review: Silent Town by Talco

When I was first emailed about reviewing a ska band from Italy I was filled with excitement. One of my favourite things about doing this whole reviewing/blog thing is discovering new and exciting bands and it had been a while since I had been sent any new ska. For those who don't know ska punk was my first love in the world of punk rock music and I still love checking out new bands in the genre. The band in question are a band named Talco who have recently released an album named Silent Town. Full of the excitement of a little boy at Christmas who knows they are getting a Lego Millennium Falcon I pressed play to have a listen and quickly came across a small problem. The album is in Italian… I don't speak Italian. I have to be honest and admit I thought "I can't review this" but I kept listening anyway and really enjoyed the album so decided to give it a try anyway.

Obviously I can't talk about the meanings of any of the songs so there isn't much point me giving a song by song description of Silent Town. I can however talk about how I feel when listening to the album. From the very beginning I'm filled with energy and instantly want to dance. The horn blasts of the opening track Il Tempo start Silent Town with a bang and give you an impression on the type of musical ride you have just boarded. This just feels like a good time. It's the type of music you can't help but smile and dance along with even if you can't understand it all. Like all of the best bands, vocals come from all directions giving a fantastic sense of a party atmosphere. I can't speak highly enough about the horns on all twelve songs on the album. When I think about the best brass sections in ska punk the band I always think of is Streetlight Manifesto and the brass on Silent Town really reminds me of SM. It really drives the songs on and allows them to take a life all of their own. Before you try and pigeon hole Talco as just a ska punk band though they will surprise you. Adding a bit of folk and gypsy punk to their sound gives them a different style to many of their contemporaries. It adds a whole load of freshness to the sound which is good. I've known people to naively state that all ska sounds the same - Talco certainly prove that this isn't the case. On every listen you hear something different. Whilst writing this review I've probably listened through the album three or four times and every time something different and fantastic has caught my attention.

Despite not understanding a single word of it Silent Town is still one of the best ska albums I've heard in a while. This music should make me smile. It should make me dance. It does these things by the bucket load. It's a fantastic release. Go and take a chance and check it out.

Like Talco here: https://www.facebook.com/talcopatchanka/

Get more information on Talco here: http://www.talcoska.com/en/

Album Review: Sad by Kamikaze Girls

Kamikaze Girls are a two piece punk band from Leeds and London, featuring Lucinda Livingstone on vocals and guitar and Conor Dawson on drums. The duo had a new release out on the 2nd of September titled Sad, on Bearded Punk and Wiretap Records.

The opening track on Sad is named Hexes. Starting out with a fuzzy guitar intro before blending into some harder punk music. It's not long before Lucinda's vocal joins the fray. It jumps from understated to being full of venom throughout. With the venom style being used to really make a point. Hexes is about having bad luck but pretending like you don't and accepting that's life. Up next we have the song Stitches. Stitches wastes no time in getting started and has more of a pop punk feel to it. It's about struggling with a mental health issue in a relationship. The song is extremely catchy and I loved that after half a dozen listens in a row there is still plenty of new things to discover in the song. The third song on Sad is named I Hate Funerals. This tracks begins with a slow pounding sound that reminds me of grunge music. The variation in style from Stitches and I Hate Funerals is a joy to listen to. I'm impressed that a band consisting of just two members manages to make such a big, full sound on this song. Ladyfuzz is my favourite track on Sad. Kamikaze Girls go down the emo/pop punk route here and there is a real rawness to the song. The raw sound really made the track stand out to me. A lot of bands playing this style really over produce the music, which makes it feel too slick and smooth. The rawness really adds to the emotion of the track. Fantastic job. Sad is completed with the track Black Coffee. Black Coffee is a faster tempo song which begins with some distorted guitars, a simple but interesting drum beat and Lucinda's distincitive vocals before the song really gets going. Once it does get going we have another highly enjoyable fuzzy pop punk song. Lucinda's vocal go through many stages throughout the song, ranging from a clean pop style to a angry snarling screamy sound. I really liked the angry snarl and I would like to hear a few more Kamikaze Girl songs with this sound.

Sad is an EP about it being okay to feel sad. Kamikaze Girls like to use their music as a way of challenging attitudes towards mental health - as the aim of the band is to show support and solidarity with young people who are struggling with mental health problems. Kamikaze Girls are an important band in or scene and need to be heard.

Stream and download Sad here: https://kamikazegirls.bandcamp.com/album/sad

Like Kamikaze Girls here: https://www.facebook.com/kamikazegirlsuk/