Album Review: Drip Fed by Youths

We had the pleasure of seeing new London pop punk band Youths play their first proper show a few weeks ago when they opened for Red City Radio at the New Cross Inn. The four piece, who consist of Max (guitar and vocals), Boz (drums), Phil (guitar) and Martin (bass), are a group of friends who are on the best side of thirty who decided to get together and play a style different to their usual genre of hardcore punk rock. In July, they released their debut EP Drip Fed. After being impressed by their live performance, I was looking forward to seeing what Youths are like on record.

Up first is the EP's title track Drip Fed. The track crashes into life immediately, seemingly slowing down in its build to Max's vocals. The vocals are, as you might expect from a pop punk band, clean and slick without much hint of the gruff. This makes the song instantly accessible to anyone listening for the first time. Drip Fed is about all of the false news stories that appear all over the internet, in particular on social media, and how easy it is to believe these stories. To add some intensity to the track, some gang vocals are added towards the end of the song as the band shout their message with some passion.

The second of the three songs is named The Ones You Need. On my first listen of the track, I felt a huge Menzingers and PUP vibe. The song starts with a guitar riff that could easily be found on the next Menzingers album when it's released. When the vocals come in, they are delivered in a wonderfully punchy way that really grabs your attention and has me wanting to sing along from the get go. They also have you wanting to listen to every single word and keen to really learn the meaning of the song. I took the song as being about the world turning into a horrible place and making sure that you have plenty of people around you who make it better. The ending of the track is a big highlight of the entire EP. Again the gang vocals come in but, rather than the intense shouting of the previous song, it's more of a melodic chant that should get a whole room singing along.

Last up is We Talk Of Travel When We're Drunk. The song is about those great nights down the pub, talking about your hopes and aspirations for the future. It's an uplifting and positive song about going for your dreams that will give you that get up and go feeling. The chorus in particular will inspire some folk, especially if you find yourself singing it with a group of friends who have similar dreams to yourself. This is the kind of pop punk track that I can see fitting perfectly into a teen movie montage from the 90s. I can already see a convertible car full of hot teenagers going on their summer road trip to find themselves. There you go Youths, there's the concept for the future music video for the song.

Drip Fed is a hugely impressive debut EP from Youths. These guys obviously have some pedigree from their previous bands which has helped with this release and it has me extremely excited to see where they go next. I don't think it will be long before I see them live again and am really looking forward to singing along to these songs.

Stream and download Drip Fed here: https://youthsuk.bandcamp.com/

Like Youths here: https://www.facebook.com/Youthsband/

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Column: Desert Island Punks

Podcasts are cool these days, aren't they? It seems like everyone is starting them. One new one I've really been enjoying recently is Desert Island Punks which is presented by Jake McAllister of Jake And The Jellyfish. On the podcast Jake asks the guest, a member of the punk rock scene, what five records they would take with them if they were stranded on a desert island (they can't be live albums or compilations) as well as a book and a luxury item. So far on the podcast (at the time of writing) Jake has spoken Robin from Random Hand, Ren from Petrol Girls, Ryan Donovan from Red City Radio and producer Bob Cooper about what they would take. I imagine I'm not the only one who has put thought into what they would take with them. I imagine you've started thinking about it just reading this paragraph. I decided, with Jake's blessing, that I would write a column explaining what my choices would be.

Once you're done reading this, make sure you go and check out the Desert Island Punks podcast at all good podcast providing services and check out their Facebook here and Twitter here.

Lightyear – Call Of The Weasel Clan
I figure if I'm stuck on a desert island it's not only important to have good music but it's also got to be a lot of fun. Are there any bands more fun than Lightyear? I've been listening to Call Of The Weasel Clan for so many years now and I'm still hearing new things that I love. It's not only a lot of fun but it's incredibly creative and Chas Palmer-Williams was back then and still is today one of the best songwriters around. There are songs that make me want to dance (great exercise) and there are songs that make me smile (good for the mental health) and songs that are empowering (great for motivation).
Favourite track: Three Basics

Davey Dynamite – Holy Shit
Davey Dynamite is actually the only album on this list that appears on my ‘all time top five list’. It's probably number one. If you don't know, Davey Dynamite is a Chicago based folk punk artist. Holy Shit was released right at the end of 2016 and blew me away from the very first time I heard it. It's raw but not so raw that it's unlistenable. On the album, Davey touches on a lot of different political and social injustices and talks about them in a way that really gets you pumped up. Holy Shit is a really good album to get angry to and let out any frustrations you might have. If I'm stuck on an island by myself, things are going to bubble up in my mind and I'll need something to help explode on occasion.
Favourite track: Gods

Wank For Peace – Fail Forward
I feel like to survive on a desert island you need to remain pumped up and motivated. No album gets me more pumped up than Fail Forward by French punks Wank For Peace. Fail Forward is a ferocious album of fast, raspy vocal hardcore with massive choruses. I very, very rarely ever listen to hardcore music but this album has been a go to since it came out in 2014. Fail Forward will be great for keeping my cardio up as it makes me want to start a one man most pit whenever I hear it.
Favourite Track: Twelve Cheese Sticks

The Johnstones – Can't Be Trusted
In 2010 I broke my leg and that left me pretty much alone at home for a couple of months. During that time I must have listened to Can't Be Trusted by The Johnstones two or three times a day every day. Admittedly this isn't the most PC of albums and in 2019 some of the lyrics could be deemed offensive but I'm stuck all alone on this island until, I assume, I die so offending folk isn't something I need to be too worried about. The Johnstones started life as a fast ska punk band that was all about having the best time possible. As their sound progressed, they took on more of a poppier style which meant that they added some really big choruses and made the songs so much more accessible sounding. The use of three vocalists really adds to the songs, always keeping the energy really high. Every song is an earworm as well, you'll be humming songs all the time – hopefully keeping me reasonably sane.
Favourite track: Right To Say

NOFX – The Decline
Myself and some friends used to play a game called Race The Decline where we would try and get from place A to place B in less time than it takes to listen to The Decline by NOFX in full. This obviously makes this album a sensible choice for a desert island and it will increase productivity. Trying to do certain island life tasks such as building shelter in the time it takes to listen to The Decline for example. The Decline could become my new system of keeping time. I could ditch measuring time in hours, we could advance and begin to measure time in The Decline. My island could become the most forward thinking and productive place on the planet. It's a shame I will be the only one there who will be able to benefit from this new and perfect way of living life.
Favourite track: The Decline

Now for the book and the luxury item. They kind of tie in with one another. The luxury item is a drum kit. I've always wanted to learn to play the drums but have lacked the patience, the room and a sound proof room so I don't have to worry about angering anyone with the awful racket I'm guaranteed to make at the beginning. On a desert island I've got nothing but time to practice, loads of room and I'm all alone so I won't be getting on anybody's nerves. The book will be Drumming For Dummies, obviously to help me learn how to play the drums. When I originally was thinking about what great piece of literature I'd take, I was pretty stuck on what book I could read over and over again. I also thought I could perhaps try and learn a language on the island to kill time but I'm alone so who do I need to speak to? If I learn to drum it would keep me entertained during the times I'm not jamming my records!

This column was written by Colin Clark.

Top Tens: Brett’s Top Ten No Use For A Name Songs (that are not on All The Best Songs)

All The Best Songs is a No Use for a Name compilation album first released in 2007 and then again in 2016 to include songs from their (awesome) final album. It’s a great collection of songs that includes all of the band’s “hits”, showcasing the fantastic melodies, hooks, and song writing abilities of Tony Sly and the rest of the band. Best-of albums can never please everyone and every fan will have an opinion about which songs should have been included. So, with that said, this is a list of 10 songs (in no particular order) that aren’t on the compilation but that I feel should be included when considering the best songs by No Use for a Name.

PS. Choosing only 10 songs from your favourite band is no easy task but with the recent anniversary of Tony Sly’s death I thought it would be nice to give it a go in the hope that someone else out there will enjoy the playlist as much I enjoyed making and writing about it.

Lies Can't Pretend
I remember the day I first listened to More Betterness! very clearly. I was in high school, it was the holidays, and I was at one of the few CD stores that had a "punk" section and a listening station. I had only heard Leche Con Carne at the time, so I picked up More Betterness! based on that alone. I took it to the store clerk and asked if I could give it a try. Luckily the store was quiet, because I was hooked from beginning to end and happily handed over the little money I had to buy my first No Use album. Although there are a lot of fan favourites on More Betterness!, I feel that Lies Can't Pretend really showcases all of the characteristics that make the album so great. The guitar riffs in perfect harmony, the fast-paced basslines and drum beats, and Tony's just-enough-rasp vocals layered in just the right places make for a song that everyone should listen to more.

Alone
Leche Con Carne is almost entirely made up of fast and aggressive songs, but the album never gets tired or monotonous for me. This fact made putting together this list more difficult and if this were a top 15, there would be at least 2 other songs from the album on this list. Alone is one of the shortest songs on the album but it is fully satisfying, maintaining the speed and aggression of the rest of the album and at the same time providing glimpses of the more melodic direction the band would take in the future. As the penultimate song on the album, Alone also wins as being the best song to precede Exit, one of the best No Use songs and album closers ever.

Killing Time
I can't lie, when Keep Them Confused was first released I was disappointed. After all the hype of waiting for a new No Use album, I disliked the production and didn't enjoy the majority of the songs. There were a few songs that I loved immediately and to this day I feel that It's Tragic, Killing Time, and Slowly Fading Fast (spoiler alert) are a near perfect trilogy of songs. For a long time, the sequence of these three songs was the only reason I listened to the album at all. Since then, my contempt for the album has waned but my love for the three songs and Killing Time especially has never faltered. Killing Time is told from the perspective of a grieving mother who has lost her son to a meaningless war. The lyrics were very relevant at the height of the war in Iraq and the closing line of "If an angel earns its wings every time somebody dies, then today the angels black out the blue sky" is one of my favourite lines from Tony Sly ever.

No Way To Live
In the year 2005, Warren Fitzgerald and Joe Escalante of The Vandals respectively wrote and directed the film Cake Boy and released it into the world. Don’t feel bad if you've never heard of it or if you've never seen it; count yourself lucky. The soundtrack was alright though, featuring a number of songs from No Use For A Name who also play a fairly large part in the film. No Way To Live serves as the theme for the film and is thankfully MUCH BETTER than the film itself. Catchy hooks, rich basslines, loads of melody, and Hard Rock Bottom era Tony vocals make this song worth the pain and suffering of sitting through the film – or just find the soundtrack and listen to that instead.

Best Regards
After high school I moved to Australia with my dad. Leaving friends and family behind in South Africa was difficult but one of the few things that gave me solace was the fact that I could walk into a music store and find an actual punk section to browse through. Making Friends was one of the first albums I purchased during a trip into Brisbane city and after spending a few years falling in love with the likes of More Betterness! and Hard Rock Bottom, it was great to hear that No Use were tending towards a more catchy hooks and melodies, which cemented my love for the band even more. It's difficult to look past the classics like Invincible, The Answer Is Still No and the impeccable On The Outside but this list is focused on the "deeper" cuts so I thought I'd pick Best Regards although I wouldn't argue with anyone for picking a different song from the album, it's *that* good. Best Regards starts off with a classic fast punk drum beat, brings in the full band with a pick slide, and doesn't let up until the short but sweet guitar solo and the closing lyric "I hope you're happy". There are also a few small touches in between the verses, whether it's a small guitar harmony, drum fill or slight rhythm change, it’s these touches that really edged the song into this list for me.

Undefeated
Hard Rock Bottom (just like More Betterness!) is an album that I remember getting some hate when it was released. No Use definitely smoothed out the rough edges, Tony Sly's vocals became a little less shouty and the band fully embraced a more melodic sound. I love the production on this album; the bass is punchy and deep, the drums are perfectly balanced and Tony's vocals are so sweet to the ear. Picking a favourite song from the album is tough because if I didn't choose International You Day, I'd get an angry look from Robyn (it was the song we first danced to at our wedding) but it is already featured on All The Best Songs, so I get an excuse to pick a different song that I love and think deserves to be on this list. Although there are a bunch of really great songs to choose from, Undefeated has the speed and furious sound found in songs from previous albums but which also fits in perfectly on Hard Rock Bottom, discarding any fears from fans that the band may have lost their edge.

Don't Miss the Train
Don't Miss the Train was one of only two albums that got no love from the song selectors of All The Best Songs, probably because it (as well as Incognito) wasn't originally released by Fat Wreck. It may not have the production value that the Fat Wreck releases do, but there are still some solid songs on this album that I feel deserve some recognition. I chose Don't Miss the Train because I feel it highlights the more melodic/punk elements the band would embrace going forward within an album that has quite a lot of hardcore/metal influence. The live version featured on Live In A Dive is a great rendition; it stands up to the band’s newer material nicely and was a strong factor in me checking out No Use's older, pre-Fat Wreck material.

Slowly Fading Fast
Keep Them Confused doesn't rank in my top 3 No Use albums despite being home to some of my favourite No Use songs. It's also the only album that gets more than one song on this list because I love these songs that much. Slowly Fading Fast is one of the faster tracks on the album, with a simple chord progression that is crafted into a really catchy melody and chorus that can get stuck in my head for days. The subtle ahs in the chorus and the cool little bass riffs found throughout make the song easy to listen to over and over again (truthfully you should skip back two songs to It's Tragic, listen and repeat).

Night Of The Living Living
It would be a big mistake to compile a list of the best No Use songs without including something from The Feel Good Record Of The Year and it was a smart move by Fat Wreck to reissue All The Best Songs with some songs from the band’s final studio album. The Blasting Room has put out some of my favourite records over the last two decades and Feel Good Record is no exception. All of the songs sound great and have an energy that I felt was missing from a lot of Keep Them Confused. Night Of The Living Living has some of the beautiful symbolism that we got used to hearing from Tony as well as some interesting and tight basslines throughout the song, making it one of my favourites from the album. I think Feel Good Record was able to bring a few No Use fans out from their hiding places with songs like this one which showed that the band had found their sweet spot in the world of punk rock.

Hazardous To Yourself
The final song in this list comes from The Daily Grind EP, released way back in 1993. It’s No Use's first on Fat Wreck and the foundation of the sound the band would refine on Leche Con Carne. In 1993, I was still very busy watching TMNT so I only listened to The Daily Grind after hearing some of the older material on Live In A Dive. To be honest, all 8 songs on this EP are great examples of early 90s punk rock with a heavy Bad Religion influence and without sounding too Fat Wreck-y. I think Hazardous To Yourself best demonstrates the combination of the Bad Religion influence – with the vocal harmonies, guitar solos and Tony’s singing on some of the verses – and the band’s earlier hardcore roots, and is an indication of the kind of music No Use would become so great at playing.

This top ten was written by Brett Coomer.

Album Review: I Don't Like Sports by Screaming At Traffic (by Richard Mair)

Canada has always been known for producing sporadic punk rock greats (Grade, Cancer Bats, Propagandhi) and has become something of a hot bed in recent years for raw talented punk rockers (Pkew x3 and PUP being the obvious big names), it’s nice then to add another name to this ever growing list – Screaming at Traffic. Albeit courtesy of the UK based Little Rocket Records and, let’s face it, their roster is getting insanely good too!

I Don’t Like Sports is the debut album from the Winnipeg based foursome and, in keeping with the sounds of latter day Canadian punk rock, it’s firmly in the anthemic, fist in the air, heart on sleeve bracket... and not just that – they are damn good at doing it.

Kicking off with “They Call Me Thrillhouse”, with its spoken word verses and electrifying chorus, you instantly know that this is something special. It’s a song about angst, introversion and isolation and these themes run throughout the whole album. The fact that the verse is spoken adds to the “personal” feeling of the song. This is the inner workings of vocalist Jacques Richer’s psyche laid bare. Poignant, sombre yet defiant, it’s everything you need to get acquainted with the band. It’s about questioning living up to people’s expectations, not wanting to grow up and take responsibility. Coupled with a chorus that will lodge itself in your head, this is a true statement of intent!

As if to prove they aren’t a one trick pony, second track “FYB” ratchets it up a gear. Much faster and raw, it’s a perfect continuation of the themes laid out in its predecessor. Again it’s just instantly catchy, melodic and fun despite the dark lyrics. The guitar work in the middle third helps change the pace and it has the kind of climax that is yearning to be sung ferociously back to the band in dive bars across the globe. As a 1–2 opening double, I doubt you’ll hear much better this year.

One of the lead songs off the album “Pantomime” comes next and it’s a straight up pop punk banger with some great little guitar licks and another big chorus. It’s followed by the title track “I Don’t Like Sports”. Despite the amusing title and Aquabats-esque chorus, which on face value could be almost a pastiche, it’s a really dark song of lost love. I read an interview with Pkew x3 vocalist Mike Warne where he basically said for every two stupid lines you write the third had to be profound and vice-versa. That is exactly the approach here and it’s such a glorious, amusing, heartbreaking song as a result. It’s also an approach that works brilliantly on “Weekend Cartoons”; a song that somehow manages to transport you back to your childhood! It’s a great song to showcase drummer Stefan St. Goddards ability, as while most of the songs have a typical punk rock beat, this one has some amazing rolls and beats in it that pop and fizz with energy and inventiveness.

Both “Bitter” and “Broken Teeth” follow this clever/dumb approach. The former with its gang vocal chorus and rapid fire, breathless verses and the latter a much more subdued song with great guitar work by both Jacques and fellow vocalist/guitarist Duncan Murta; especially in the closing stages of the song. It’s also another sad song that pretty much everyone can relate to.

In true pop punk fashion, some of the songs on “I Don’t Like Sports” are reworkings of songs that appeared on earlier EP/Single releases. “Monstrosity” is one such song (alongside the aforementioned Broken Teeth) and it’s easy to understand why they would want to get it out to a wider audience via an album – it’s a proper anthem. Its huge chorus and relentless bridge make it a stand out track on the album. On a personal level, this reminds me of CPRW faves Worship This! particularly of the songs off their sophomore release Mint.

Another band that Screaming At Traffic remind me of is the now defunct Philadelphia mob The Holy Mess, with their poppy guitars, gruff vocals and ability to craft singalong songs. This really shines through on closing song “People Pay Good Money for Secrets”. Given the content, it’s a great culmination of everything that’s gone before with big whoa-ohs and a simple chorus everyone could pick up at a live show.

With I Don’t Like Sports, Screaming At Traffic have released a brilliant debut album that not only gets better, cleverer and more essential on repeated listens but endears itself to you to the point where you feel you have to tell everyone about it. Whilst it is instantly accessible and fun, it’s the nuances and craftsmanship that you appreciate the longer you spend with it. Like heavyweights of the scene such as Iron Chic, Pkew x3 and I’d argue The Menzingers to some extent, this debut should set the blueprint for what should be an exciting and enjoyable career of singalong anthems, heartfelt, endearing songs and epic live shows. Little Rocket Records certainly have the clout to get them out to a wider audience and, on this basis, you’d hope the sky is the limit!

Stream and download I Don't Like Sports here: https://satlrr.bandcamp.com/album/i-dont-like-sports

Like Screaming At Traffic here: https://www.facebook.com/screamingattrafficmusic/

This review was written by Richard Mair.

Album Review: Minefield by Saving Sebastian

I first became aware of Hemel Hempstead pop punks Saving Sebastian when they played Fandangle's ten year anniversary of Fly Away at the New Cross Inn in November last year. This was a lot of the crowd’s first time seeing them and they certainly impressed many people in the room. One of them being Fandangle bassist Andy B, who they soon went on to record their latest EP Minefield with. It seems like it's been ages waiting for Minefield to come out but the time is almost upon us. Featuring four brand new tracks of fun pop punk, this could easily be many people’s summer jam.

Minefield begins with the song Hometown which we were lucky enough to feature on our fifth anniversary compilation back in June. Starting in quite a cliché way with an alarm clock before the song launches into life, it's not long until the energy that accompanies Saving Sebastian when they play live jumps out of the speakers and quickly sweeps you away. It's fast paced and is stupidly catchy. Hometown is about wanting to leave your hometown due to how mundane your life has become. It's a pretty standard topic for a pop punk band to write about but Saving Sebastian's infectious enthusiasm prevents it from sounding standard. Up next is the EP's titled track, Minefield. Slowing things down slightly, Minefield is more of a punchy song than the frantic Hometown. From the opening guitar riffs, Saving Sebastian will have you pogoing up and down. The song is about a relationship that is going wrong due to the two people both being self-obsessed but neither being able to end things. It's a more serious and mature side of Saving Sebastian that I'm really on board with.

Saving Grace is the lead single from Minefield. My first thought when I heard Saving Grace was how influenced Saving Sebastian are by old school Blink-182. It's got a very 90s pop punk feeling to it that automatically made me feel at home with the song. I grew up on this sound and it's nice to be hearing it again with one of the most promising new bands in the scene. Something that really stood out on the track was the use of co-lead vocalists Sonny and Jamie showcasing their different voices and coming together at the end of the song for a brilliant harmony at the end. This was a fantastic choice for lead single. Last up is the oddly titled The. Those wonderful dual vocals are again on display as Sonny and Jamie take turns in singing the verse and chorus before we are treated to some great layering of their combined vocals. The is perhaps more of a modern sounding pop punk style, definitely something for fans of the nu-school pop punk that the Slammy D kids love so much. Staring slowly really invites you to join in with the singing and it builds nicely to a fast paced chorus that really gets you pumped up. The track has plenty of shifts in tempo that keep you hooked throughout and it is a fine way to finish Minefield.

Pop punk in the UK is perhaps currently as popular as it has ever been. Saving Sebastian are one of the best bands in the current class of pop punk acts that I've heard in a long time. Great songs, ace musicianship, delightful vocals and just the most amount of fun.

Pre-order/stream and download Minefield here: https://savingsebastianuk.bandcamp.com/

Like Saving Sebastian here: https://www.facebook.com/savingsebastian/

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Circle The Drain by Longshot Odds

Longshot Odds are a band from Columbia, South Carolina. In July they released a new six song EP named Circle The Drain on Dying Scene Records. Unfortunately I can't find out much more about the band online so may as well get stuck into the review.

Circling The Drain begins with Challenger. The track opens with a pounding drumbeat alongside a great guitar riff that quickly gives the song plenty of energy. Vocally it's a bit snottier than I was expecting given how technically proficient the opening was but it works well. I'm often put off by bands that not only play really well but have a singer who can properly sing. On Challenger, the everyman quality I enjoy in my punk rock is evident. Up next is Home which is about dealing with a traumatic experience and putting up walls. On my first listen, I really enjoyed the stop/start nature of the song with the verses being delivered in a somewhat stabby way and then the chorus being packed with melody and hooks. This is a good way to really get somebody invested into a song. The build towards the chorus and then the chorus itself had me pumped and ready to have a good shout along.

Track three is named It. It is one of the more straight forward punk rock songs on Circle The Drain. The song starts out with a decent pace and it doesn't really slow down throughout. This ensures there is plenty of energy throughout. Longshot Odds clearly have a skill in writing a big chorus because, for the third song in a row, I find myself desperate to shout along with the track. Next is the six minute long Blood And Asphalt. Blood And Asphalt has your standard skate punk opening, almost sounding lifted from any NOFX song, but then things quickly change up with a more country-style with a piano adding a whole different element to the song. As the song goes on, the sound does switch towards your more typical punk sound again before the inclusion of what I think is a Moog synthesiser adding another interesting sound. Blood And Asphalt certainly takes you on some journey.

The penultimate song is named Willoughby. On this song, Longshot Odds experiment a bit with psychobilly with the bass really driving the song on. It's also the first time on Circle The Drain where the band make use of harmonies. At times they even implement a three-part harmony that sounds just delightful. I'm such a sucker for a great harmony. Even after switching up the style again, Longshot Odds continue to fill their songs with such fantastic hooks and unbelievably catchy melodies. The final track is Movin' On. Beginning with a chunky bassline and some crashing guitars before that Moog-like instrument comes in alongside some more classic guitar gives Movin' On a very interesting start. The song relies heavily on some superb instrumentation, really showcasing just what a talented bunch of musicians Longshot Odds are. This was some way to finish the EP. It's a track that really keeps you guessing what might be coming next – you might also describe it as a punk rock prog song which is not something I'd ever expect to enjoy buy I really did on this occasion.

Circle The Drain is a fun EP that serves as a great introduction for Longshot Odds. They released a couple of EPs before this one but I feel like Circle The Drain could really be the release that opens the band up to a whole new and larger audience. Great stuff.

Stream and download Circle The Drain here: https://longshotodds.bandcamp.com/album/circle-the-drain

Like Longshot Odds here: http://facebook.com/longshotodds

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Gig Review: Descendents at Shepherd's Bush Empire 2/8/19

One of the very best things about festival season is the stacked line ups you get at shows. In early August we were treated to a ridiculously good gig, headlined by the legendary Descendents and supported by the legendary CJ Ramone playing his last ever London show as well as, probably future legends, Pears. Taking place at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in West London, we made sure to get down early to ensure we got a good spot for the entire night.

We weren't the only people to make sure that we got down early as Pears got to play to a big crowd despite it only being 7.30pm. The New Orleans four piece have been steadily making a name for themselves since the release of their debut album in 2014, with their popularity growing with second album in 2016 and a split with Direct Hit in 2017. As strong as they are on record, it's the Pears live show that really stands out. It's fast paced, it's intense and it's a lot of fun. Frontperson Zach Quinn was once described by this blog as ‘Freddy Mercury possessed by the devil’ and I still think that's a fair description as he strutted around the stage in a way only he can. It's nice seeing how Pears have progressed as a band – they've added more melody to their sound as they've grown as a band without losing any of the raw power that was found in their debut. There aren't many bands who excel on a stage like Pears do and I look forward to seeing them again.

Next to the stage was CJ Ramone. I had previously seen him play at MK11 in Milton Keynes a couple of years ago and it remains one of my favourite live sets ever. Playing a mixture of Ramones classics alongside some of his solo material, CJ proved that despite his advancing years he's certainly still got it. For the most part of his set, CJ and his band played a Ramones classic and then a CJ song. Obviously the Ramones songs got the biggest reactions but I also really enjoyed the originals. He played a host of songs from his new album, The Holy Spell, including Rock On which was about the late great Steve Soto who is most famous for his time in the Adolescents but he also played with CJ Ramone many times. Other songs from The Holy Spell included Stand Up, Blue Skies and Movin' On. Whenever I hear a band cover a Ramones song I get super excited, so to see an actual Ramone play them forever blows my mind. I fanboyed hard when those classics were played. The first two Ramones songs played were Bonzo Goes To Bitburg and Rockaway Beach which just so happen to be my two favourites. From then on we got other greats such as Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment, The KKK Took My Baby Away, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, Outsider and, of course, Blitzkrieg Bop, before finishing with a cover of The Ramones cover of Motorhead song R.A.M.O.N.E.S. It's an absolute pleasure to see CJ Ramone play live and I'll be forever sad this will probably be the last time. Thanks for the memories CJ.

Up next it was time for the Descendents! This was super exciting. When they last played in London we were treated to a thirty-five song set which included two encores and it was magical. We decided it would be the best idea to get as close to the front as possible (a decision that my body told me was stupid the following day) to really soak in the atmosphere. As soon as the band took to the stage and played the opening lines of Suburban Home, the crowd in Shepherd's Bush went absolutely crazy with basically the whole floor becoming one huge mosh pit. Bodies were everywhere as we sang as loudly as we could to songs such as Everything Sux, Hope, Silly Girl and I Like Food. The craziness continued throughout the set and the band seemed to really appreciate the massive reaction they were getting. We all know how the Descendents are very part time so when they do get over to the UK it's such a special thing. It seems as if the band themselves can't quite believe just how much they are still loved in London. Whether they played a deep cut like My Dad Sucks or something from newest album Hypercaffium Spazzinate such as Victim Of Me, every word was shouted back at Milo. The ninety minute set absolutely flew by and I had the absolute best time. The Descendents are an absolutely timeless band. The final six songs of Get The Time, Coffee Mug, When I Get Old, Coolidge, Thank You and Descendents was one of my favourites twenty minutes or so of music ever. When I Get Old got an extra big smile from me as earlier, on our way to the venue, I'd spotted Milo riding around the streets of Shepherd's Bush on a bike – so yes, he will still get on a bike and ride around town when he gets old. When they came back on stage for their encore, Bill came out from behind his drum kit and spoke to the crowd with a biggest smile on his face. He seemed so genuinely touched by the reception his band had received and it was so sweet and touching. We were then treated to a rare play of 'Merican which really got the crowd excited. I imagine it was one of the first songs of theirs a lot of Descendents fans around my age ever heard when it was released in 2004 so it was just lovely to finally hear it live fifteen years after its release. After one encore the band left the stage and quickly returned for one more encore – how many bands can get away with playing two encores and be loved for it?

This was a fantastic night and probably one of the best "bigger venue" gigs I've ever attended. The atmosphere was great and all three bands really pulled out all the stops.

This gig review was written by Colin Clark.