A punk rock shock to the senses for this sleepy London suburb!
Oh, for goodness’ sake. It’s summertime, it’s a Friday evening, and Harrow’s The Trinity bar seems to have decent air conditioning, so it’s mildly depressing that there aren’t more folks in attendance for a punk gig of this calibre. Still, from a personal point of view, I’m thrilled to see two bands that I wasn’t able to catch at last weekend’s Rebellion Festival, plus another that I was too tired to enjoy properly. Cheers to UXB Music Promotion and Sounds of the Suburbs Record Store for organising the gig, and for having us along!
Pest are a duo from Watford, and my goodness, they have the largest pedal board we’ve ever seen. Hey, whatever helps you make such a glorious racket, guys. My old mate Craig once said of veteran fellow British duo Winnebago Deal that seeing them live was “like standing astride a carton of riff dynamite as it explodes”, and we get exactly the same vibe from Pest, with much of their set reminiscent of Queens Of The Stone Age fed through a punk rock blender. By the time they close with a furious ‘Warriors, Witches And Women’, our hot and sleepy selves are utterly revitalised. Job done – and done well.
Death Trails’ Rebellion set was a belter, and tonight the Blackpool trio are similarly impressive, despite encountering a few technical gremlins. No sooner have they introduced ‘Under One Sky’ as “about standing up to racist dickheads” (good call!) than bassist Luke’s strap breaks; but not only does he keep playing – he continues dancing like a demon on hot coals whilst doing so. Kudos! To witness this band in full flight is amazing, be it on the full-throttle punk rock of ‘Animal’ or the raw, scratchy ska-punk of ‘Ska Dad’, and if you’re unfamiliar with them, then last month’s new single ‘You Lose, Good Day’ is a great place to start.
Well, a stage this small was never going to contain Fantazmaz vocalist Thami, was it? From the second the (mostly) Brazilian quartet rip into ‘Dead On The Way Home’ she’s a pacing, bouncing, high-kicking whirlwind of activity. We’ve seen Fantazmaz play to crowds far larger than this, but they give it 150% as usual, and there are cheers of recognition as the alarm-like intro of ‘Bullet’ rings out across the room – clearly their recent (and excellent) self-titled debut has found its way into the homes and hearts of those present.
A while back, I resolved to try to stop constantly comparing bands to my beloved Motörhead, but it has to be said that Lemmy and co would surely approve of Fantazmaz; tonight, everything really is louder (and rawer, and more intense) than everyone else. A couple of Poison Idea and SNFU covers (the former featuring yours truly on backing vocals) are the icing on a very tasty punk rock cake, and it’s no wonder they finish to chants of ‘One more song!’ – which they do indeed play, bless them.
In terms of great new(ish) bands playing prime-quality street level punk rock, it’s a close-run race between Fantazmaz and Split Dogs for the gold. A joint tour would be amazing; if any promoters out there are reading this, try to make it happen, eh?
All Photos/Videos: RUTH RAE
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I spend my days teaching English to foreign students, and my evenings attending as many gigs as possible. Raised mainly on a diet of 90s third-wave punk, my tastes have grown to include just about anything from trad ska to thrash metal. The Ramones are my musical gods.
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