Three rousing Punk bands joined forces for a rip-roaring night of rock 'n' roll!
My inner impatient dickhead likes it when bands keep things concise. Of course, punk can be so much more than just three chords and the truth, but the world of sprawling concept albums is not for me. Tonight’s bill features three bands, none of whom outstay their welcome, and there are only 15-minute breaks between their sets. Promoters, take note – this is how gigs should be run.
Who’d be a microphone stand when Finnish quartet Dead Fun are in town? Theirs gets flung all over the place, and even gets a brief humping courtesy of their singer. Of course, such antics wouldn’t be half as entertaining without decent tunes to back them up, but luckily, Dead Fun have plenty; mixing punk rock with plenty of rock n’ roll swagger on the likes of ‘Fuel To Burn’ and ‘Run Run Run’. Worth keeping an eye on.
Split Dogs have been tipped for great things, but they clearly aren’t feeling any pressure, having a blast as they rip into ‘Stay Tuned’ with typical intensity. It’s impossible to take your eyes off vocalist Harry Atkins; some people are just born to do this, and they are one of them, oozing charisma and stage presence as they lead us through new single ‘Precious Stones’ – about STDs, apparently! The songs are catchy, but make no mistake – this is still raw, untamed punk rock, and you can be sure that whatever lies ahead for Split Dogs, they’ll make sure it happens on their own terms. Essential.
Desperate Measures are approaching their 40th anniversary, but you wouldn’t know it with performances as passionate and energetic as this. Maybe it’s the recent re-election of prize idiot Donald Trump, but something’s given Eugene and co. that extra jolt of fury tonight; with ‘Seven Sisters’ sounding even more brooding and ominous than usual, and latest single ‘Untouchable’ delivered with the kind of urgency and vitality you’d expect from a band half their ages.
It all ends with members of the other bands joining Desperate Measures onstage for a gloriously ramshackle romp through The Stooges’ ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’. Iggy would be proud, and so are we – it’s been a great night of quality punk rock, and you’d be well advised to follow all these bands closely.
Check out Desperate Measures’ latest single release ‘Untouchable‘ from their acclaimed recent album ‘Sublime Destruction‘:
Main Photo Credit / All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
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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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