The best way to begin New Year - Ruth resolved to see several top bands at this annual Punk celebration!
London’s 100 Club once again hosted January’s Resolution Festival, designed to shake off that holiday lethargy with a healthy dose of PUNK! Held across 9 days, the 100 Club puts on a great line up of the the best of older and newer bands, so there’s something for everyone. As always, I aimed to get to at least two shows, chosen primarily to see the bands I missed due to clashes at Rebellion last summer.
Menace / The Outcasts – Sun 4th Jan
Billed as a double headliner by these two well-loved original Punk bands, this was always going to be a great start to my gig-going year! Menace never do things by halves, and have decided to record their set for a potential live album release later this year, bringing their regular studio sound engineer / producer Alessio Garavello with them tonight.. no pressure then..
“No swearing, as we’re recording this!” cautions frontman Noel Martin, swiftly follwed by “Fuck that!”. The audience agree, and bounce along enthusiastically to set opener ‘Screwed Up‘. Bass ace Dave Jenkins has got his game face on, concentrating hard on his strings and his backing vocals. It’s great to hear guitarist Pete Bradshaw singing along too, in between throwing down killer riffs and blistering solos! Drummer Simon Edwards is also fully focused – if not quite as smiley as usual – as he attacks the skins with his trademark ferocity.
Noel has peppered the set with a mixture of old favourites and a couple of newer tracks from latest album ‘Death and Taxes‘. The title track plus ‘Don’t Wanna Be Angry Anymore‘ have the fired-up crowd joining in on the choruses. A mid-set surprise comes in the guise of a cover of the UK Subs‘ ‘I Couldn’t Be You‘ – the first time Menace have played this live.. no pressure.. They go at it with gusto and it sounds pretty good to my ears. Look out for this track plus more on a Subs covers album by various bands – coming soon!
As the band disappear behind a thick smog of stage smoke during ‘1212‘, “Can you hear us at the back?” becomes more a case of “we can’t even see you at the front!” Ending with a triumphant trio of favourites; ‘So Fuck You‘, ‘G.L.C.‘ and ‘Last Year’s Youth‘, the traditional fan stage invasion and sing-along are encouraged before we and the band exit the stage, sweaty and a bit breathless – and we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Greg Cowan, bassist and lead singer of The Outcasts, is on spirited form. For those of you who’ve been to one of their uproarious shows, it’s no surprise that this is unleashed via merciless taunting of his compadres, especially his older (but younger-looking) brother Martin Cowan on guitar, with a few pops at the occasional audience member.. Greg’s jibes are laughed off or retorted; we all know this is very much part of his act! Banter aside, the band fit an impressive 15 songs into their hour-long set, kicking off with ‘1969’ and ‘Self Conscious Over You‘.
For guitarist Ian ‘Buck’ Murdock, (singer of fellow Belfast band The Defects) and now a permanant fixture in The Outcasts following the retirement of Petesy Burns in 2022, it’s a poignant gig. Sadly, Petesy passed away just 3 days earlier, and it’s fitting that Greg dedicates ‘Stay Young‘ to his memory. We sing along heartily. Drummer JP ‘Dear Boy Moonie’ is another hard-hitter, his powerful beats keeping the band locked in on fine form.
The crowd cheer as ‘Just Another Teenage Rebel‘ and ‘Love You For Never‘ take us back to the Punk heyday of the late 70s. ‘Gangland Warfare‘ and ‘Rebel”s B-side ‘Love Is For Sops‘ keep old legs moving despite the late hour. We’re still singing along until the very end, ‘The Cops Are Coming‘ and ‘You’re A Disease‘ finishing the set with urgency and vitriol. A cracking gig!
Conflict / Rubella Ballet / Bones of the City – Wed 7th Jan
This show is a special one. Arranged in tribute to the late Colin Jerwood, original singer of UK Punk band Conflict, who sadly died at the end of May last year. Not only do we have his band topping the bill, but also playing are Colin’s good friends Rubella Ballet.
Opening are London’s Bones of the City, who showcase their excellent material with a slightly different line-up than I’ve seen previously. On guitar and bass we have the core members Richard England (Cadiz Music main man / The Members) and Michael G Bayliss (The Saints). Leigh Heggarty (Ruts DC) returns to add his guitar wizardry to the group. Stepping into position behind the drums is the impressive Chris Musto (who has drummed for many legends, including Joe Strummer, Nico, Glen Matlock, Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain) with Rebecca Closure (solo musician and music producer) taking the mic on lead vocals.
Rebecca does the right thing, and makes these songs her own. She has the ideal vocal range, and uses it so well that everything from ‘Bourbon Street‘ and ‘Raoul Must Die‘ to ‘On The Strip‘ come across clearly, retaining their original essence and now with added spice.
It’s always interesting to hear the latest music this unique band has concocted, and I’m not disappointed by the new unreleased songs added to their set, incuding ‘MIA‘ and ‘Come Back & Visit‘, a slower number which snarls and sleazes with the best of ’em! (Video below) The whole band and some of us in the crowd join in with the “Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum” chorus of ‘Bones of the City‘ to end a superb set!
The stage turns day-glo under Rubella Ballet‘s UV lights, illuminating Zillah Minx, Sid Truelove and Emily Flea‘s homemade, hand-painted, brightly-coloured clothing, hair, makeup, and guitar strings. Zillah and Sid were very close friends of Colin Jerwood, so it is absolutely fitting that they are playing here tonight.
Rubella Ballet play to a drum machine, so there is little time for talking as their songs roll swiftly from one to the next. ‘Planet Punk‘ sees bassist Emily taking on a good amount of the vocals – it’s encouraging to see her thriving as the newest member of the band! Lead vocalist Zillah is still very much a force of nature, alongside band founder Sid on guitar, as they ricochet through ‘False Promises‘, ‘All Potential Terrorists‘ and ‘42F‘, prompting the audience to bop along to their punky-poppy-reggae-thrash.
We’re 10 songs in before Zillah and Sid announce their final number, ‘Emotional Blackmail‘, dedicating it to Colin – “It was his favourite”. We can see this has been a pensive gig for them; losing their good friend has hit them hard. We applaud Rubella Ballet ardently in support and sympathy.
The remaining members of Conflict; vocalist Fi Friel, guitarist Gav King, bassist Fran Fearon and drummer Matt Howlett pledged to play a series of shows to remember band founder and singer, Colin Jerwood, following his untimely death. There are banners around the venue, in the middle and on either side of the stage, all depicting Colin’s image with the quote “To live on in hearts, is never to die” from Conflict‘s 1993 song ‘Is Never To Die‘. Colin is very much part of the show – some of tonight’s songs have his recorded vocals subtly playing alongside the band. It’s both emotional and very respectfully done.
From first song ‘Cruise‘ to the last ‘The Serenade Is Dead‘, Fi, Gav, Fran and Matt are whirlwinds of noise and energy on the stage. The meaning of Colin’s lyrics is fully brought to the forefront, Fi belting out his poetic anti-war, anti-capitalism and animal rights messages with intensity. There’s action amongst some of the crowd as the mosh pit gets going, although it’s curtailed by the 100 Club’s solid central pillar near the stage.. Undeterred, one overenthusiastic chap goes flying through the throng and bashes his bonce off the edge of the stage.. he’s hauled up again, a bit dazed, but seems ok!
Razor-sharp axeman Gav crosses the platform, dreadlocks flying, taking mighty leaps into the air without missing a note. Fran is wearing a black T-shirt printed with a simple white star beneath Colin’s name, as he attacks his bass with musical vehemence. At the back, Matt is a blur of arms and legs behind the kit. Fi seems to be everywhere at once, she doesn’t stay still for a second. It’s wild and wonderful! After the final song, the four musicians step to the back of the darkened stage, heads bowed, as Colin’s voice rings out reading his own words of remembrance. A deeply touching way to end this show. Rest in Peace Colin x We who remain shall continue your fight against the systems which oppress us!
Main Photo Credit All Photos : RUTH RAE
All Videos: RUTH RAE
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