SSA strike gold again with four quality bands!
Ahhh, rock n’ roll, the universal panacea. It’s not been the easiest of weeks for us, so we’re in need of music to feel revitalised and reborn. Pretty handy, then, that Shake Some Acton are here, with a quality bill that defies any self-respecting punk/rock n’ roll fan to stay at home this evening.
The Italian one-man band that is Solo1981 seems to be trying to find the middle ground between world-weary singer/songwriter, twangy-riffing punk rocker and a sort of sonic scientist – one that occasionally sits on the floor with just his microphone and an array of effects pedals for company. Bizarre, yes, but the songs are absolutely there, particularly the thumping electronic beats and serrated guitar of ‘Respingimi’. Genius? Madness? Put it this way: if this guy is crazy, we don’t ever want to be sane.
Virvon Varvon’s approach to punk is so abrasive and spiky it should come with a Health & Safety warning. The likes of ‘Holding Pattern’ and ‘Trouble’ are bursts of brilliantly untamed garage-rock, delivered with a triple vocal attack, and an almost tangible sense of urgency. By the end of their set, one of their guitarists is curled up on the floor, screaming into his mic like a young Roddy Woomble (yep, he of Idlewild fame). Here’s hoping that Virvon Varvon don’t mellow out like Mr Woomble’s band eventually did; on tonight’s evidence, that seems unlikely. Great stuff.
The best rock n’ roll involves an element of risk, and have you ever truly witnessed The Phobics live if you haven’t nearly had your eye taken out by bassist Tony’s headstock? Yep, this is one of those bands where you need to get down the front and FEEL the energy. Whether going full tilt on ‘Gimme Cyanide’ (whose parent album is superb, by the way) or slowing things down slightly for a particularly groovesome ‘Path Of Love’, they do this punk rock n’ roll lark exactly as it oughta be done. Look, we’re sung their praises countless times at Punktuation – the rest is up to you.
Swedish headliners The OhNos can’t fail with this level of showmanship and the songs to back it up. You get the feeling that the quartet share a kind of musical telepathy, and whether it be the occasional synchronised guitar twirl, their perma-smiling bassist, or their easy-going stage patter, this is clearly a band who truly love what they do.
They unleash a glorious Stooges-esque racket towards the end of their set (we think it’s called ‘Event’?); they get us sashaying away with ‘Trouble On Legs’, and the closing ‘Final Call’ gives us as potent a rush of adrenaline as we’ve felt all evening. It’s their first UK tour in two years, and all we can say is that we fervently hope we won’t have to wait another two years for their return.
Cheers to Shake Some Acton for having us and for getting our weekend off to a great start! Check out details of their future gigs via the link below.
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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