The South London Scum folks have come up with the goods again!
Near the beginning of their headline set, The Restarts vocalist Kieran highlights the number of women on this evening’s bill, and he makes a good point. Punk is still a male-dominated scene, and although women are increasingly (and very much deservedly) making themselves heard, there’s still a long way to go in terms of progress. Still, it’s heartening to see the New Cross Inn respectably full for a show of this calibre.
Carrie And The Coaxers are last minute additions to the bill, and they’re clearly very happy that so many folks have shown up early. With good reason, too; the band’s melodic and rootsy ska/reggae-infused punk is addictive stuff indeed, and as indefatigable vocalist Carrie leads us through a sing-along to ‘Not The Only Ones’, the sense of community in the New Cross Inn is already almost tangible. A great start to the evening.
From then on, things start to get seriously LOUD. Australian quartet R.U.B smash together hulking Sabbath-esque riffs, a touch of hardcore and a whole lotta grunge, and they sound absolutely massive. As they launch into the righteous takedown of toxic masculinity that is ‘Good Bloke’, a furious pit kicks off, and continues to go crazy throughout their set. Quite rightly; this is a perfect example of musical brawn matched with lyrical brains, and as they close with ‘Ultimate Violations’ (dedicated to an indigenous Australian victim of male domestic violence), it’s clear they’ve laid down a serious challenge for the following bands.
We needn’t have worried, though. We’ve been itching to see Swedish crew Śmierć since we reviewed their excellent ‘Opor’ album just over a year ago, and this evening they don’t let us down. Taking the baton from R.U.B and running with it, they spark instant mayhem in the pit with the powerhouse d-beat of ‘Das Unheimliche’, and with all due respect to the band as a whole, livewire vocalist Nina is undeniably the stage-stalking star of the show. Frenzied new track ‘Sen’ bodes well for the future, and by the time they recruit members of R.U.B and The Restarts for backing vocals on the closing ‘Uffe’, we’re all fully converted to their cause. Worth waiting for – and then some.
The Restarts are true veterans, having originally formed back in 1995, but the blistering intensity of their set is proof enough that retirement isn’t on the cards just yet. They keep things enjoyably raw, be it on the ska-flavoured ‘XQ28’ or the full-throttle punk rock rage of ‘Independentzia’, and by now the New Cross Inn is a glorious mess of sweat, bodies, mohawks and leather jackets. Kieran, as ever, has plenty worthwhile to say between songs, and at the risk of sounding evangelical, you can’t help but hope he’s inspiring folks (especially the young ‘uns) in the audience to go out and help make a positive difference in this broken world.
Cheers to South London Scum for putting it all together! Keep an eye out for future gigs via the link.
All Photos: ALEX GOOSE
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