I’ll start with My Dad Joe (download their track SNFU from here), who are very good indeed. Melodic? Check. Feisty? Check. Noodly guitar solos? Check. Cheesy (yet utterly essential) poses?! Check. Hurrah! I have found what I’m looking for! And so has more or less everyone filling the cavernous space this (surreally dark, seeing as we’re inside) afternoon, lapping up the gorgeous bouncy-as-hell tunes like their beer’s been confiscated (and it probably has too).
On the other side of the punk rock spectre, you will find the ferocious and hard to place Million Dead. All dislocated riffs and screamo vocals one minute, emotional yelping over cyclic twiddly bits the next, this London-based band are fucking awesome! Prone to bouts of spoken word (note: actually really good for once and not at all cringe-worthy), the intensity of Million Dead’s post-hardcore-like noise is almost threatening, seemingly about to burst but fundamentally held together somehow. I can’t put into words how excited this band make me feel, but I think it may have something to do with how endearingly passionate and emotion-led (in the purest sense of the word) they are, and how stunningly fresh they sound.
Fire Apple Red, the organisers of today’s event add the welcome dimension of traditional hardcore, albeit coated with melodic punk sensibilities and weird rhythm changes. And some ska. Nice. Again, all the essential elements are there for your better-than-average punk band (including mega tightness), but this time with the added bonus of a beer-drinking/reclaiming anthem (sung in various European languages, for your pleasure, and probably to aid us in similar situations when in … France. Cheers!) The singer commands the crowd’s attention like no other tonight, with FAR’s best songs building up ever so nicely with some good healthy riffage, speed drumming and ‘rargh’ing. Which always makes me happy. Is that the first pit of the day, I hear you cry?! In truth, I can’t honestly remember, but who cares; Fire Apple Red are clearly crowd pleasers whilst simultaneously managing to be really good. No mean feat, but one that is nonetheless encapsulated in several other bands today.
Like when you’re crossing the road, look to your left and see a car speeding right up to you, is what I’d liken Captain Everything! to. But only in the way that they’re totally in-your-face and execute their power-pop-punk tunes in a most speedy yet eloquent manner. Not the other, impending sense of doom respect. Inciting a passionate sing-along session amongst the crowd, they have tunes to make you go all silly (I refrain, don’t quite know how I managed that one) and are bordering on epic. I guess using this term sounds slightly odd when referring to a trio, but somehow Captain Everything! manage to make it all sound so huge, a fact that pushes them ahead of similar acts who couldn’t fill up your average pokey bedroom if they tried.
Unfortunately, it really isn’t good timing for Mouthwash. Headlining a bill so varied, their brand of ska-tinged punk with good riff every now and again really doesn’t compare to the heaps of other talent witnessed this afternoon and sounds slightly ... dull. But then again, by this time I am incredibly tired and prone to grumpiness, and to be fair their replacement singer does a good job of pulling off the role. Again, the crowd are loving it, skanking to the high heavens, as it were. So despite the fact I wish some of their set time were allocated to a more deserving band on today’s bill, I can’t deny the fact they’re alright. Let's just say they're not going to knock you sideways any time soon.
So, all in all, a pretty magnificent (though tiring, natch) way to spend your Saturday afternoon; good venue, good crowd, even better bands and down the road from my favourite food establishment!! Roll on … September?
