We went up to Harrow On The Hill to see a couple more bands warming up for Rebellion Festival at Shake Some Acton #167, we got in just after Shit Stirrers had started there set, I was happy to see one of London's more legendary cycle couriers playing bass, mainly because almost 30 years ago, when I was standing outside the Falcon in Camden fliering for the Ice Mummies he was out there giving out fliers for another band, I did the usual BS promise that I would go and see them live, well finally I get to see him playing live in his current band Shit Stirrers who are an angry as it comes thrashy hardcore punk band who were singing about doing community service.
The singer introduced Don't Walk Away and walked straight off the stage into the audience, the guitarist got good and greasy while she knocked out a super thrashy riff. They were then describing a typical Shit Stirrers Day claiming We Drink We Fuck we do it twenty four hours a day over the super speedy hardcore drums. Silence was both sadly and thankfully not a Beatles/Ciccone Youth cover, but a very noisy song about needing some peace and quiet from the madness of the world. They then had Nightmares possibly about how hard it was for the singer to stay on the stage, or about how hard it was to stay on your bike while dodging traffic all day long.
They then took us to the Skate Park to get up to the dodgy behaviour they are legendary for. Run & Fight had the right aggro edge and a super speedy bassline trying to outpace the riffing guitar. We See You pointed its bile ridden finger at all the thieving politicos making our lives a misery, before they claimed hardcore punk was In Our Blood of course it was, the result of that was suffering from Festival Dregs that feeling you get on the last day of a festival when you can barely stand up, let alone carry on drinking and seeing more bands, they closed with a speedy as can be rampage through Breaking The Law that got everyone singing along and smiling.
Next on were Quick Romance who I haven't seen for almost a year, you can tell they have been playing lots of gigs, they are now much tighter and Matilda has a no let up approach to being front woman, from the opening Body Beautiful they are an X-Ray Specs meets Raincoats blur. The bands only single so far Brian Jones Hair was tauter and more teased compared to last years versions. They threatened to Self-Destruct to the sound of Hayden James frenetic guitar and Matilda's mile a minute lyrics, being screamed sung at us like she's Pauline Murray on helium. Angry Young Man saw Oliver Bull-Lifley's drums powering everything on, before Matilda made clear everyone in the Trinity bar was Too Pretty For Punk of course, we were, while trying to have the energy to keep up with them, Matilda then told us they have lots of songs about being punk including I'm Pretty Punk that perfectly encapsulated the bands fun cartoon punk attitude.
Come Out Wherever You Are was part taunt, part celebration with Gabe Bonner drilling his bassline into our heads. The B-side of the single Zero Tic was next, to be rushed through at a mile a minute of brash fun punk pop. I Do Not Care About You was pointed and made its points succinctly, no doubt also having a go at reviewers who get all the song titles wrong. Matilda made clear who the bands influences are by playing New York Doll next, while wearing her New York Dolls skirt, bouncing all over the place. It was then time to Talk Punk and what it is that makes you a Punk band normally being DIY and totally driven to do your own thing and not vote in any Punk Of the Month polls as Charlie Harper or Iggy Pop always win.
They then closed with two new songs that Matilda needed crib sheets for and the boys threatened to play from charts, but didn't, they tore through Sing Boy Sing that sounded like a typical Quick Romance classic and closed with Rock & Roller that had bags of spirit and was a good end to a great fun set, it's now time they put out the band's debut album.
Next on and all the way from Australia were Kombi Killers who are touring the bands new album Rats In Disguise across the UK and on to Rebellion for these five youngsters from Queensland, who opened with Damaged sounding like they wanted to damage our ears some more with some super spikey hardcore Oi! They seemed happy to be in Harrow while asking us Have You Heard the news Tonight the Kombi Killers are here to riff like crazy, Stephen Ingram was stalking the stage claiming to be in Heaven before Steve Dyer and Alan Langford twin riff attack threatened to take out all the Rats currently ruining our lives.
|
Rise & Fall went by in a blur of Adam Markovitch's sold bass rhythm driving home the points they were making, Who are ya and why do you think Aussie lager is worth drinking was some of the banter being thrown at the stage. Like most of us they want to Fuck You Punk Police just let 'em do what they want, well even let 'em drink girly Fosters if they have to, just so they can claim that they Can't Get Up again, they played C.I.D. at super sonic speed with everyone joining in with this U.K. Subs classic.
Steven then told us I Wanna Feel although it wasn't clear what he wanted to feel, but for most of the crowd it was the power of good tight hardcore punk. The band's theme tune Kombi Killer had a dangerous edge to its intense riffing in time for them to Raise Your Flag a good song about the stupidity of worshiping a bit of coloured cloth, before they closed with UK82 a song in celebration of that particular punk eruption.
Finally its time for Valencia's hardest rocking band's current European tour to hit Harrow, like the tsunami they are from Pipe's opening taunt, that not only did Spain win the world cup, but they would show us how to Rock & Roll with an intro starting from Pipe's incendiary guitar salvo, he is then joined by Kuba on super
destructive bass and Eric on the drums rumbling away for Lucyfur to finally join in the action to Point & Shoot at us, this was high octane punk, where they didn't stop moving Tonight was just for you to get down and go wild with them. No matter what you say they will not Dance With The Devil just for you, but they will play the speediest riffs and dynamite drums while all dressed in white. This Is Rock & Roll was the first cover in the set and was played like it was one of the Deaf Devils own, with Lucy on the floor and in the audience howling the lyrics at us. They made clear Don't Bother Me just leave them to be a super exciting live act, whatever you do Don't Kill just Play killer riffs instead.
Eric then sung Turbonegro's brilliant anthem I Got An Erection, this was the slowest and sloppiest they sounded all night, Pipe then took the vocals on Killer and we got a quick bit of Pipeline before Lucy returned transformed into her black catsuit and hat outfit, because she had become Lucyfur queen of all she surveyed. They then let us know What I Want and it seemed to be more frantic punk action that meant it was time to get Quick Romance's guitarist Hayden James to join in the fun, on what I guess was Rock Killer it was a killer sound that was certain. He stayed onstage for a hard and heavy Kick Out The Jams that got us all singing along with them.
It was back to one guitarist for Too Much that went by in a blur before the brilliant Boom during which they moved the drum kit from the stage into the middle of the audience, before Pipe set fire to the setlist, which unlike at Rebellion last year didn't cause the security to freak out, they completed the song in the middle of the audience before closing the set with a great rumble through the Stooges 1970 in brilliantly chaotic fashion with Lucy balanced on the bass drum singing,, showing why they are a must see live act. If there was any justice at all this line up would have been the one that played 3 nights at Wembley stadium, rather than Luke Combs whose fans we ran into on the way home afterwards.
|
