Show Time!

I.C.H. - TAGNUTS, Steamboat Tavern, Ipswich, UK - 16th July 2010
Third time lucky for me!! Since hearing, and being blown away by, the debut I.C.H. album, I’ve been in Ipswich twice previously when the band has played. The first time, in August last year, was the night after my Mum’s place got burgled; needless to say I couldn‘t leave the poor old dear alone in an unlocked house (the scum stole the house keys too) while I went boozing and schmoozing. The second was around about March this year. I’d left what was gearing up to be a rather good New Zealand Summer but weeks previous and, arriving in the UK during the second flurry of snow, I was struggling just too damn much with the cold. My knuckles had cracked open and the prospect of waiting for a bus, then the walk to the Steamboat was just too much. Man - the Kiwi climate has certainly made me soft! Haha!!!
Thankfully, this show appeared on the Steamboat’s calendar. Even a day of being frustrated, annoyed and ultimately insulted by the fuck-wit ’company policies’ of the Abbey National (or Santander as they are now) could not deter me this time - although I did forget my camera - so ‘boat bound I headed!
A disappointingly small crowd greeted Cambridge Ska-Punk act, THE TAGNUTS. The first thing that was really noticeable was a stunningly thin guitar sound which seemed to hamper the thrust of the thrashier numbers. Comparisons are unavoidably drawn with CAPDOWN but minus the brass and plus an additional guitar, giving the band an UNSEEN-esque bite. Lyrically, the songs were rife with socio-political comment and, although all the songs were new to me, a number stood out with ‘Motivate Me’ in particular lodging itself in my memory.
Come I.C.H. time, the Guinness had started to work its magic and a few more punters had turned up. After a bit of the renowned cheeky Essex banter from Ed, the band kicked in with a blur of flying dreads and a set that was faster, tighter and much more aurally assaulting than I had imagined. Much of the aforementioned debut album was played, but highlights would include ‘Not Indestructable’, a belligerent ‘Cunts’, ‘Oi Tune’, a sneering, bitter set-stealing ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ and the excellent tale of passive suburban rebellion/ apathy that is ‘Smells Like Community Spirit’. What I.C.H. has that sets the band apart from other contemporaries is a natural charm that eminates from each and every band member, but vocalist Ed in particular is a forthright and commanding figure centre stage, with just the right amount of arrogance that the vocalist of any Punk band requires.
Next time this band of be-dreaded, cantankerous ragamuffins assault a stage near you, it comes with a good recommendation from me.

I.C.H Scanner interview - hit here.

Obituary - Todd Sampson

In the early hours of Sunday 25th July 2010, Todd Sampson, the original vocalist of M.I.A., passed away after virtually collapsing during an M.I.A. performance at the Black Door in his hometown of Las Vegas. He was aged 46. At the time of writing, the cause of death is unknown.

Sampson had always been a prominent figure in the Las Vegas Punk scene. In 1980, aged 16 and still a student at Clark High, he joined local band THE SWELL that, following a New Year’s Eve performance, changed its name to M.I.A. Unfortunately for Sampson, the newly-christened M.I.A. soon left town for the vibrant scene then blossoming in California. Sampson, who was still 16 when the move occurred was prevented from going with the band by his parents.

A year later, Sampson was back on the local scene with the band SELF ABUSE where he teamed up with schoolmate and ex-SPLIFFZ bassist Matt Dudenake, who took up the role of guitarist. The band played a mix of classic USHC covers and originals including the 45-second thrash ‘Locked Up For 90 Days’. The band played on and off, reforming for shows in 2001 and 2009.

In 1984, Sampson formed SAMSONS ARMY which battled through to the early 90s and, as above, reformed for occasional shows in the 2000s.

In 2008, M.I.A. vocalist, Mike Conley passed away. (Obituary here). Sampson rejoined the band which continued playing through to Sampson’s eventual collapse.

“He just started going down during the show,” said musician and close friend Rob Ruckus. “Backstage afterwards, he was totally burning up, kinda going out of it. We tried putting ice on his head, cooling him down with water ... we loaded him into the truck and got his breathing slowed down; he actually walked into his house on his own. But he started heating up again, and then he started hyperventilating, so we raced him to the hospital as fast as we could, but he stopped breathing on the way. When we got to the hospital there was no heartbeat.”

Sampson is survived by his son, Daz, and his girlfriend.

Show Time!

THE DAMNED - TREXTASY, Corn Exchange, Ipswich, UK - 26th May 2010

The irony of the bill did not escape me. The fact that THE DAMNED, one of the bands that lead the charge for the new beat that was Punk Rock, is now be playing over 30 years since its first record came out with a fully fledged tribute band as support suggests they have become what they set out to destroy. Yet, if any of the original wave could get away with this particular support, I guess it is Vanian and the boys as they did support Marc Bolan way back in the 70s.

I arrived 10 minutes after the doors opened and TREXTASY was already on. I don’t have much time for tribute bands, but at least this lot has the decency of doing a tribute to someone who is no longer alive. Gotta say also, this was a really convincing performance. Even from a moderately close distance, the resemblance between the singer and the real Marc Bolan was uncanny. He had the moves too, exuding Bolan's vaguely androgynous appeal in every way. All the obvious tracks were there - ‘Get It On’, ‘Children Of The Revolution’, ‘Jeepster’, an excellent ‘Solid Gold Easy Action’, my favourite ‘Metal Guru’ and ‘20th Century Boy’. The negative was ‘Telegram Sam’ that lacked that broad, orchestral sound and came over a little pedestrian. Never heard ‘Ride A White Swan’ either. After a couple of bottles of Newcastle Brown, I found myself grooving to the Bolan beat and had simply forgotten just how many truly great songs the man wrote. I even applauded at the end - can’t recall any other tribute band that I have ever given such plaudits to before!

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen THE DAMNED. I’ve seen highs (1988’s reunion shows at Town and Country Club being a particular high, along with a full performance of ‘Curtain Call’ at an Ipswich gig in the early ‘90s) and dismal, embarrassing lows (‘Neat Neat Neat’ being drawn out to over seven minutes in some sterile fucking Prog Rock muso experiment being the most unforgivable). This, the first time I’ve seen THE DAMNED without the legendary and incendiary drummer Rat Scabies, was never going to live up to the heady heights of seeing the Vanian-James-Scabies-Sensible line-up, but it was going to be interesting - especially in the wake of a new, half-decent album to promote in ‘So, Who’s Paranoid?’

Predictably the show kicked off with ‘Wait For The Blackout’ - still one of my favourite DAMNED songs. The sound was OK (considering the Corn Exchange usually sounds worse than a crap bootleg played with a knitting needle while an Alsatian shits all over the stereo speakers), a decent crowd had appeared (especially at £21.50 a head) and the band seemed to hold its own on such a classic. Vanian, I hate to say, looked fantastic. I’ve never seen him look anything less in fact but, given the fact he must be 50+, I had hoped to see a bit of middle-aged spread! Alas no - and vocally he still sounds commanding.

Unfortunately, as the show progressed, it became evident that the drummer just really wasn’t up to Scabies. Sure, he was a good drummer (very good in fact) but let’s be honest - Rat was/ is the best drummer in UK Punk. Period. ‘Love Song’, the song I so vividly recall from Top Of The Pops in 1979 that kick-started me onto this whole Punk Rock thing, was the biggest disappointment of all. The bassist, rather than attacking the strings, just played them; it was lacklustre. And of course there was no Rat to power it along.

The set list was impressive and surprising. Besides obvious squad members - ‘New Rose’, ‘Neat Neat Neat’ (which was drawn out a little - but not to an offensive ELP length), ‘Smash It Up’, ‘I Just Can’t Be Happy Today’ - there were a few surprises. ‘Bad Time For Bonzo’ and ‘Gun Fury’ from the ‘Strawberries’ album, the excellent ‘Disco Man’ followed ‘...Blackout’ and ‘Thanks For The Night’ all stood out. The big surprise was the post-Sensible tracks ‘Eloise’ and ‘Shadow Of Love’. Decent executions of them too. The highlight was an inflammable take on ‘Stretcher Case’.

Vanian threw a bit of a moody fit also, throwing his microphone toward the back of the stage and stomping off. I’m guessing it was a bit of staged anarchy - I’ve seen that before - although I would like to think the mic was directed at the drummer. Hahaa!! Had it been a genuine display of disgust toward Ipswich, I doubt he would have reappeared to do a 20 minute encore - unless it was the chorus of “Sensible’s a wanker,” that Storkey, Boondog and I initiated. Heckling and general abuse directed toward the Captain was notably absent from this gig. Surely, Ipswich is not that conservative - or I that old??!!

It was all over by about 10.40pm - meaning I could get the last bus! How did this stack up in a long list of DAMNED shows? Not bad actually; it was better than I expected and, had Rat been sat behind that kit, it could’ve been an impressive if not killer DAMNED gig.

See what I mean?

Obituary - Steve New

On 24 May 2010, guitarist, singer and songwriter, Steve New (aka Stella Nova), passed away due to terminal cancer. New may not have been one of the most immediately infamous names of London Punk Rock, but he did have a few key roles in some very notable bands.

New was born in London on 16 May 1960 and attended school in St. John's Wood. At the age of 14 he began playing with the London Jazz Orchestra. A mere year later he was initiated into the then infant London Punk scene when he was asked to audition for the band that would spearhead the movement and become the figurehead for a generation - the SEX PISTOLS. His audition was for the role of second guitarist to Steve Jones - obviously history states he did not get the post.

When PISTOLS bassist Glen Matlock was exited from the band, he asked New to join his new band, the RICH KIDS, along with Rusty Egan and Midge Ure. The debut single, 'Rich Kids', was a hit but the following album, 'Ghosts Of Princes In Towers' and successive singles failed to maintain the momentum. The band split in 1979 although a live performance can be witnessed in the 1980 film, D.O.A.

New and Matlock then toured with IGGY POP before New moved to the USA, where he did some work with JOHNNY THUNDERS while battling a reputed Heroin addiction. 1980 also saw New, via his friendship with Keith Levene, enter the world of PUBLIC IMAGE LTD when Jah Wobble left the band. Besides the obscure 'Pied Piper' track, New never recorded with the band.

New has also played with the likes of SID VICIOUS, Chrissie Hynde, Kim Fowley and GLEN MATLOCK's solo work.

New reappeared in 2006 under the name of Stella Nova in the band BEASTELLABEAST with Beatrice Brown, releasing the 'Beastiality' album in 2009.

With the prospect of the fatal terminal cancer looming, the RICH KIDS reformed with New for a benefit concert for New's family in January 2010. The sold-out show also included MICK JONES, TV SMITH and various members of THE SLITS on the bill.

New is survived by his children Diva Atlanta New and Frank James Lightning Hopkins-New.

Show Time!

THESE ARE END TIMES - DANIEL MERRILL - LIFE AND TIMES OF, Blue Room, McGinty’s, Ipswich, UK - 14th May 2010
Since I have been in New Zealand, McGinty’s seems to have become one of the most popular live music venues in Ipswich. It’s easy to see why too; separate room from the bar, a central Ipswich location, good booze served in the bar and, on evidence of this, excellent acoustics too. This was a show to celebrate the launch of the debut album from newish local band, THESE ARE END TIMES, which has been released on the band’s own Antigen Records. But before the main event...

...I had to sit (well, stand) through the Indie, wannabe-RIDE convulsions of LIFE AND TIMES OF. I’m sure the band is very good at what it does but, in a bid to escape its droning Indie tones, all it inspired me to do was head into the beer garden to breathe in second hand cigarette smoke. Maximum rock ’n’ roll?? Not even partial!

After some wonderful Guinness refreshment, I went back to the Blue Room to witness DANIEL MERRILL. Now, this was interesting. MERRILL plays violin to a pre-recorded (and, at times, bombastic) backing track. It was well thought out stuff with MERRILL adding a visual side to the performance that went beyond ‘a bloke with a fiddle’ also. For 15 or 20 minutes, it was quite a captivating and even hypnotic performance. By minute 21 though, my attention began to wander; my glass had run dry also. He seemed to play for some time, and received a deservedly good response, but there wasn’t quite enough to hold me present.

And so, running nearly 30 minutes late, came THESE ARE END TIMES. The band is a veritable who’s who of the netherworld of Ipswich’s music scene. The band has been put together by guitarist/ vocalist Martyn Peck (aka Roki) who has had stints in notables such as OPTIMUM WOUND PROFILE, RAW NOISE, SCREAMING HOLOCAUST and most recently THE BALLISTICS. Joining Roki is Simon Finbow, also on guitar/ vocals who fronted CHOCOLATE and was also in OWP; bassist Andrew Laws (better known as Andrew Culture) of JUNK CULTURE, ZEEB and Beat Motel zine fame; drummer Dom Cattermole (ex-NEMO and ZEEB); Gareth Patch is responsible for keyboards, samples, digital noise and vocals (ex-LOVE LIES BLEEDING and DELIRIOUS) and finally, centre stage is Mark Schorah blowing his trumpet (ex-BALLISTICS).

Knowing Roki’s eclectic taste in tunes, I had little idea what to expect from this self-proclaimed ‘Post Rock’ band. What I actually got was a very clever, decidedly interesting and occasionally disconcerting 50 minute slab of sound. Comparisons are not obvious but ‘White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity’-era SWANS certainly came to mind, mixed with some of the orchestral punches of CARDIACS on downers (and most definitely not said band’s quirky side). Vocals penetrated the sound sparsely, which was a shame when you consider Simon numbers in the band’s line-up. ‘End Times (We Are All Condemned)’ probably proved to be the most accessible song of the set, although the unexpected highlight was the 15 minute ‘There Should Be A Crowd Of Spectators At My Execution’, which spliced samples from a film about people jumping off San Fran’s Golden Gate Bridge with an ominous, reverberating background panorama accentuated by punishing slices of scorching sonic attack. While the closing ‘Now I Realise How Helpless We Are’ (you get the impression these songs are of a slightly, um, downbeat, depressing nature?) continued the unique atmospheric drama of the set with Roki playing an accordian, it did end the set on a vaguely disconnected, ambiguous note.

By 11.30 it was all over. ...ENDS TIMES had impressed me greatly; my ears were suitably fried; the Guinness was as Guinness is: sublime!