Friday night in the land of the Goldblade giants. A 5 star night, from 4 great bands, the 3 steps to heaven, in a 2 star hotel… 1st rule is…
… Make the line up exciting, desirable, watchable and original and you’ll get crowds as big as we do on a regular basis… Do that and you also earn the kind of plaudits we got on Friday night in St.Albans, from fans of other bands, people who have never seen you before and the loyal hardcore who pay good money in hard times for top quality entertainment time and time again in the same old places!
We asked John Robb and his mighty Goldblade www.goldblade.com to headline again as much as anything as a statement of intent. A great and underrated live band who are constantly touring the country, world, universe, showing the playlist wannabes what you can really achieve with ability and true rock’n’roll in your blood, despite the music industry!
Kicking off the night we had Hitchin based Ministers Dead… Who’d emailed our Tina (long out of the spotlight, but thankfully back in the fold in the nick of time!) when they saw that the Manchester massive (I mean MASSIVE) were in town and asked for a spot… We checked their www.myspace.com/ministersdead and they were in. A modern punk band, with proper retro tendencies and definite Goldblade influences ;-) which can’t be a bad thing! A great start to the night.
Next up and for the last time under this moniker…Kalazar. Featuring 3 Howell brothers and guitar hero Harry, fresh from recording what sounds to be an awesomely powerful new rock ep at the same studio as Enter Shikari. The ‘Zar’s’ took up where the Ministers left off, upping the anti a further notch, with lead singer Miles (growing daily into a Kelly Jones it’s ok to like :-) and the band getting tighter and heavier with each pounding heart beat it can’t be long in an industry, still worshiping the potential of glamorous of youth, before these boys are playing on much more illustrious stages than this! Long live the King! - IMENSE!
And then… it was time for The Scratch… the third incarnation of punk evolution on the bill. More new wave than hardcore… But still packing no little homegrown TNT … gloriously as ever faced by a front 3 rows of 70% female temptation (you have to get a mention for that dancing Reebs!)… It would have been wholly inappropriate not to have risen to the challenge lain down by the stage’s two previous exemplary incumbents…
Game on… ‘Texture to the flava’ and ‘Desire to be thin’, layed the foundations… But ‘Biting on my lip’ really got the party started…next it was quick fire ‘dedication time’ for the fan club Lucy ‘Fakers’, and Lana ‘ATG’, then a return of the much missed ‘Critical Mass’, followed by an even longer lost jewel ‘Narcotic Heart’s, (recently revived as the ‘Homely Crackle’ B-side and not seen since Dublin Castle era 2004)… by now, there was an almost physical buzz, bouncing off the walls (…er not you though Buzz!) , as a pheromone infused crush, thrust the crowd forward… ‘Wag Potential’ punk popped on it’s relentless journey to gain new friends prior to it’s release (with it’s soon to be starlet Sarah Vince in attendance) and then with nothing more than a 1,2,3,4… It was a rare foray into cover version territory with the hugely appreciated (not least as we found out later by John Robb) - Ramones classic ‘Commando’ … From then on, auto pilot engaged and abandon ran riot… ‘Dear Maniac’, ‘Teen Idol’ (with John’s massive throb swamping all before him) and the customarily chaotic finale… As ‘Gas Taps’ saw the Luton lads at the front and long lost rabble-rouser Frambo ‘the chemical wonder kid’ grappling in joyous moshing, tiggeresque, pogoing, heaven with your very own mic-cable bound lunatic front man! And then it was done, leaving the monitor-strewn stage the only twitching testimony to what had just happened!
…There, humble readers, that’s how in our ever more humble opinions you get the crowd ready for the might of Goldblade, who within their first 4 bars had ignited the flickering embers to such a degree, three tracks in they’d burnt the frickin house down! A steaming John Robb backstage afterwards was a sight to be hold… for a tea totaller, you know he must have been on fire!
WOW!
And time now for the important stuff… firstly we need a clear line to kick off the thankyou’s as
TINA
… was so amazing she needs a special extra large mention… Nothing more need be said than WE LOVE YOU!
Closely behind Is Super Sam Vince whose skills are sorely wasted in the day job, when she can sell a night like she did!
Great to see all the newbie’s… Especially Bas and Mrs Bas and Nicola B (how many more sisters did you say you had Linds? ;-)… All the amazing die-hards from Mrs Super, to Mrs Andy to Mrs John, Chris, Rich, Rachel (back again!), Gianni the virgin, Jake, Rod, Ryan, Q, Dave(s), Taylan, Sally, Sam, Matt, Adam, Karolina and too many others to mention in one short blog, thanks to Matt and his Dead Ministers, The Kalazar boys and family and friends, The amazing John Robb and Goldblade… (Not least Dave on the merch stall for his kind efforts) and Clint’s (Boon) mate H for the hire of the van! We can’t wait to do it again. Soon! some other time some other place, we have plans afoot, Tina will be in touch :-). Andy B for his sagely advice as ever, Jordan recharged@radio.com for our first live radio interview on the forum and play of Dear Maniac, All our families and friends who gave up their time and beds to put everyone up, Spurssimon and Debbie great seeing you again, Chris for an awesome sound as ever and our great mate the legend Gary M Hawkins for taking the time to record The Scratch set for a future release! And thanks to all the GIANT punks, especially Kevin, Alan and his ‘roadies’ and the Goldblade fan drummer from Luton who saw us two years ago and still liked us, but I’m afraid, red stripe robbed me of your name! and all finally to all who said so many great things about us in the bar afterwards. A great night, of how rock’n’roll should be done!
Oh and for the record, only injuries, John Scratch – bloodied middle finger! and Grim, a crushed pedal board :-)
ps credit where credit’s due… hence our gig was in St.albans on Friday… a void in time and space…
See you all next Saturday at Robs Fest… www.robsfestival.com
www.thescratch.co.uk for all the latest news xx
