After a hard weeks graft what better way to unwind than with a road-trip and a gig! Which was the case when the Moosemobile (rather than Wagon Woodstock) trundled up the A1M to Nottingham to be a part of the Still Dying promoted ‘all day&rsqu...
MISPELT 2.0 + CRIMINALS OF STEREO + OVERLOAD + MONICA & THE EXPLOSION
I attended VIVA LA LOCAL IX with a mixture of excitement tinged with a hint of sadness as this latest offering of juicy musical morsels marked the end of the VIVA LA LOCAL project, certainly in its present format anyway.But more about that in a separate article, later.
They say that variety is the spice of life, so following on from last months mix of musical styles VLL IXs cast list was diverse to say the least! We had angsty acoustic, some full on balls out in yer fuking face Oi, some wholesome funked up melodic goodness and some bad-ass dirty good ol fashioned punk. Based on that VLL IX would rate as a Faal on the curry index
And although the styles may have been different the one thing all the bands had was passion and this could be heard in every note of every song performed by every musician on the bill.
First up, from Sweden, Monica & The Explosion. If you ever get to see this young lady dont by fooled by the acoustic guitar and the pretty girl next door looks coz this blonde bombshell explodes in your face with some excellent hard edged power pop punk. The songs are about things that are right and real to her and are delivered with an energy that is mind blowing. Performing live is not easy. The bands that make it look simple are the ones that sweat the sweat and bleed bood and cry the tears. It takes something extra to perform in the most naked way possible, on your own and acoustically as there is no place to hide and nowhere to run. When you are good as this young lady flight is the last thing she need worry about coz you dont keep the attention of a pub full of punters for half an hour or so if your crap. Find out more about Monica on her website www.monicaandtheexplosion.com or on MySpace
Monica is in the UK for a while yet so plenty of chance to see her perform in a venue near you!
Then it was a case of "And Now For Something Completley Different!" And they dont much more different than Cambridge oisters OVERLOAD! A fine example of angry, street punk delivered at full throttle, and epitomises the essence of back in the day punk, but with 21st century credibility. For supporters of the scene and Street/Oi in particular here is band that can be held up as an excellent example of what is GOOD, and for those pedants and ignoramouses who choose to and/or refuse to find out what its all about would hold this band up to prove what is so EVIL about PUNK. So to the Mary Whitehouse Brigade I say - FUCK OFF AND LEAVE US ALONE! Lead by the very charismatic singer Teo backed to perfection by Emma (BASS), Gungle (GUITAR) and Jamie (DRUMS), the band do literally OVERLOAD your sense making your ears bleed and your heart sing. They are a band that help carry on the fine traditon of helping a generation find a sense of self and purpose through music. There set produced the most active and animated responses of any band to play a Viva show. There was people flying around all over the place, so much testosterone flowing you could practically taste it, but NEVER a hint of a bad atmosphere. A musical mugging on the best kind. The band left the stage very happy and very very knackered and as sorry as most of the large crowd were to see them finish their set more than few breathed a silent sigh of relief so they could get their breath back. An truly awesome performance! http://www.myspace.com/overloadstreetpunk
Criminals of Stereo, where the perfect antidote to the sensory battering we had taken, with their funked up jazzy reggae/ska influenced pop punky sound. With a singer Bibi who (and I know I am gonna sound like a dirty old middle aged man) is as easy in the eye as she is on the ear. Technically one of the best bands I have seen and another you dismiss at your peril. That there were more people watch the second half of their set than the first proves that. It is great to see guys who were getting down and dirty to OVERLOAD watch and listen with appreciation. "I came here for the real punk, but good music well played is good if its your thing or not!" was the view of one of the aforementioned. I thoroughly enjoyed their set and I look forward to seeing them again when Born To Destruct play with them in a couple of months or sos time. Chris (GUITAR & B/VOX), Milton (BASS) and MacieJ (DRUMS) make up this talented quartet. Another band with a great attitude; willing to help out fellow bands by lending equipment and offering their support when others are playing! In fact all the bands gave each other excellent support tonight. Find out more about The Criminals of Stereo at http://www.myspace.com/criminalsofstereo
Left with the task of bringing VLL IX, and this chapter of VIVA history to a close were MISPELT 2.0. Gen (VOX), DUNK (VOX & BASS), Steve (GUITAR) and Kev (DRUMS) treated us to some excellent grungy metal tinged rock n roll fuelled punk. The band are full of raw energy and thank to the wonders of technology in the form of the wireless mike, Jen is free to prowl the venue and get up close and personal with the punters. She must have covered about a mile meandering! The interplay between the vocalists is great, with excellent guitar work providing the drive with honest, decent bass & drum work providing the direction. Explosive, exciting, and immensely enjoyable. This is an outfit that is highly rated by that legend of the Northern punk scene, FungalPunk Dave, which is high praise in deed, and based on tonights performance easy to see why. I will definitely be seeing these guys play again! http://www.myspace.com/mispelt2pointzero
So at just before midnight on the 15th May 2009, Mispelt 2.0 played the very last note of Viva La Local, a project that kicked off when the first note was played by The Buffalo Club at around 9pm on the evening of Friday 12th September 2008. A project thats has showcased the talents of 23 different bands over the last 8 months and 9 VLL events exposing some of the very best talent on the UK and European punk scene, FREE!
Along with the usual thanks yous to The Bakers, The Bands, and everyone that came to VLL IX, I would like to thank everyone that has come to any of these events, all the bands that have played at VLL, and to the VLL project team, especially Woodstock for all the hard work put in to put these shows on. It is a mark of the respect in which VLL and Woodstock are held that bands from far afield have been prepared to come and play for nothing.
All the events have been different, but none have been disappointing, And I have some fantastic memories from these gigs, not least having the chance to make a brief appearnce with Born To Destruct at Xmas. Special mention for Strang for his duties as soundman and doing great job!
And whilst this door has shut on the Cambridge scene, there is an opportunity for another to open. I know it is Woodstocks desire to create a sustainable project dedicated to providing bands and punters alike with a place to play and listen to great music. WATCH THIS SPACE.
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