ANDREW PLEASE NOTE - these gigs were 'problem' events - after I'd left
(phew!) there was a load of trouble at the Firefly - also there was a quite a negative reaction to the PT's show at the Jailhouse - 'tired and tuneless' were amongst the comments... I've tried to make the best of it though and I'm sure of a more positive (and happier) blog next week with Unkle Monty, Cobweb Dilemmas and Meg... Andy Here we go...
It's always great to check out a new venue but sometimes it don't always work out so fine. A sense of optimism though as we headed off to The Firefly in Worcester's Lowesmoor to check out a few of the local up-and-comings. No problems with punksters Skankbox who are punching well above their weight for a threesome of 16 and 17 year-olds. You can't expect too much sophistication from such a young outfit but they're breezy and confident and I'll be checking them out again soon.
Ska-popsters The Donns not only sound good but have a great stage presence as well - trouble was this venue was too small for more than a handful to get a decent gander at this jumping bunch - you'll see them better when they play Nozstock in the summer.
Great to see Phil, Jacko and Ryan of Fights And Fires - also Chris of Not Just Sauce, Willis of Cape Of Good Hope and Chris of Meteor Street - to check out the self-styled KungFu rockers that are PlanetMan - variously from Cardiff, Birmingham and Worcester - how did that happen?
I've seen PlanetMan before at TJ's and I'd call them ska-punksters with a solid metal foundation - a cross between Sham 69 and Linton Kwesi Johnson - particularly appreciated the dedication to Worcester's favourite transvestite Jason with their trademark cover of 'Only Fools And Horses' thrown into the mix. Good gig with great bands but thanks to the antics of a few knuckleheads I doubt if this venue will feature on the local circuit in the future
All the names that're fit to print in Hereford were at The Jailhouse for the joint Idlehands/Never Mind The Bullocks promotion - that's Joe Schiavon (ex-Counterfeits and Anomalies) and Brendan (Mr Gippa) Stephens
- who jointly carry the blame for these sparkling Sunday and Wednesday bandfests. A late change due to the demise of Magic Socks in the form of electro-duo GinDrinker from Cardiff and their freeform white-noise rant with added cornet twiddles - catchy!
Great to see Edd and Matt from Tastyhead, Mike from PaperScissorsRock fanzine, Glen of Brandon Steep and Thom (ex-Big Nothing) to see if Pencil Toes could fill the electro-disco spot that Goldfrapp have so conveniently vacated. An awesome set from the PT's with great back projections and retina-damaging lasers in preparation for the forthcoming festival season. Trouble was that they've ditched their great hummable numbers like 'Moving Walls' and 'The Setting' for some newbies - hopefully for this night only guys
Just time to catch a bite of The Lovvers - a very Sex Pistols-esque outfit from 'oop north' before the last train out of town - headliners were the invigorating indies Los Campesinos - another time maybe for me
