IT was a cold, miserable winter's evening which saw me brave the rush hour traffic to head into the west and a show in Bristol.
With Basingstoke providing 50% of the bands on the bill, it was a bit of a no-brainer.
First up were Take Warning who were without their own drummer and so had press-ganged the drummer from another band as a last minute stand-in. It all worked surprisingly well, which isn't to say there wasn't the odd crossed wire. But this was like a Christmas party/end of term bash, so nobody minded and it was definitely an enjoyable performance.
The second Basingstoke band were on next. Ill Gotten Gains pretty much need no introduction. By the time they came on, the crowd was loosened up a lot and some frantic skanking ensued. They have a very strong set-list of fast, angry songs all guaranteed to get the fists pumping in the air.
The venue was fairly small and the crowd decidedly large and the temperature was definitely on the up. Top performance and a great way for them to end their gigging year.
Main support were Petrol Girls who had come all the way from London. I think it's fair to say they were a particular favourite of punters in these here parts.
They are an awesome punk band, really tight, exciting music and one of the best vocal deliveries of any band around right now. The power and the passion is second to none and they are well supported by a range of backing vocal styles. A lot of their songs address gender inequality issues and do so in a firm, "this has got to stop now!" kind of way. A real favourite of mine.
The head-line band were Faintest Idea who are on tour at the moment, but come all the way from Kings Lynn. I am pretty sure I have seen these guys before, but not for a while. A very exciting ska-punk band, with a bit of brass just to get the party really going.
But now, the place was rammed and it was clear this was who people had really come to see. They exploded into action and the venue erupted. It was a sea of sweat and spilt beer, but there were a lot of happy faces.
It was a crazy, crazy, fun show - well worth the journey and not crawling into bed until about half one.
Well done to all the bands, thanks to the promoter and the manager and staff of the venue for a really great time.
Neil Duncan, ISSUEPUNKZINE
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