BBA Taking Control 2013 (part 2)
Marine Court Hotel, Bangor, 15/06/2013
To be honest, I hadn't planned on going to BBA 2013, simply because the date of the event fell between my son's stag do in Magaluf and his forthcoming wedding and so I've been trying to save the penny's. However, when me old mum (79 years old, bless her) presented me with a surprise ticket for my birthday (I kid you not), well, I couldn't not go!
I had to work on the morning of the event so didn't arrive at the venue until around 13.30 by which time I'd already missed Steven (VX), Hard Case and No Matter. Fortunately, NI Punk's top reviewer Punky Joe was there and his review of the day's events, up until around 16.00 hrs has already been posted. Unfortunately, Punky Joe had to retire at that stage so it has been left to me to report on the rest of the day's events. I'll try to keep it short and sweet.
Joe has already commented on the next few bands but here's my tuppence worth .......
Confrontation Time - good to see Doc (aka Stiff Little Busker) on stage with his new band Confrontation Time. I believe this was their live debut, and they did an excellent job, playing all their own songs too. I look forward to seeing / hearing more of them.
Shock Treatment 21 - an energetic and passionate performance from Davy Treatment and crew, great live band. They certainly impressed the visiting Jenny Russell who signed them up for Rebellion 2014.
Buck Eeejit - just get better and better every time you see them. Don't be fooled by the madcap antics of head Eejit Paddy O'Doors - this band play a mean punk rock! Great fun and cracking tunes - 'When The Morning Comes' being a personal favourite - the best singalong oi! tune outside of Cock Sparrer!
Stop Stop Start Again - added a different element to the melting pot with their flamboyant glam rock / post punk hybrid. A band who are making waves at home and as far afield as Japan where they recently released their new 'Denim Boys' EP. Another band who just keep getting better. Enjoyed their set immensely, especially 'Large Hadron Collider' from the new EP, and even their Cher / Sex Pistols mash-up 'I Believe' sounded good today. Excellent.
Punky Joe left somewhere around this time so unfortunately he missed the rest of the bands.
Thee Flash Guns - the surprise package of the day! Reallly impressed with their take on 60's garage punk. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I liked them, especially enjoyed their version of The Sonics 'Psycho'. This is a side project of Ralph outta Runnin' Riot. Are Thee Flash Guns really Thee Radicals under a different guise?
Took a break and headed up the town with Rut to get some fresh air, stretch the legs and grab a bite to eat. Returned just as Not The Only Clown In The Village was finishing off. Didn't see enough of the set to come to any conclusion except he seemed to be a crazy one-man punk band!
Wasted Talent - these boys are the biz! A punk covers band churning out all the old favourites by the likes of The Damned, Dead Kennedys, Buzzcocks, The Skids, Sex Pistols, etc etc. Bloody good they are too! This is the band to get the party started.
Charred Hearts - unfortunately things started to go a bit pear shaped soundwise when Charred Hearts took to the stage. Their set was marred by poor sound especially the ear-splitting feedback. I honestly couldn't say if the band was any good or not as I couldn't make anything out due to the noise. I felt sorry for the band and even more sorry for the state of my poor eardrums!
The sound was a bit of a problem the rest of the night with every band suffering from intermittent bursts of feedback during their sets but it didn't deter the bands from putting on a good show or the punters from having a good time.
The Defects - really got the place buzzing. These boys can do no wrong in my eyes. Another superb set made up of songs from the recent 'Politicophobia' album, some old favourites and a couple of choice covers. The stand out song for me? 'Riot Free Zone'! Such a powerful song. Possibly their new single? Wait and see. Tre crowd lapped them up and rightly so. Buck's rapport with his audience is a joy in itself. Fucking superb!
The Lurkers - one of my favourite bands from the early days of punk rock. Really loved this band and will never forget the night they played the Pound, Belfast, 1978. However, today's Lurkers is a totally different band from back then with Arturo being the only original member (he had left the band very early on and wasn't in the line-up when they played here in 1978). Good to hear the old songs such as 'Shadow' again and later stuff like 'Go Ahead Punk' etc but it just wasn't the same. It was good but not great. But fair play to Arturo for keeping the Lurkers name alive, and the man does give 100% for the cause.
The Outcasts - I missed a few of their recent gigs so was looking forward to seeing them again. And they didn't disappoint. The band seemed to be fired up for this one and despite the ocassional sound problem they played a blinder. Dare I say it was the best gig I've seen them do since they reformed? Yeah, I will. Really impressed - impressed enough to say they were fucking fantastic! And they played 'Hiroshima' for the first time since reforming too and finished the set with a cracking cover of Bowie's 'Suffragette City' - a nice little bonus, good to see them shaking the set up a bit. Great stuff.
Barb Wire Dolls - over-hyped and over here! Wasn't impressed at all and to be honest, after all the hype and publicity surrounding this band, I was downright disappointed! Pseudo heavy metal masquerading as punk rock. Ok, so they do look the part and they do put the effort in on stage, but it all seems too manufactured to this old cynic. All the posturing, all the preaching about revolution etc between songs, the continual use of the F word (fer fuck's sake, whats that all about? lol), constantly giving the middle finger - trying too hard to be controversial. They ain't no Sex Pistols thats for sure! I can see gullible teens falling for it, but surely us old codgers are too long in the tooth to be taken in by a nubile young woman writhing around in tight leather shorts, aren't we? I wonder if all those 50 (+) year olds stage front were really into the band or were they just perving on Isis Queen (or whatever her name is)??? lol
I have to say, I was relieved when their set finished!
999 - aah, some proper punk rock to finish off the day in style. I could never understand why this band were never huge. Another one of my old favourites, and they still sound as good today as they did back in their heyday. It was a real pleasure to see 999 on stage again and they rocked the joint. The highlight of the whole event was the mass stage invasion and singalong during 'Homicide', a real 'lump in the throat' moment, the whole place bouncing, bands and fans as one. This is PUNK ROCK! Long live 999.
GT 22/06/2013
I had to work on the morning of the event so didn't arrive at the venue until around 13.30 by which time I'd already missed Steven (VX), Hard Case and No Matter. Fortunately, NI Punk's top reviewer Punky Joe was there and his review of the day's events, up until around 16.00 hrs has already been posted. Unfortunately, Punky Joe had to retire at that stage so it has been left to me to report on the rest of the day's events. I'll try to keep it short and sweet.
Joe has already commented on the next few bands but here's my tuppence worth .......
Confrontation Time - good to see Doc (aka Stiff Little Busker) on stage with his new band Confrontation Time. I believe this was their live debut, and they did an excellent job, playing all their own songs too. I look forward to seeing / hearing more of them.
Shock Treatment 21 - an energetic and passionate performance from Davy Treatment and crew, great live band. They certainly impressed the visiting Jenny Russell who signed them up for Rebellion 2014.
Buck Eeejit - just get better and better every time you see them. Don't be fooled by the madcap antics of head Eejit Paddy O'Doors - this band play a mean punk rock! Great fun and cracking tunes - 'When The Morning Comes' being a personal favourite - the best singalong oi! tune outside of Cock Sparrer!
Stop Stop Start Again - added a different element to the melting pot with their flamboyant glam rock / post punk hybrid. A band who are making waves at home and as far afield as Japan where they recently released their new 'Denim Boys' EP. Another band who just keep getting better. Enjoyed their set immensely, especially 'Large Hadron Collider' from the new EP, and even their Cher / Sex Pistols mash-up 'I Believe' sounded good today. Excellent.
Punky Joe left somewhere around this time so unfortunately he missed the rest of the bands.
Thee Flash Guns - the surprise package of the day! Reallly impressed with their take on 60's garage punk. Not everyone's cup of tea, but I liked them, especially enjoyed their version of The Sonics 'Psycho'. This is a side project of Ralph outta Runnin' Riot. Are Thee Flash Guns really Thee Radicals under a different guise?
Took a break and headed up the town with Rut to get some fresh air, stretch the legs and grab a bite to eat. Returned just as Not The Only Clown In The Village was finishing off. Didn't see enough of the set to come to any conclusion except he seemed to be a crazy one-man punk band!
Wasted Talent - these boys are the biz! A punk covers band churning out all the old favourites by the likes of The Damned, Dead Kennedys, Buzzcocks, The Skids, Sex Pistols, etc etc. Bloody good they are too! This is the band to get the party started.
Charred Hearts - unfortunately things started to go a bit pear shaped soundwise when Charred Hearts took to the stage. Their set was marred by poor sound especially the ear-splitting feedback. I honestly couldn't say if the band was any good or not as I couldn't make anything out due to the noise. I felt sorry for the band and even more sorry for the state of my poor eardrums!
The sound was a bit of a problem the rest of the night with every band suffering from intermittent bursts of feedback during their sets but it didn't deter the bands from putting on a good show or the punters from having a good time.
The Defects - really got the place buzzing. These boys can do no wrong in my eyes. Another superb set made up of songs from the recent 'Politicophobia' album, some old favourites and a couple of choice covers. The stand out song for me? 'Riot Free Zone'! Such a powerful song. Possibly their new single? Wait and see. Tre crowd lapped them up and rightly so. Buck's rapport with his audience is a joy in itself. Fucking superb!
The Lurkers - one of my favourite bands from the early days of punk rock. Really loved this band and will never forget the night they played the Pound, Belfast, 1978. However, today's Lurkers is a totally different band from back then with Arturo being the only original member (he had left the band very early on and wasn't in the line-up when they played here in 1978). Good to hear the old songs such as 'Shadow' again and later stuff like 'Go Ahead Punk' etc but it just wasn't the same. It was good but not great. But fair play to Arturo for keeping the Lurkers name alive, and the man does give 100% for the cause.
The Outcasts - I missed a few of their recent gigs so was looking forward to seeing them again. And they didn't disappoint. The band seemed to be fired up for this one and despite the ocassional sound problem they played a blinder. Dare I say it was the best gig I've seen them do since they reformed? Yeah, I will. Really impressed - impressed enough to say they were fucking fantastic! And they played 'Hiroshima' for the first time since reforming too and finished the set with a cracking cover of Bowie's 'Suffragette City' - a nice little bonus, good to see them shaking the set up a bit. Great stuff.
Barb Wire Dolls - over-hyped and over here! Wasn't impressed at all and to be honest, after all the hype and publicity surrounding this band, I was downright disappointed! Pseudo heavy metal masquerading as punk rock. Ok, so they do look the part and they do put the effort in on stage, but it all seems too manufactured to this old cynic. All the posturing, all the preaching about revolution etc between songs, the continual use of the F word (fer fuck's sake, whats that all about? lol), constantly giving the middle finger - trying too hard to be controversial. They ain't no Sex Pistols thats for sure! I can see gullible teens falling for it, but surely us old codgers are too long in the tooth to be taken in by a nubile young woman writhing around in tight leather shorts, aren't we? I wonder if all those 50 (+) year olds stage front were really into the band or were they just perving on Isis Queen (or whatever her name is)??? lol
I have to say, I was relieved when their set finished!
999 - aah, some proper punk rock to finish off the day in style. I could never understand why this band were never huge. Another one of my old favourites, and they still sound as good today as they did back in their heyday. It was a real pleasure to see 999 on stage again and they rocked the joint. The highlight of the whole event was the mass stage invasion and singalong during 'Homicide', a real 'lump in the throat' moment, the whole place bouncing, bands and fans as one. This is PUNK ROCK! Long live 999.
GT 22/06/2013