Blitzkrieg, SSSA, The Lee Harveys, Mohican Jack
live @ Voodoo, Belfast, 20/09/13
When this gig was announced I was determined to attend when I saw that The Lee Harveys were on the bill. I missed them on the couple of previous occasions they played Belfast, I couldn't miss them again! Belfast city centre was heaving with bodies when we arrived, due to it being culture night. There was so much going on in town but it was off to Voodoo for us, to celebrate a bit of punk culture in the company of those good folk from Scarred For Life Records (who were hosting the event) and 4 cracking bands.
Kicking off the entertainment were local h/c trio Mohican Jack. These boys take no prisoners! The volume was turned up to maximum as MJ powered their way through a highly charged, intense set of mostly self-penned tunes. I can't remember the last time I saw a band perform with such intensity (maybe Agnostic Front back in 2007?). Mohican Jack play hard, they play fast and with no small amount of ferocity. They've certainly kicked it up a notch or two since I last saw them just a short time ago in Antrim. My favourite MJ song 'Two Wrongs' went down well as did the bands cover of the old Outcasts classic 'Winter' (Mohican Jack have recorded a cover of 'Winter' which will appear soon on Time To Be Proud's EP series, I look forward to hearing that) but the highlight was the set closer 'Fuck The Police' which sounded fucking superb on the night. A blistering start to the evening.
My ears were still fucking ringing (thanks to the Mohican Jack onslaught, lol) when The Lee Harveys took to the stage. My initial encounters with this band came via a couple of top-notch tracks on last years Scarred For Life compilation CD, followed by their cracking 'Gun City' album, which I raved about elsewhere on this website. But this was my first encounter with The Lee Harveys live and in the flesh, so to speak! And did they let me down? Hell, no! They were everything I expected, and more. A set choc full of short, oh so sweet, bursts of trashy, poppity-pop, punk fuckin' rock that made the hairs stand on the back of my neck! I haven't felt such a buzz about a band since the halycon early days of punk, when I was just a spotty faced teen. Every song - Oh x 5, Here Come The Cops, Gun City, Bright Light etc.. is an instant classic, each one urging you to just let go and throw a few shapes around the dancefloor (or the pit, as the kids call it) in reckless abandon. And how good was it to hear '18 Again' live (and with the added impetus of the extra guitar) for the first time (well, for me anyway)? Strangely, the songs 'Don't Dictate' and 'Tell The Truth' were the 2 songs that really stood out and caught my attention in a fantastic set. I only say strangely as it is the aforementioned songs '18 Again', 'Oh x 5', 'Bright Light' and 'Here Come The Cops' that get me all in a tizzy when I play the album! The Lee Harveys are one helluva band, check them out when you get the chance. I'm so glad I did! Fucking awesome.
The rest of the night is a wee bit of a blur. I was buzzing after the Lee Harveys set (and the alcohol consumption probably played a part too) so I have to apologise to my oul mucker Fletch and his band Stop Stop Start Again for completey missing their set! I popped out for a cigarette before SSSA took to the stage and bumped into chief Buck Eejit, Paddy O'Doors. By the time we'd set the world to rights and I dragged my sorry ass back upstairs SSSA had been and gone! By all accounts they blew the roof of the place (well, according to Fletch anyway! lol). Seriously though, I was informed by others (including my travelling companions Rab and Rut) that SSSA played a blinder. No surprise really as SSSA are one of the best live bands currently gigging on the local scene. No doubt I'll catch up with them again in the not too distant future.
Southport band Blitzkrieg initially made a bit of an impact on the UK h/c punk scene way back in the early 80's. Since then they have undergone various lineup changes. Today, Jackie Chambers (Girlschool) is an integral member of the band so it was disappointing to learn, on arrival at the venue, that Jackie couldn't make the gig and the band had to bring in a last minute replacement. Now, I have to eat humble pie and apologise again, this time to Blitzkrieg, as I only caught the first couple of numbers plus the last one of their set as I got caught up in a deep conversation with Time To Be Proud Records head honcho William Maxwell. Well, look, I don't get into Belfast that often these days so I've a lot of catching up to do plus I'm a nosey git and like to find out whats going on! Anyway, liked what little I did catch of the Blitzkrieg set. Entertaining too when frontman Heinzy bawled out another band member in between the first couple of songs, although I'm sure the bloke on the receiving end didn't find it as amusing as we did! lol I'm sure it was only a sign of how passionate Heinzy is about the band and putting on a good show. And by all accounts Blitzkrieg put in an excellent shift. Hopefully I'll catch them another day.
All in all, another cracking night out. A big shout out to Stevie and Danielle (Scarred For Life Records) for the hospitallity and for putting on another great show. I've been to a number of Scarred For Life events and they've all been excellent so get yourselves along to the next one in November (featuring Glen Matlock, no less). A big shout out to all the bands + Paddy O'Doors, James Symes, Rab, Rut, and Paul O'Shaughnessy.
photos © Mohican Jack
Kicking off the entertainment were local h/c trio Mohican Jack. These boys take no prisoners! The volume was turned up to maximum as MJ powered their way through a highly charged, intense set of mostly self-penned tunes. I can't remember the last time I saw a band perform with such intensity (maybe Agnostic Front back in 2007?). Mohican Jack play hard, they play fast and with no small amount of ferocity. They've certainly kicked it up a notch or two since I last saw them just a short time ago in Antrim. My favourite MJ song 'Two Wrongs' went down well as did the bands cover of the old Outcasts classic 'Winter' (Mohican Jack have recorded a cover of 'Winter' which will appear soon on Time To Be Proud's EP series, I look forward to hearing that) but the highlight was the set closer 'Fuck The Police' which sounded fucking superb on the night. A blistering start to the evening.
My ears were still fucking ringing (thanks to the Mohican Jack onslaught, lol) when The Lee Harveys took to the stage. My initial encounters with this band came via a couple of top-notch tracks on last years Scarred For Life compilation CD, followed by their cracking 'Gun City' album, which I raved about elsewhere on this website. But this was my first encounter with The Lee Harveys live and in the flesh, so to speak! And did they let me down? Hell, no! They were everything I expected, and more. A set choc full of short, oh so sweet, bursts of trashy, poppity-pop, punk fuckin' rock that made the hairs stand on the back of my neck! I haven't felt such a buzz about a band since the halycon early days of punk, when I was just a spotty faced teen. Every song - Oh x 5, Here Come The Cops, Gun City, Bright Light etc.. is an instant classic, each one urging you to just let go and throw a few shapes around the dancefloor (or the pit, as the kids call it) in reckless abandon. And how good was it to hear '18 Again' live (and with the added impetus of the extra guitar) for the first time (well, for me anyway)? Strangely, the songs 'Don't Dictate' and 'Tell The Truth' were the 2 songs that really stood out and caught my attention in a fantastic set. I only say strangely as it is the aforementioned songs '18 Again', 'Oh x 5', 'Bright Light' and 'Here Come The Cops' that get me all in a tizzy when I play the album! The Lee Harveys are one helluva band, check them out when you get the chance. I'm so glad I did! Fucking awesome.
The rest of the night is a wee bit of a blur. I was buzzing after the Lee Harveys set (and the alcohol consumption probably played a part too) so I have to apologise to my oul mucker Fletch and his band Stop Stop Start Again for completey missing their set! I popped out for a cigarette before SSSA took to the stage and bumped into chief Buck Eejit, Paddy O'Doors. By the time we'd set the world to rights and I dragged my sorry ass back upstairs SSSA had been and gone! By all accounts they blew the roof of the place (well, according to Fletch anyway! lol). Seriously though, I was informed by others (including my travelling companions Rab and Rut) that SSSA played a blinder. No surprise really as SSSA are one of the best live bands currently gigging on the local scene. No doubt I'll catch up with them again in the not too distant future.
Southport band Blitzkrieg initially made a bit of an impact on the UK h/c punk scene way back in the early 80's. Since then they have undergone various lineup changes. Today, Jackie Chambers (Girlschool) is an integral member of the band so it was disappointing to learn, on arrival at the venue, that Jackie couldn't make the gig and the band had to bring in a last minute replacement. Now, I have to eat humble pie and apologise again, this time to Blitzkrieg, as I only caught the first couple of numbers plus the last one of their set as I got caught up in a deep conversation with Time To Be Proud Records head honcho William Maxwell. Well, look, I don't get into Belfast that often these days so I've a lot of catching up to do plus I'm a nosey git and like to find out whats going on! Anyway, liked what little I did catch of the Blitzkrieg set. Entertaining too when frontman Heinzy bawled out another band member in between the first couple of songs, although I'm sure the bloke on the receiving end didn't find it as amusing as we did! lol I'm sure it was only a sign of how passionate Heinzy is about the band and putting on a good show. And by all accounts Blitzkrieg put in an excellent shift. Hopefully I'll catch them another day.
All in all, another cracking night out. A big shout out to Stevie and Danielle (Scarred For Life Records) for the hospitallity and for putting on another great show. I've been to a number of Scarred For Life events and they've all been excellent so get yourselves along to the next one in November (featuring Glen Matlock, no less). A big shout out to all the bands + Paddy O'Doors, James Symes, Rab, Rut, and Paul O'Shaughnessy.
photos © Mohican Jack