What is it about Ska that makes people wanna undress…?

Last night, Han and I joined about 200 other guys’n’gals @ Readings, Boxing Club for BOA Music’s night of entertainment. The atmosphere was incredible, hundreds of skanking sweaty bodies all united in their love for all things ‘Circus.’ Let me explain myself, you see the truth is I myself am not exactly a huge fan of Ska, that’s not to say I can’t appreciate it, it’s just that, for some reason, it reminds me of being 8 years old and waiting for the clowns to arrive at the Moscow State Circus. So this is pretty much how I’m feeling whilst waiting for ‘TunnelVision’ to arrive, ‘Where are the clowns?? Send in the clowns!!’ Now before you slate me for sounding like an ignorant bitch read on…

TunnelVision

Hitting the stage to be greeted with a loud and warm welcome from the crowd were Tunnelvision who opened their set with a bit of ‘Capdown’ and played their instruments half naked, now this, in my opinion, is always a good thing. These guys were bright, energetic and crowd pleasing and they obviously take themselves seriously based on the togetherness of their set. The instruments were played with precision and their vocals were unique although the brass did seem to dominate the set, which made it hard to hear the vocals clearly. On that note I also reckon more three-piece vocal harmonies would definitely add an extra something. Overall I enjoyed TunnelVision and having heard this gig was only their third so far, (which I found hard to believe!!) I’ll definitely be checking them out again in the future.

Crazi English Humour

Next up, with their completely hyperactive trumpet player were ‘Crazi English Humour’ who displayed a good dimensional sound in a pretty tight set. The varieties of catchy songs were good and the lyrics very humorous, although, again we couldn’t hear the singer too well. At first I felt almost teased by the limited vocal harmonies, although towards the end of their set these progressed (which is a good thing as the harmonies were really accurate.) These guys had a wicked contrast between mellow and energetic playing and the overall dynamics were varied. Kinda bizarre stage presence though. There were times when most of the band were standing backwards. Lol - what’s that all about?! However I did enjoy the funky skanking and overall the performance was delivered in an energetic vibe, which made Crazi English Humour’s performance a good one!

Brass Monkeys

When the crowd started cheering for the Brass Monkeys I knew they had to be good, what I wasn’t expecting however was a gang of blokes dressed for bed. (I later discovered they had decided to dress appropriately for the venue and were in fact dressed as boxers, not in PJ’s!!! I can be such a wally sometimes…!!!!) This, when added to the comical stage banter they provided us with, proved these guys have a certain spark, and their music was no exception. They created a full sound and managed to fuse together a variety of styles and genres, backed by a tight drummer and fronted by a confident vocalist. Speaking of which, I have a slight confession to make. You see my initial impression of the lead vocalist was… ‘Cocky Robbie Williams wannabe’ I know, I know, that’s way harsh, but at least I’m being honest. Anyway, the point is this. I later discovered that the guy literally oozes charisma, which appears to be contagious as the rest of the band bounced off that and likewise the crowd got it too, the result? Fans going nuts at the front of the stage. These fans are obviously loyal, since they caught both the mike stand and the lead vocalist when they decided to take a little surf. (Now how many people would do that for Robbie?? Huh??!! Lol) The tune ‘Jaded’ was requested by the crowd, and I could see why, it was tight and fast and obviously a crowd fave. I’ve never seen a band look like they’re having such a good time before, and with them having so much fun it would have been hard not to enjoy their set.

Shootin Goon

By the time Shootin Goon hit the stage the place is hotter than the sun, so we’re surprised to see these guys are the first band to play fully dressed so far, I’m just wandering how long it will be before they start stripping when they throw themselves into the first of many catchy songs with a definite professional feel to them. Like the Brass Monkeys, Shootin Goon also managed to blend a variety of musical styles together successfully and their set was formed of a good mish mash of faster skacore and more traditional laid-back reggae influenced songs and needless to say the audience knew almost every lyric they had ever written. Shootin Goon are the ultimate crowd pleasing band and it wasn’t too long before chants for, what I thought was ‘CAYM,’ were heard (What?? I thought it was the name of one of their new songs!!!) Ever crowd-pleasing, the band went on to perform the catchiest, campest version of ‘YMCA’ we’d ever heard, (and that’s saying summin!) What an intense, tight, versatile band. It’s no wonder they have such a good reputation.

LightYear

And finally, the moment everyone was waiting for. Lightyear, in their 2nd to last ever gig. Needless to say the crowd reaction was massive, everyone got out their camera-phones (Huh! Flashy gits!) to take picture and although the atmosphere was electric you could definitely sense an air of sadness from Lightyear’s loyal fans. But did this stop the guys from giving it their all? Hell no!! Any kind of depressing whinging from the crowd was quickly drowned out by the heavy bass line, (apparently there were complaints from neighbouring Africa on this) the intense drum beats, passionate riffs & vocals and the contrasting dynamics & tempos that is Lightyear. Yup, any feelings of sentiment and sadness would have to wait til morning, along with the hangovers I should imagine. Sod Slim Shady, it’s these guys who wear the controversy crown. Despite having a reputation for their hugely comical wit and pretty disgusting stage banter I was so unprepared for my first ever sighting of a ‘man-vagina’ (use your imaginations!!!) Lightyear seem born to perform and have a wicked knack for working with their audiences, as apposed to just performing for them. The crowd loved all the classics and there wasn’t one person in the room who didn’t know the lyrics to the songs Lightyear performed from their first album. The crowd fave was definitely ‘Pack of Dogs’ and I swear there wasn’t a dry seat in the house when this was played (I meant ‘dry’ as in not hot ‘n’ sweaty!!) As usual the political content of their songs was presented in a dramatic manner, with wicked vocals and perfect harmonies. And the transitions from one style to another were as always smooth.

Finally, towards the end of the night, just as the infamous rocket/boat (whatever it is?!!) made an appearance, the stage was invaded by crazy fans all risking venue ejection to have one final little moment with the cheeky Lightyear lot. Overall, these guys were funny, hugely charismatic, energetic and incredible, and all these factors, when added to the heat and the nakedness surrounding us had Han and I sweating like 2 blind lesbians in a fish shop!! (Sorry, that was gross!!)

Congrats to the boys from BOA for putting on such an amazing evening and thank you v. much for inviting us! And in closing may I just add that you might make a ‘circus’ fan outta me yet! ‘Where are the clowns!!’

Steph, Punk Angel Promotions x x x