Well
the summers here and that means the hottest weather
we’ve had in years, lots of festivals and
good times. But it doesn’t really mean gigs,
due to the downpour of small festivals over the
past few years bands don’t tend to tour
around the summer time. But tonight in the middle
of this baking heat, Spunge have decided to play
a small gig in Kidderminster, in promotion of
their current Pledgemusic campaign to make a greatest
hits album.
Spunge
have been around now for 19 years, and have come
to that point in their career where they want
to put out a greatest hits, but not in the normal
way, no, they want fan input to decide the setlist
so they can re-record classic songs and make give
them back to the old fans and introduce new fans
to the best of the band. So they’re doing
a few gigs like tonight to spread the word about
the album and also to show people there not dead
yet!
The
venue is a lovely little venue in a side street
in Kidderminster, it’s got a nice bar, friendly
staff and it’s all open at the sides to
make the hot summer breeze float throughout, instead
of making it boiling hot and unbearable. The gig
is a late one, so the one and only support band
gets on stage at half 9 and rocks a set of covers,
but not normal covers…. No this band does
bread related covers!
Sister
Sandwich, are a local 4 piece who’s lead
singer dresses with tartan trousers, googly eye
glasses and with a giant sandwich costume over
the top. They do rock and pop covers including
Lady Gaga’s Poker Face, The Ramones Blitzkrieg
Bop and a cover of Ricky Martins Living La Vida
Loca which the lyrics are changed to Living In
A Toaster. They’re a cheesy cover band,
but it gets the crowd rocking, everyone is smiling
and dancing along, they even join in with the
singing in the more punkier songs but some songs
are a miss, as I suppose it’s hard to get
a room of punk fans to sing along to a cover of
One Directions You Don’t Know Your Beautiful.
They play a nice set and get the spirits up ready
for the main act.
Spunge
take to the stage at 11, they set up their own
equipment and as they’ve been milling around
most of the evening no-one pays much attention
to them until lead singer Alex Copeland says “Hey
we’re ready now, everyone who’s having
a fag outside get in here as where about to start”
this then gets the room full to brim as people
appear from all different areas of the building
to see the main band play a great set. They kick
things off with 2 tracks from Pedigree Chump;
Lyrical Content and Idols before going into chart
hit Roots. They sound great in this small venue,
with the upbeat hard hitting drums smashing across
the room, mixed with the funky bass and fast rich
guitar all with Alex’s gravely clear vocals
on top. The crowd get into the swing of things
and jump around like crazy, bouncing into the
small stage and each other, with the less crazy
people dancing on tables towards the rear of the
room. The set contains lots of great songs that
are bound
to be on the greatest hits, but with them letting
the fans decide we could have a comeback off songs
from the first album or even a load from their
last self-titled album. They play Backstabber,
Skaking Song, Nothing At All, Ego, No Woman No
Cry, Jump, Some Suck Some Rock and few others.
The audience loves every second but you get a
few people who are a bit too anxious for that
one song, and keep chanting “Kicking Pigeons”
between every song, but Spunge take it in their
stride and make jokes between songs; especially
bassist Jarv who brings the taste down as he makes
jokes about periods and paedophiles as the rest
of the band cringe and apologise for him, but
it’s all good
fun! The time comes and they play Kicking Pigeons
much to the crowds delight and then by the end
of the song the stage is full of fans jumping
and singing along, but it’s not over yet,
the crowd clears the stage and Spunge play a cover
of Centrefold before calling it a night. The crowd
chants we want more and eventually they come back
to the stage and announce how they don’t
normally do encores but how they’ll do it
tonight seeing as everyone’s been so great
and they finish the night on a high with everyone
happy, hot and sweaty.
Spunge
stick around and sign people’s tickets and
albums and continue to spread the word about their
Pledgemusic greatest hits project, so fans will
go on the site and donate to the project where
they will be guaranteed the album along with other
limited items along with t-shirts and cd’s,
the band are that passionate about the project
that they didn’t bring any merch to the
gig as they’d rather fans go out and pledge
than buy a t-shirt on the night.
So tonight was a great gig, a late one but a great
one. The band are still on top form even after
19 years! If they’re playing near you on
one of these small dates they go and check them
out as they’re great in a small venue and
if not, they’ve got a big full UK tour in
November at bigger venues(where they also sound
awesome)! So if you’re in the mood for some
Ska Punk just remember to go and see Spunge, as
they’re not dead yet!
[Spunge] 5/5
Review By James Daly
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