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 We arrive in time to hear the final song of the
first support act, which goes something like: ‘I
hope my boss dies of AIDS’, repeated over
and over for about 6 minutes. For a while I wonder
whether I’m in the right place – surely
[spunge] didn’t choose these guys to support
them? By the looks on the faces of most of the other
people in the room, I’m not alone in thinking
this.
Luckily, the second supports get the evening
back on track, with some good old-fashioned ska-punk.
Fandangle are a huge relief, and a joy to watch.
There are so many of them that the stage can hardly
contain them, and the entire horn section is squeezed
around one microphone. Drew, the keyboardist,
periodically holds his keyboard up to display
the message ‘SKANK’ written on its
underside, and the crowd take note. Their tracks
get the crowd nicely warmed up for [spunge], and
they perform so well that they should be headlining
their own shows.
[spunge] finally appear on stage at around 9.
This is the first time I’ve seen them live,
and I’m surprised that there are only 4
of them. Is it just me, or did [spunge] used to
have a horn section? They don’t disappoint
though, and launch straight into their extensive
back catalogue of ska classics. The entire band
provide plenty of entertainment, launching about
the stage so much that you start to feel sick
just watching them. Chris ‘Jarvis’
doesn’t let the side down either, with his
animated drumming and Muppet-strewn drum kit.
![Photo Of [Spunge] © Copyright Helen Williams](gigreviewpics/gigreview86pic2.jpg) They manage to conjure an impressive circle pit
for such a small venue, and I’m worried
during the more popular songs that we might stomp
our way through the ceiling. In between songs
there’s a fantastically relaxed atmosphere,
with the band taking time to chat to the crowd
and make jokes. At one point, they start throwing
out ‘goodies’ to the crowd, including
an empty cardboard box. Surprisingly, the question
‘WHO WANTS A CARDBOARD BOX?!’ is answered
by the majority of onlookers. They also thank
Fandangle repeated throughout the night for their
performance, and blatantly ignore the first support,
who I have yet to learn the name of.
It’s a travesty [spunge] haven’t
made it bigger than this. The world would be a
better place if there were more songs with lyrics
like those in ‘Kicking Pigeons’ (my
favourite is: ‘In your search for absolution
there is only one solution, kick a pigeon in the
park’). They have such a long list of classics,
and they don’t fail to thrash out all my
old favourites – ‘Roots’, ‘Centrefold’,
‘Kicking Pigeons’, and ‘Skanking
Song’ – as well as a brilliant cover
of ‘No Woman No Cry’.
Fandangle – 4/5
[spunge] – 5/5
Review By Helen Williams |
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| [Spunge] |
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| Fandangle |
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| Band
Related Links |
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| Review
Score Code |
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- Top Cheese
- Brilliant
- Pretty damn good
- Ok I guess
-
What Was That? |
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