When BeSharp filled the New Cross...

It's official. The punks have taken the New Cross Inn and made it their home. Judging by this Sundays ska/punk super-show we are here to stay and I think everybody is incredibly happy about it. The venue has had some of the best shows in the scene hosted there and it seems that people now realise it's now the place to be.
The line up was set, every ticket available for the show had been sold and NX was ready to jump the eff up. These were our guys come to cheer on both veteran pros and total newcomers alike and I didn't spot a single person without a smile on their faces. So the ritual brass cranked up and we said our protection wards to make the zombie Jesus search elsewhere for brains and got to business:

The Pisdicables
If I've never heard your band before and you want to instantly make sure that I love it then play a Rancid

cover. This was an apt cover for Pisdicables as they seemed like they would be utterly at home on the likes of a Give 'Em The Boot compilation or elsewhere in the Hellcat ska library. I can only assume that they jumped on the bill at the last second since I've rarely seen such a quality band come on so early in a bill. They showed five o clock on easter sunday who was boss and the crowd of people who managed to make it down to see them showed that they can pull a crowd any time of the day.

Triple Sundae

If the late 90s early 2K pop punk explosion needed a figure head to lead the revolution then Triple Sundae could fly that flag and slay a thousand dragons. Listening to them I was transported back to the days when pop-punk was only just a thing and bands loved music more than  straightening their hair and crying. I was reminded greatly of Green Day back when they only had good albums (N.B. Nimrod was the last good one) and MxPx hadn't had that album I like to forget on that major label. All in all I could've easily forgotten that this band had never played a show before and I can't wait for them to start taking the scene by storm.

Xup-Sup
When I was a lad emo-punk meant something very different than it does today. Emo-punk was any punk rock that wasn't really political and focused more on relationships. Emo-punk was pop-punk before that

term was a thing. You could spot a emo kid by their descendants t-shirts and the fact they always seemed to wear rucksacks in the crowd at shows. Xup-Sup are the imbodiment of this and they played a masterclass in the genre. They played a super tight set full of great melodies, memorable vocals and  synchronized jumping. All the best things that I love the most. This is a band that I need to see again and own everything they have.

Best Mates That Crack Cases

It's true that I am Bass player biased. Having been the bassist in many a band and being a top percentile Mike Herrera fanboy means that the four stringers are my favourite band members and someone who can expertly play is an instant winner in my eyes. Leo from Best Mates is that expert. He did things to a bass guitar that made me blush and then ate at Cottage Chicken with me after. I think that counts as second....BASS!!!
the band itself is a frenetic ever changing jump fest and doesn't rest or make themselves lazy because they have a beautiful singer or do anything by anyone elses rules musically. If you're looking to try and pigeonhole them then I'd try something along the lines of Incubus meets Save Ferris meets Eve 6, that doesn't get close but may give an idea as to the unique and extremely entertaining show they put on.

Call Me Malcolm
Before this show if you had asked me to describe the absolute perfect ska-punk band I would have struggled and given up and been miserable for the next few hours but now can easily and with a beaming smile say Call Me Malcolm. They are everything a truly exceptional ska-punk offering should be and they

show off their mastery of their chosen genre with a finesse that comes from being veterans who know exactly what they are doing. They weren't just incredible musicians with unforgettable songs (  "double the reggae is half reggae squared" appeals to every aspect of both my punk and geek natures), they knew how to work a stage and looked every bit the ska punk rockstars. I love a band that can land their harmonies spot on in a small venue without the aid of particulalry good monitors or ear pieces and they made harmonic honey for my bear ears... or something like that, it was good, too good, it seemed, to be fourth from the top.


Rivalries
Rivalries were the band I knew on this bill, I'd not seen them live but have heard and liked their stuff already so this time I knew what to expect and was excited to finally see them perform. Unfortunately they had a real chronic case of bad sound for some reason. For a band who share vocals having one that was non existent made most songs jar and the flow got knocked out of place for me a lot. the guitars seemed to get lost too and the melodic sections of the songs seemed to fight behind a wall of noise. I really like Rivalries, they are obviously a great band judging by the fact that the crowd still went freaking nuts and they know how to handle a stage like pros but I still don't feel like I know what they sound

like live.

T///Alan
I write down little notes on bands these days to help me remember some of my thoughts when it comes to writing about them. For T///Alan I have two words: Holy Shit! I'm no stranger to the idea that UK Grime can work extremely well with ska but what these guys deliver is such a perfect powerhouse of awesome that i could barely comprehend what was happening until my brain stopped vibrating with crazy heavy - almost metal - ska punk. I've known these guys exist for a long time but this was the first time I'd heard their music and I was coloured every shade of impressed. It's an utterly unique blend of so many genres that you'd think they would muddy each other but instead make the whole shine through as something outstanding. Bit

of Dub-Step bass? Why Not? Rage Against the Machine esque guitar riffs? Will do thanks! dual vocals faster than any fool calling themselves a rap god? Go on then! T///Alan are one of lifes one offs. If anyone tried to imitate them they'd fail because these guys have it down with so much precision that anything that could come close would seem trite in comparison.


Chewing on Tinfoil.
The New Cross Inn isn't the biggest venue in town but it's a fair size. It seemed tiny as I pushed through the capacity audience trying to get a good view of Chewing on Tinfoil, the

days ska rock superstars over from Dublin. As I pushed the floor actually bent under the weight of people jumping and going totally mental. you wouldn't think that 200 people would be able to drown out a fully plugged band but they threatened to with each and every chorus and COT loved and appreciated every second of it, working the crowd to get the most out of them and to keep everyone losing their shit. The band were excellent and sounded amazing despite having to play over a crowd that knew every word to every song and wanted to make damn sure the band heard it.

One thing that happens down in New Cross that doesn't seem to happen anywhere else is that I always hear bands thanking the promoters for putting them on. It's nice as band to be at a show where there is a large and engaged crowd and this Sunday was the most animated crowd I've seen there yet. What a fantastic debut for a brand new band to have 60 people all paying attention to you play and how equally great as an established act to have your tunes boomed back to you by 200. This is the kind of show every band wants to play no matter what your level and props to those tireless souls who pull it together with cellotape and spit.

People had to be turned away from the venue due to the overwhelming popularity of the show so I would imagine that if that was the case for local heroes Chewing on Tinfoil then Authority Zero, who are playing in August will go even faster. To make sure you don't miss out on being at such a huge show at what is certainly now THE punk rock venue in London then pick up your tickets by following this link.

We all sucked once upon a time

I've made a new best internet friend recently. The last time I had so much in common with a person I had never met before it was Steve and now we run a business together so I always think of it as a good thing. We both love live music a goddamn hell of a lot and are striving to build up, with what little resources we have available to us, a live music scene which is open and available to all of those people who always wanted to be on a sweaty stage in front of a bunch of drunks and burst their eardrums but never could. It's a really difficult thing to do though. It shouldn't be. So I'll share a little embarrassment on myself and along the way hopefully inspire even just one person who is on the fence about starting a new band.

We all sucked once. There was a time too many years ago when all I wanted to do was play in a band that was just like mxpx. The problem was I didn't really know how to write songs, how to play the guitar properly, what was involved in recording songs, how to go about getting shows or what to do on a stage. That meant that I sucked at being a musician, but guess what, I didn't give a shit because every Saturday me and three friends would cram into our 15 year old drummers shed at his house and play our crappy songs and most of Life In General and we had the best time. As far as we were concerned we were a band, even though we sounded like this:

Yep that's pretty bad. But we were playing music and fucking around with all our friends and that's what mattered to us. I really didn't know about how to get gigs and we only played a few actual shows supporting another friends band and I wish to high heaven that we could have done more but we didn't know any promoters putting on shows around town - or even what a promoter was - and we had no real outlet that we were aware of.

cut to 7 years later and the quality of bands I was playing in got a lot better. mostly due to me getting better (see my previous post on that) and being able to interact with more talented musicians. This was not an overnight thing. I was passionate about music for several years and it took me a long time to learn the ropes. I have been through several bands with several differing levels of motivation and have scores of EPs to show for it but still I have never had a promoter actively look to put on upcoming talent, even though the songs I was playing went from crappy to more like this:



Well now people are offering that opportunity. 13 Stitches and Ipswich Punk Shows are giving that opportunity to bands that was like gold dust and still is in most instances. If you aren't sure of how to transition from playing in a shed with your mates to playing an honest to goodness show with established bands then this is where you need to be. For the first time since I started handing demos into venues there are promoters in the world who will take a brand new bands hand and walk them through the process, giving the best advice they can think to give along the way. There is a network of established and up and coming bands all willing to have a new band take up a support slot and gain experience in all sizes of venue. It's there for the taking and if you enjoy playing the music you love then it's your best opportunity to get out there and do it.

Some bands may be scared from hearing stories about the Mondo culture and pay for play shows and you should be because that sort of nonsense is rampant and preys on brand new acts. But there are promotions companies out there that will actively fight against this and teach you what to look for in the process. They are only an instant message away and they are totally on your side.

So record yourselves on your phone at a practice. Get a mate to take a few photos of you and make yourself a Facebook page. Get a Soundcloud account and putting your crappy demos on there. You can worry about improving things and having better quality everything once you're out there and getting things done. Believe me when I say there's nothing better than having people stand and appreciate your music. Everything else is secondary.