Killing it at NX

This is going to be yet another in the long list of love letters I've written to the New Cross Inn. The thing that makes these shows so much fun is the character of that place. You never know what kind of crazy is going to walk through the door but you can be pretty sure that they are going to be brilliant. Highlights this show included a tiny old oriental woman chugging large glasses of red wine and demanding that Mug play her "Everybody was Kung-Fu fighting" and a bald dude who certainly took to heart the saying "Dance like nobody's watching". If you're band who enjoy seeing just how bizzare a show can get then this is the place for you and we love it. New Cross is the spiritual home of Thirteen Stitches and last Saturday saw it take us in it's arms and throw us playfully into the air until we laughed so much it hurt our sides and threw up a little on it's shoulder!

Red Rag Front
At one point I wasn't going to play this show to make space for more bands but then I was so excited about the line up I thought fuck it and stuck us on at the beginning. We had a pretty good set apart from Drew hilariously forgetting where the end of a song was. All I can ask from playing shows is that the people in the venue at that early point enjoy and appreciate what we do and I really felt that it was well received. This was one of our quiet goodbyes to acoustic sets and the response was humbling and invigorating for the future of RRF.

Bottler
Bottler were ever so slightly the outsiders for this show being the only group on the list not a part of the 13SX family, although a quick listen to their pretty stellar EP let me know they'd be right at home in our little melodic punk rock paradise. Despite having to battle attention away from a Brazilian penalty shoot-out (even guitarist John finding it difficult to tear himself from the big screen) they knocked their set out of the park. They play anthemic tunes and pull off their set with skill and precision (albeit with some minor guitar to acoustic faffing) and they impressed all who watched with their energy and made friends and fans all round. I'm looking forward to getting to see them again soon.

Mug
What? What the hell were Mug doing going on so early? The answer to this is the same for any question you pose to the techincal skate punk powerhouses - "Because fuck you that's why......also because life demands it".

I could gush about Mug forever. They are the full package, as long as that package is your favourite punk band. Everything they play is dripping with awesomeness, I don't think I ever heard them miss a beat and I should do because I'm a serious fanboy and know their songs inside out! If you want to know what a great band sound like live then look no further. Mug are the band we all want to be live, fast paced but technically perfect, extremely professional but perfectly accessible and clearly exceptional without a shred of ego. Also they are the best guys. Mug. I love Mug. Go buy their things.....

The 4130s
Travelling all the way from the far east (of England) this was the first London show for the 4130s and they claimed the prize for having the fans who travelled the furthest having a dude having made a trip up from Devon to check them out. I don't like to liken bands to other established acts too much but if Bad Religion ever stopped singing christmas carols and got more punk than they've ever been they might come close to being as awesome as the 4130s. These guys played hits off their highly successful first album which were brilliant and had everyone shouting along. They also  played tracks from their brand new album (available on 13SX records) which were particularly excellent and even more polished than the hits (possibly due to them having spent months getting ready for the record). Their power levels are through the roof when they play and I don't even think singer Ben needs the mic to be heard when bellowing out the catchy as fuck choruses.

Demon Smiles
Normally before a Demon Smiles set I'm not shitting myself like a little bitch with a skinned knee but that's because normally I'm not filling in for Joe on Guitar and vocals. I had a practice with Demon Smiles once -May 2013 - and had spent the previous night listening to their new EP on repeat a bunch of times, playing along on an acoustic guitar. I was a tiny bit apprehensive about playing a set of songs I'd never performed live with a band i hadn't practiced with in a year on a borrowed guitar (I haven't played an electric guitar in over seven years). But the moral of the story was when you are a fanboy then things can go better than expected. Playing what was Demon Smiles simplified to the basic rhythm of the tunes it all came together quite nicely and we were incredibly well received by the people watching which was kind of like how I imagine my heaven to be like.

The Rocco Lampones
The worst thing about being the headliners is that when all the preceding band are rad then you're likely to be ever so slightly shit-faced by the time you get on stage. Not that the Rocco Lampones let that hamper them playing a killer set (maybe instead it amplified the effect of them being awesome). If there was a missed beat or fumbled line then i must have missed it whilst I was dancing my ass off. They were funny and endearing in between songs and when they're playing they have riffs you can die happy in. They were the perfect end to what was an incredible line-up delivering tunes to get everyone jumping. Again having a group of guys that are so excellent off the stage kick so much ass on stage makes it all just that bit more enjoyable and I could quite happily watch them every day of the week.

The culmination of all of this awesome was another cementing of the fact that New Cross is the place to be for all your no nonsense, anti prejudice, all inclusive, good time punk rock fun. Long live the New Cross Inn.