[spunge]

I failed to mention in my last post that on Easter Sunday I went to see the ska-punk legends [spunge] in Cardiff Barfly with Plasmo, Mike and Dave. It was great and all....

Now you know me by now. I can't leave a post like that!

This gig was a great reminder of some awesome gigs I went to in the year in which I blown all my earnings just to see any glimmer of live music. 2002 was a great year muscially for me, I went to Ozzfest in Donnington Parkand notably saw System of a Down, to the Reading festival and saw my punk legends The Offspring, and I had the chance to see Green Day in Coopers Field, which at the time was totally mind blowing for our generation. People stepped back in disbelief at the very thought of Billie Joe, Tre and Mike coming to Britain, let alone Wales! On that sunny July day it was [spunge] who had the honour of opening up, and I only caught a small bit of their set because we had problems getting in at the gate. But I'm sure I saw them before hand as I ended up going to good few ska punk gigs around the time and I sure they did a few shows in the circuit. They had the world at their feet in regards to the rock media, interviews, music videos on Kerrang and of course, the chance to support on the world's most popular and talented punk bands.

Fast forward to 2007, and I admit, I haven't given [spunge] much of sniff as I have branched out into other types of music, mainly indie. In fact, it wasn't really until I was living with Plasmo last year I really remembered how good they were. I even dug out my old 'Compunktion' CD complete with Britain's finest ska-punk bands - the likes of King Prawn, Capdown and Farse, and not forgetting local talent like Shooting Goon. To avoid any disappointment therefore, I went along with an open mind and no real pre-conceptions of what these gigs were like.

When we arrived it was clear that the scene hasn't really changed; tipsy adolescent kids with Carling lager cans at hand, dressing up as alternative as possible complete with makeup and badges on their baggy jeans, and toking on pristine rolled-up cigarettes they all made in avid preparation. In fact, despite being known for complete randomness and spontenaeity, the formula of a punk rock show is incredibly preditable. If the bill has 3 bands it goes like this - the first band, pretty much unknown, probably young, will also probably suck and try to work the crowd unsuccessfully, but they will never be short on effort. The second band in support will be a bit better, will possibly get a good pit going at the front, will work the crowd much better and will most likely be a more 'experienced' band - a bunch of 30 year olds who live off touring all the time. And of course, the headline act will be the real reason everyone is there. There was no surprises in this gig. If there were any eye-brow raisers at all it was the quality of the second band, who really got the crowd fired up.

However there was outstaging [spunge] themselves, who played a good set and certainly set the place on fire. They had so many songs to choose they couldn't fail to disappoint - Kicking Pigeons, Jump on Demand, Ego, Skanking Song, Roots.. the list goes on. The pit in front was also really electric too. Their famous cover versions of Down Under (Men at Work) and No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley) were also pretty good. The only drawback that both Plasmo and I agreed on was the fact that the newer stuff was not as good, which suggests to me maybe (only maybe) that their heyday is in the past. Yet despite our thoughts and the very suggestion that [spunge] are reaching their rock and roll retirement, this gig was a sellout with ticketless people being promptly pushed away at the door. Are [spunge] still fresh in the hearts and minds of the rock proletariat, despite having gone underground and kept a low profile for many years?

But on reflection of the evening, maybe this massive rapport is not about the band. I mean I have seen some crummy bands in my time but I have still been up for going to a gig based on the type of music being played. Half of the people in that gig (mainly kids or over 14's as I should specify) probably only heard a few songs by the headline act or no songs at all, but like the genre. And looking at the swarms of people who go in groups, its most likely more to do with the social aspect of the gig - making new friends, seeing old ones, seeing ones which you wouldn't see anywhere else other than that type of gig. Its about getting drunk, having a good skank, but most of all and I can very much vouch for this, they are about growing up. This fact sometimes holds me back from wanting to clamp some unruly 17 year old who is throwing his water into the air - he is only growing up and he is finding his sanctuary in the world which mocks him for wearing the 'wrong' clothes.

So if theses type of gigs are about growing up, in retrospect it should have been no surprise that the people I used to see at these gigs were no longer skanking hard. Whether they went to uni and whether or not they changed their music types, you know above all that they have matured and simply have grown up. I think that's one thing which shocked me the most, but perhaps was the most obvious fact after all these years - everyone grows up.

But don't get me wrong - I still moan about 'mini-moshers' and 'teenboppers' alike. For one thing they sure made me feel old!