THE MIGHTY BOOOOOOZE! + WASTER + THE HALFWITS + PUNK DJS + CERT 18 16/02/06

Hey! Ho! - Lets go! Thats right, old school punk is back in York with a goddamned vengeance! Most of you dare to class the likes of BLINK 182 and GOOD CHARLOTTE as punk. Let us tell you now that you obviously have no idea of what youre on about! Punk is about diversity, D.I.Y. bands and anti establishment attitude (whether that be political or creative), and thats just what two of the bands tonight managed to shove firmly down our throats - pint after pint of it (AND it tasted good too!).
First up were THE HALFWITS. Driving bass lines thwacked straight into CLASH and RAMONES styled riffage with up yer bum! drumming techniques. The vocal rhythms incorporated a back to basics essence that kept the political messages accessible and recognisable. Amazingly, these guys even made use of a certain amount of melody. Elements of SHAM 69, THE COCKNEY REJECTS and THE DEAD KENNEDYS were highly visible among their influences, yet they still sounded fresh and energised. AWESOME! Sadly, the venue only started to pick up as their set closed and they were bereft of pogo heads, boppers and slam fanatics.
Pepped up by THE HALFWITS offerings, we lustily anticipated WASTER, a band whove been on the york scene for some time now, yet strangely wed never seen them. Initially we found ourselves bashing into each other around the edge of the bar with the 4/4 beat opening before we realised that we could sing GREEN DAYs American Idiot pretty much word for word over the riffs. Elements of punk, emo, prog and metal collided in their songs, but meshed unevenly and left us rather confused as to what the band were trying to convey. Perhaps they just werent right for this particular bill - theyre blatantly talented musicians with some promise, but they failed to meet the crowds expectations. Hopefully theyll get the chance to prove themselves to us another time.
The one thing you need to know about THE MIGHTY BOOoOoZe! before seeing them, is all in the name. Yorkshire punks, Yorkshire drunks! Home brewed and of the highest potency! Instigation. Incitement. Excitement. Exhibitionism. None of the true classic punk bands have ever managed to get anywhere without a front man (or indeed front woman) who knows how to tweak the crowd to explosive velocity. THE MIGHTY BOOoOOoozE!s Smell is no exception to the rule. With a gruff How you doin? Yer all bastards! heavy assed old style hardcore sounds blast out and firmly grab us by the dangles. G.B.H. meets OI! and discharges its guts upon us. The crowd are either stunned or finishing their pints as they gaze zombified at the spectacle invading their ears, and Smell takes the initiative by stomping his height into the crowd and announcing that Youre all s***!. and now a serious pit begins thrashing about and the sweat stains the air rapidly. Its been along time since either of us have seen anything like this TOO long! These guys love the old school but manage to stay unique with their own brand of attitude. The rest of the set featured a guest appearance from Porno (STUCK UP VACANTS / URBAN SCUM). THE MIGHTY BOOoOoooZE! find themselves supported by friends and newcomers alike - and no surprise, as they know how to sonically kick yer teeth out and make you laugh at the same time! No doubt theyll find themselves with bigger crowds as time goes by. If you like punk, youll love the BOOoOOoZe! I pity the fool who doesnt get them on support for DISCHARGEs upcoming York gig. Just like the poster said; PUNKs NOT DEAD ITs JUST GOT A ****IN HANGOVER!
Also a shout out to TAFT for supplying the CDs for the DJs.

words and pics by cyrus crashtest and benzine www.thetalkmagazine.com