The second Get Punk night I have attended (I am sure this is only the second gig by this outfit too) and having enjoyed the first I looked forward to this evening of 5 new bands.  £2 on the door is more than generous and the crowd was quite sizeable for the first band on which was impressive again for a Monday night showcase.

Despite not knowing anything about any of these bands and wondering whether or not this would be to my taste I attended this gig with my good lady in the hope of discovering yet more talent to savour.

Mendosa opened and came across as a post-pubescent band with a formulated set too similar to many things seen before and out of my palate range.  My feelings were of good musicians wasted on wank direction but given my musical leanings – who am I to judge.  A mere mortal reviewer assessing from an outsiders stand-point heavily attired in bias and honesty.  To say this lot were crap would be belligerent and way out of order but to reiterate the fact that it was out of my sonic scope would be spot on.  Tight and with a few good bursts wasn’t enough for me and so a fungal thumbs down.

The crowd swelled and yet seemed a trifle overwhelmed with ‘scenesters’ and people you would never come across again unless you attended one of these sub-punk gigs.  Too content and lacking any anger or zeal, the regimented guys and ‘what’s happening’ girly girls (sporting oversized accessory bags) failed to impress and left me depressed by what seems another niche market unable to transcend punks boundaries.

Calvinball next and the opening was a struggle to say the least but picked up enough to gain my attention.  Too many directions in one short journey resulting in no destination achieved and Calvinball seemed to do well then fall short at each and every attempt.  The power-drenched moments where the band worked as a unit came off brilliantly but several other parts fell apart into disjointed uncertainty.  The crowd enjoyed it in a somewhat unconvincing way and me and my missus were beginning to feel like a couple of toadstools growing way out of this wooded area.

Delayed Promise renewed my hope in uncovering a quality outfit with the first 3 tracks quite charming and melodic.  The fruit-filled commencement was aided by the female led vocals that were clear and precise and assisted in sprinkling the whole noise with an upbeat melody.  The tunes were mainly light and heady with the odd let down ignored by yours truly.  Not a bad set at all from not a bad band and in truth one which proved to be the best of the night.

With aching head and a slight burn in the gullet we watched Kid Cosmic with waning enthusiasm and the mix of technical riffs and speedy undulations failed to rejuvenate us.  I expected more from these lot as pre-gig vibes were promising but another viewing would be better to make a fair judgement as I expect there was more to this set then I actually realised.  You know how it is – sometimes judgement is best reserved because you just can’t make up your mind!  Best leave it there but what I can say was that this lot were tight and technically superb – it is just the tunes I was unsure about.

At last it was the turn of Pendleton a band I was led to believe are pretty big shakes round this area and worthy of a look.  With an impending US tour (which the band did mention on several occasions) I watched and listened to this crew strut their stuff through thoroughly unconvinced eyes and equally unimpressed ears.  It was again back to the ‘not my bag’ mode and this capped off an evening that followed this similar thread throughout.

We left Pendleton to finish their uninspiring ramblings about 3 quarters of the way through and the look of relief on my wife’s face was more than evident.

A thoroughly unenjoyable evening but that’s the chance I take when viewing new stuff and trying to support different punky-based causes.  Can’t fault the turn-out, the sound, the value for money (if you like this kind of thing) and the ability of the bands.  Just a personal thing and I can guarantee that 90% of the punters in attendance would disagree with my summary but there you go – better to say what you feel than tell lies to please the majority.

Anyway the next one looks more my style but I have other plans so tough tits there then.  No problem though and the final note on which to close is to encourage people to get down and have a gander at these monthly Monday night efforts and try your arm with some new flavours – for £2 it is well worth it albeit a chance to take.

review by OMD (26th March 2008)