If you haven't seen Paul Carbuncle do so. One man, one acoustic guitar, one tall  Mohawk, a brilliant voice and a love for anarcho punk combined with a love for the old English folk tradition. If you ever wanted to hear what a punk rocker playing ballads sounded like Paul Carbuncle gives you the chance to find out. I am not alone in thinking it’s awesome. From his well crafted self penned tune ‘Rivers of Blood’ to his cover of ‘English Civil War’ you can tell he is a man with something to say and he says it fucking well. Tonight he takes The Sumac by storm. “The rivers of blood never flowed, the rivers of blood never flowed, please don't go down, please don't go down, please don't go down that old road” -  listen to Paul Carbuncle not fucking UKIP.

Unune aka Kraftwank are up next. This time performing as a duo. Stephen Surreal and A Sole. I had said on the poster that they were Throbbing Gristle-esque which they were but they also reminded me of Atari Teenage Riot from their Live in Brixton era with a touch of Einstürzende Neubauten. To kick off with a Beatles cover was unusual. To get this old punk to like Norwegian Wood was nothing short of a miracle. In the early days Industrial music fitted close at the side of punk rock but as the collective punk mind got narrower the gap became wider so although an Unune set is probably one of the most punk rock things you will ever see it is always going to be the minority which get it. Keep doing what you are doing there are the odd ones of us out there who are twisted enough to enjoy it.

D.S.A. A more energetic band you will seldom see. Rocking hard and catchy somewhere between Social Distortion & The Mardi Gras Bombers which is pretty close to an orgasm for Eagle Spits. Yes I rate this band and so do the audience. Phrases like awesome and fucking awesome are shouted from the punters as the front guy charges harder than an accountant. Running and jumping whilst at the same time riding the express which is DSA. I know Casey Jones was a scab but a geezer sitting in the front of a non stopping speeding train seems apt. With their DIY credentials these guys wouldn't get in the cab with Casey but they hit full steam with riffage enough to move the clay feet of the Babylonian empire. Fuck yes!

And finally Pedagree Skum. First time I had seen the new line up and they did not disappoint. I have always loved anarcho punk stuff as not only do I agree politically but also it never shied away from experimenting outside of the three chord stuff. Pedagree Skum are no exception. There is a freshness to their sound whilst at the same time being aware of its roots. Katie's voice is second to none and the tenderness of the band when tackling such subjects as autism is beautiful. Hard but beautiful.  Leonard Cohen once sang “there is a crack in everything that's how the light gets in”. It is the cracks in Pedagree Skum. The scars and cracks of a life lived which help make Pedagree Skum such a good band. They are not playing songs about personal issues and social change from an ivory tower. They are speaking from experience and playing tight, edgy anarcho, enjoyable punk rock in the process. And people were dancing to boot.

So another grand Punk 4 The Homeless gig and a bit of dosh was raised for street children. A win, win situation- cheers.