On this particular Saturday I find myself not in a good place mentally and emotionally. This is due to a brutal attack on my nephew a few nights previously where he was beaten up badly and stabbed by 3 blokes. So a big thank you to Addenbrooks Hospital for saving his life. On top of this what could go wrong on the day went wrong. Mr & Mrs Spits find ourselves stressed to buggery and on the verge of quitting but it ain’t over til it’s over or until the fat Eagle sings.

So we kick the evening off with a great community vegan meal of mashed potato and roast veg in a spicy tomato sauce followed by flapjack cooked lovingly by Rachel, Reuben & Janice from the P4TH team. Total agreement. It was excellent.
Next up JD The Acoustic Anarchist who stood in at the last minute and treated us to an angry but amusing set of snotty, controlled political acoustica with bitter sweet angular vocals at times, whilst at others straight ahead no nonsense opinion. Nick Clegg is indeed a wanker and yes ‘If you voted Tory you're a cunt’ . Totally agree JD. All from a man with the wit of Bill Hicks, the political ideology of Conflict and the subtlety of Dave HT, splendid mix. He even chucked in an Elvis Presley and an Eagle Spits cover to boot. Nice one dude.

For those who love garage (myself included) Dead Flowers are a must see. Polished and in the groove. Riffage aplenty and vocals which eased my aching soul. Think The Long Riders without the country edge, The Headcoats but smoother, Nuggets for the 21st Century. Due to it being July the place was quieter than normal and of course there were those who sat outside but the few of us in the room lapped it up. The band played their hearts out and were rewarded by our enthusiasm for doing so. Enthusiasm, charisma and talent. Job done.

The White Skull Death Snakes Of Death came, saw and conquered. Their shit blew me away. I am always one for the more angular, the less straight forward, the challenging. TWSDSOD did the job beautifully. For me they reminded me of times when punks weren't afraid to experiment. Killdozer, Big Black, Brain Police, Jesus Lizard, Lung would all be proud that their legacy not only lived on but was digested and shat out to form the beast which is TWSDSOD. That it is not to say TWSDSOD are not original, they definitely are but what they do is take their past and build on it. It is fucking ridiculous to believe that Malcolm McLaren invented punk rock. It was an ever existing attitude of the margins and a musical evolution (or devolution depending on your perspective). TWSDSOD have that attitude, come from those margins and are one of the most punk things I have seen for a long time. Enough said.

And now for something completely different. I raved about Shanarchy in a review a few months ago. Tonight they are even better. Tighter and better oiled. The same mix of anarcho punk and Scottish music coming from a soul which gives a fuck. The vocalist and guitarist (there are two) at times swaps his guitar for a fiddle and a good folk/punk jig is performed. On paper it could easily sound like Shanarchy are similar to Dropkick Murphys, Real McKenzies (don't get me wrong I love those bands) etc. They are not. They are possibly more akin to Barnstormer. They have an authentic Celtic feel mixed with an English punk vibe. The audience are impressed and people danced in their seats (lazy buggers). I am not totally sure what was a cover and what was their own material it was all top notch but I know they finished with an amalgamation of Leon Rosselson ‘Diggers Song’ and Bob Marley's ‘Redemption song’ which finished the night off splendidly. Cheers.

So the day finished nicely with four fine acts to lift our spirits. All had great attitudes and played their hearts out. A big thank you to all the bands and a special thank you to Shanarchy for helping us set up. The chap from TWSDSOD for giving me a lift to pick up an amp, Stephen Surreal for the sound, Rachel, Reuben & Janice for running Peoples Kitchen and Casa Alianza for their continual fight for street children.

Yes we have felt like giving in on more than one occasion but whilst the world’s authorities see the solution of child homelessness as killing the children Punk 4 The Homeless are going nowhere.

review by Eagle Spits (27 July 2015)