A quick review this one due to my disgust at the lack of individuality and spirit in the young bands today.  I got my ticket for this event well in advance thinking that this will be a good showcase for new bands and a chance to get my eye in on the younger scene.  Wrong!  A 2 day festival for a tenner - doesn't that sound good.   Wrong!

10 bands I saw on that first day and they all sounded the same except Suspicious Stains who were head and shoulders above the rest and the only ones worth reviewing.  So here it goes.

I know Eddie and Nat from Shotgun Solution but had never seen their alter ego Suspicious Stains so being a big Shotgun fan I really was looking forward to this.  Add to this the fact that I'd just endured 4 of the aforementioned dross and you can understand why I was eager for something different.

Up the band got with a great repertoire of numbers.  Water pistols firing and Eddie drumming like he was in some kind of drumathon competition I was more than a little impressed.  I must get some of those electric breasts he was wearing.  Or were they is own?  Catchy tune after catchy tune was reeled off with such fun that the young crowd present couldn't help but acknowledge how good they were.  Pity the tight bastards couldn't have bought a few more CD's afterwards.  A cover version of 'Walk like an Egyptian' was delivered by Natalie with such confidence and humor that it sealed a downright good showing.  I look forward to seeing this outfit again and it will be interesting to see how they vary their delivery and maintain the much welcome aspect of difference.   I later found out that one of the tracks they played which I thought was a classic bop along ditty was called 'Fun Night Out' - brilliant.   Good CD too.

Finally I would like to add that I watched 5 more of the other bands all following a previously set pattern.  I suppose Reamer, Perfect Riot and Echo Freddy were the pick of the bunch and deserve further scrutiny but I didn't attend the next day so that tells you something I hope. The crowd in general were a posing, friendly bunch full of the joys of youth with a few of them eyeing me as though I was an escaped OAP (Old Aging Punk) with nothing better to do.  10 bottles of Newcastle Brown and a fantastic meat and potato pie where other highlights worth mentioning but not much else.  Nice venue though.

Maybe I'm just a miserable old git whose lost touch with his youth, but as far as I can remember I never did listen to that much shite.  But alas its not my scene and its theirs and all in all I take my hat off to them for not being vacuous dickheads hanging around on shitty street corners pissing people off - just a little more anger and spirit please wouldn't go a miss, but that's my opinion - and I ain't young anymore.

review by Fungalpunk/OMD (27 July 2003)