As usual we kick off at 7pm with the vegan grub known as Peoples Kitchen and as usual all proceeds go to help Casa Alianza help street children because “stopping cops killing kids is punk rock”.

So the half lunatic half satirist Johnny Half A Day starts this evenings proceedings with his charming acoustic punk which has the punters engaged. For me two of the main ingredients in acoustic punk have to be charisma and stage presence. Johnny has these, plus pleasant songs about killing his ex wife and Ebola. A busted string doesn't stop a punk rocker so with 5 strings on his guitar Johnny continues to sing us tales about lady boys and covers a Propane 4 and Clash song. Cheeky indeed but all done and received with the good humour it was intended. Nice one squire.

From the ridiculous to the sublime in the form of The Webb. The Merseyside duo who bring us crafted electro goth punk which is sweet to the ear, captivating to the eye and massages the Andrew Eldridge heart which is to be found in all of us. I am old enough to remember the days before the term goth was used (not originally obviously, before anyone says anything) and bands of The Sisters of Mercy ilk were labelled as “positive punk”.  FFS why do we need to keep labelling stuff, creating new genres, new sub genres. The anarchist (OK another label) in me would say it was all part of our governments divide and rule strategy. To me its all fucking punk rock and The Webb play their own version very fucking well. Thoughtful, moody songs about stuff which matters with a tinge of Alien Sex Fiend but not so ugly (sorry Nick). Yes I lapped this up and they even did ‘Dead Cities’ by The Exploited and very much made it their own. Lovely.

Random Scandal all the way from various places in Scotland describe themselves as “streetpunk with hints of ska and a bit of oi” so we know not to expect any totally off the wall originality. What we are treated to is a solid set of grufty, passionate and energetic punk/oi/ska played from hearts which love it and love to play it. The punters seemed to thoroughly enjoy the Random Scandal set tonight and the personality/character of the band connected despite language barriers. Random Scandal played the music they love and made an impression. Go out of your way to see Random Scandal you wont be disappointed. If you are a promoter or a copper book em.

The last sorted outfit of the evening are Propane 4 who deliver us a polished, tight as a weight lifting rhinos biceps set of politically tinged old school, new feel punk rock. Propane 4 rely more on skill and craft than volume and speed to deliver thereby hitting the target with accuracy not battering down the door. Sometimes a whisper in the ear is more potent than a shout in the face. Such is the case with Propane 4. Lyrically they are top notch, thoughtful, inspiring, no clichés. ‘Bullingdon Boys’ lets us know they aren't Tories, ‘Everyday’ lets us know we are being exploited and ‘Tough Shit’ lets us know that if we have a broken heart then its ‘tough shit’ and as such it reminds me of my favourite Social Distortion song ‘Down Here With The Rest Of Us’. Despite it not being obvious Propane 4 do give me a feel of The Clash, Newtown Neurotics and Zooparty Which is certainly no bad thing. The rest of the room obviously enjoyed them too.

Well another gig for street children under the belt. Thanks to all the bands, Rachel, Janice, Reuben & Stephen of the Punk 4 The Homeless team, Sallie Sherwood et al of The Sumac Centre & the punters. Cheers.

review by Eagle Spits (1st September 2015)