Another gig and very welcome it is too with a guaranteed masterclass in punk rock precision and passion. Well after the amount of people I told about this I bloody well hope so! Anyway myself and lovely missus arrived at the Grand Central in Manchester at 7.30'ish to a busy pub but with no punky people present. Mmmm - have we got the wrong night or something? A quick check at some flyers and all seemed OK. Paranoia - what a bugger?

Anyway local chums Tez and Daz arrived soon enough with Mayo, Steve and Mike Scab, the incredible drinking machine known as Sassy Bex (sorry I just can't help it), Simon, Gill and Adam, Terry and Punk4Life Tim contributing to a good friendly atmosphere. The bands soon arrived with Andy K of Demob in his usual amiable mood and well pleased with The Objex tour so far - and so he should be has this bunch are getting rave reviews all over the place. Tino and Rik of Negs fame with mooching Dave of No Eager Men in tow arrived also. What a grand do!

Anyway after much frivolity The Objex kicked off a gig that would be memorable in its own right for downright quality and a genuine top notch soundscape. The effervescence and general energy exuded by The Objex is spellbinding and 'Sally' burst forth with a vitality and charisma that promised much for the forthcoming aural assault. The drumming throughout was high octane stuff and delivered by an 'erbert who knows how to get into the groove and really fuckin' enjoy the rock 'n' roll vibe. Guitar and bass were impeccable throughout and worked in unision just perfectly and gave an exquisitely raucous backdrop for Felony Melanie to strut her sexualised stuff. And boy did she do just that? Crazed and full of unbridled enthusiasm she ripped out quality song after quality song in pumped up, fun-loving style and with her seeemingly motorised titties and gyrating hips, entertained all before her. 'Fun In Your Funeral', was a joy, 'PDA' is fuckin' awesome and the best and somewhat belligerent 'Kill Your Steroetypes' was just flawless in every aspect. Very exciting indeed! This is a good band and a sheer pleasure to view and review and the whole crowd seemed to enjoy this one. All laid bare and truly infectious the music was enhanced by the fact that this is a band who are ravenous for success and radiate a feeling of commitment and belief. After last weeks performance at Bradford, which was a cracker, I can truly say that this was several steps ahead on the road to solid critical acclaim and the bassist being present and the fact that they are playing night after night has really fine-tuned this outfit to a tee. On this evidence one of the best American imports of all time and for me and up there with my personal faves of Discontent, Bonecrusher and The Epoxies. I just love it and if sucess is a pie then get several slices ready for this crazy crew. One other point - the set length was just perfect and the venues I have seen them at so far have been very beneficial to the bands approach. A worry is that with success comes demands of longer sets and bigger venues which I hope doesn't take its toll on the bands quickfire beauty and intimate delivery - I hope they continue to play this type of arena as well as the more spacious stage as they really do seem at home when its up front and in yer face. Other than that - fuckin' awesome.

Now then for a band having to follow The Objex my deepest sympathies would be generously offered as this would be no mean feat. All the members of Billyclub looked impressed and guitar maestro Karl gave one of his cheeky grins and seemed totally unfazed by the whole experience. And having seen this band on numerous occasions prior to tonights gig I could easily understand his confidence. Well Billyclub kicked into action and in a different style to The Objex rattled the gaff to the rafters with a brutal onslaught of high powered efficiency and controlled aggression. This was a heavier sound throughout than the preceding band but the two sounds complimented one another perfectly and Billyclub flowed through the set with a solid conviction and sanguine steadiness borne of technical know how and ability. Thumping drums, varied guitar, exemplary bass playing and a real fuckin' quality frontman this performance was a real treat for lovers of hard edge punk. '3 Little Piggies', 'Fuck U Very Much', and the incredible new stuff that is to be with us on their forthcoming album (plug, plug) was brilliant to behold and sets like this I am sure will lead to Billyclub being one of the most respected bands on the circuit. 'I Saw God' is a track second to none and its insidious build-up is inspiring as is the whole darn delivery that just bursts into a frenzied crescendo of mind-blasting noise. The finale 'Homicide' capped another fantastic performance by this band and over the years I have yet to see a bad do by this accomplished outfit. Why they are not playing to packed houses is beyond belief but its only a matter of time. More gigs to come, a much promised stormer of an album and consistently good reviews wiil see Billyclub take off in a big way next year - if not then Ken Dodd is an honest man!

Overall two class bands who were both equally effective and enjoyable in their own right at a venue that could become a great punk night out. The sound system was pretty good indeed and hopefully this venue will offer more for the punk in the near future.

Its nights like this that keep the punk rock fire flaming and let both bands go on to bigger and better things and remember nights like this forever. Superb.

 

review by OMD (29 June 2007)