Finally, the last of my pre-scheduled Covid-affected gigs to actually happen! Well, sort of… I’d booked tix in January 2020 for myself and Logan to see influential veteran US West Coast cartoon punks The Dickies at Bristol Fleece in July that year, only for the damn bug to get in the way, shunting the gig forward to July 2021, and then (given restrictions were still in place) to July 2022! I was rather hoping that that date would happen, but a month beforehand they cancelled their full UK tour, citing ongoing Covid effects and increasing touring costs. So I conceded defeat at this time and got tix refunds, reacting with skepticism at subsequent news that the tour was rescheduled a further year forward! However, the closer it got, the more it looked as if the dates would actually happen this time, so earlier this month I re-booked our tix, to further Logan’s musical education with some seminal goofy and thrashy helium-voiced old school punk!
Swindon’s own punk rock Queen Debby was also up for this one, so we picked her up at 6.30 for the usual entertaining chatty drive down the M4, squeezing into a parking spot just around the corner. Grabbed barrier spots house left, as is our wont, before openers The Human Error joined us early doors. A painfully young trio, this; the peroxide vocalist/ guitarist and baby Billie Joe Armstrong clone looked barely out of his teens, and his flailing, Animal from “The Muppets”-esque drummer little brother was actually still only 15! They tore through a set of embryonic and slightly unrehearsed yet entertaining pop-punk, with a smattering of aptly chosen covers (Buzzcocks’ “Fast Cars”, The Ramones’ “Chainsaw” and The Clash’s “Complete Control”) to pad it out. Awed at their situation (Billie Jr. inquiring, “how the fuck did we get on this bill?”), their youthful verve and enthusiasm carried them through. Here come the young men; decent job, boys!
Main support The Violent Hearts were however a different kettle of fish. Fronted by an angular, shape throwing vocalist resembling Brett from Suede and backed by a couple of strong-armed, black clad desperado guitar wielders, they were much more accomplished, with a sleazoid, riff heavy yet surprisingly hooky and melodic style somewhere between Goth-tinged post-punkers Flesh For Lulu and post-grunge Mojave Desert nomads Urge Overkill (!). “Burning” was a slower-burn yet hookily anthemic mid-set number and my favourite of the set, the subsequent amphetamine rocker “Porcelain” nicked an intro from The Ramones’ “You’re Gonna Kill That Girl”, and, by robust, air punching closer “Everything And Nothing” I was making plans to buy their CD at the merch stand afterwards. Shame I ultimately got there just as they ran out, but I found out, on discussion with vocalist James Mattock, that they’re supporting Desperate Journalist at Dareshack in October, a combination that makes much more sense. I’ll be there – as I’m there already!
That said, and despite the hurtling punk
rock bullets blasting by, this seemed a slightly less full-on show than previous
Dickies gigs; no “If Stuart Could Talk” so no penis puppet, so we made do with
a brief outing for the blow-up doll during “Waterslide” and the good boy glove
puppet for “Doggie Do”. Maybe their veteran status had a hand in this (Phillips
quipping, “I’ll soon be 67 – this is what happens when you don’t die!”) but
I’ve certainly seen them crazier, zanier, more unhinged. Don’t get me wrong, though,
this was still a great cartoon punk rock gig, which was capped with set closer
“Gigantor” and a brilliant encore of “Eve Of Destruction” before an inevitable
“Banana Splits” brought a swift 50-minute performance to a close.
Burly guitarist Stan Lee handed me a list and I grabbed a pic with him before we headed off, home at an early 11. So, a couple of gears lower tonight, maybe, but the Dickies were nonetheless worth waiting for!
No comments:
Post a Comment