Friday night, small town pub, big sounds! Yes, time to see what the L.A.R.S Promotions crew have in store for us this month, with a couple of returning bands and a new act for the line up, this Punk-A-Palooza was one not to be missed! First up we had Second In Line.
This four piece band was founded back in 2002. The Newbury / Southampton based group have had a few line up changes but with the current line up their skate punk sound and movie inspired songs absolutely rock hard.
Kicking off their set with a fast punchy number, it really set the vibe for the whole evening. The track after, 'Joanie loves Chachi' is another fast paced number with a real raw guitar sound, toe tapping beat, and screaming vocals. It definitely had that skate punk sound - enthusiastic, heavy and in your face.
Following with the track 'Blanche' it was a bit of a contrast, this track is a bit of a fun, short and sweet song with a hint of fifties rock 'n' roll sound thrown in too. Prizes also go to Second In Line for having the shortest song EVER...less than one minute long!!!
Their whole set was lively, fun and energetic. The guys on stage were fantastic, keeping up their thumping, fast paced style throughout and engaging the crowd, getting their feet well and truly moving. Next up, the first of the returning bands, Portsmouth based Watch You Drown.
We last caught up with them back in January 2017, since then the guys have been gigging frequently and released their album 'Two Minute Hate'.
Describing themselves as not a straight up punk band, they feel they include a range of genres in their music, more melodic punk as they say.
Starting off with a fast paced number as well, 'Skin And Bone' is a melodic, driving beat track that's really catchy with funky guitar riffs and punchy lyrics. The track 'Two Minute Hate' is a lighter, move your feet track with the toe tapping drum rhythm. The guitar riffs and vocals have got a raw edge to them, reminiscent of old skool 80's punk tunes.
Their set was brilliant, they even had the bassist from Second In Line join them on another guitar for the second half of the set giving them a fuller sound and adding another dynamic to their music.
You can tell that the guys have been playing together for a long time as their performance on stage is well rehearsed and flows seamlessly from track to track, but they still have fun at the same time. Lastly we had the second returning act, Littlehampton based 3 piece band Gloo.
These guys performed here with us back in May 2017 so it was great to have them back headlining the evening. Their rock with punk twists sound definitely rocked the pub with the lively, upbeat tracks pulling in the crowd.
The track 'I'm A Mess' started off their set. It's an upbeat, energetic one with gritty raw vocals that is catchy at the same time.
Following on with the number they've recently released a music video for, 'Hit It' is a heavier track with chunkier riffs, driving bass line and drums and screaming vocals. It's still just as catchy and you can't help but move to it.
The whole set was full of energy, you can see the passion the guys put into their music as well as their performance on stage.
They have fun and play to the crowd throughout but flow effortlessly through their tracks keeping that enthusiastic energy going along with the pounding back beats, driving rhythms and catchy lyrics. The track they wrapped up the set with had us all smiling, when you can get a whole pub chanting 'We're all P*#$heads' along with you, it's definitely something to smile about, and we even got treated to an encore after that!
So we kicked back to Metal Meyhem Radio's tunes after it was all over, but the high energy vibe was still with us and I can definitely say it was an amazing night and I'd quite happily do it all over again!
Thanks to L.A.R.S Promotions for a great night of punk. Thank you to The Crown for hosting the evening. Thanks to Crimson Craft Audio for equipment hire. Thank you to all the amazing bands for their fabulous sets. Thanks to Metal Meyhem Radio for allowing me to chat to these lovely folks and to write this blog.
Rock on!
\m/
Siobhan Trigg x
This Article was writen by Siobhan Tigg from our partner Metal Meyhem Radio.
The original article can be found here. Article ©Metal Meyhem Radio 2017.