Now and again BOBI, who always aim to bring a slight genre difference in playing bands, excelled themselves in mixing punk with metal with indie. We ended up with a well-attended gig that intrigued me.
AUBREY EELS & THE BARON opened, played their stripped down, fuzzed up drum and bass punk poetry. The absence of a guitar is both fresh, and the sound is full and complete. Their content is edgy, like punk is supposed to be, and they are very original. Comparisons to the Sleaford Mods are perhaps unfair as they predated them by 10 years, although I would say the stream of consciousness rantings – whilst landing on the side of Viz readers letters- are just as urgent. This brand of punk is refreshing - audience participation encouraged, insults flying tongue in cheek, and we don’t have to ensure the mohawk Reform voting identical D beat plop that often passes as punk nowadays. Tight as a gnats chuff, they blasted out their 45-minute set like troopers and even had people dancing. Nectar. You need to see them. Literally the only band who makes me laugh out loud.
SACRED STARFISH have invented, and as far as I know solely occupied the stool/rectum side of metal, with songs about that side of toilet business. Clearly, rock and roll has neglected to concentrate on bodily functions - and we were brought up to speed. They currently play as a two piece, getting round the absence of drums with effects. However the effects pedal betrayed them, so the audience were subjected to a fun, chaotic ersatz performance where front man Jordan was able to show his infectious impro skills, adorned as he was with Kiss face paint in the shape of - you guessed - a ringpeice. It reminded me of stories of Johnny Moped back in ‘77, when the band would intentional break a string to make their mad frontman ad lib to fill time, as it was so hilarious. I suppose Sacred Starfish are the jokers of metal, and the equipment failure lended to that. Go see them at an Enuresis Clinic soon.
ALLIE ARGENT BANDheadlined, with a big vocal following. Singing their indie pop collection of kitchen sink dramas, they were joined tonight by the infectiously positive Joaquin from Pure Honey on lead. Allie has been on BBC Introducing and has been networking ever since, and you can see why yoof like them - relationships, love songs and problems in living, knocked out in a humble, endearing way. Whilst I wish the tempo could have increased now and again, the band have crafted their own sound with some great tunes. They deserve to be big.
[Photos by BOBI resident photographer Graham Campling.]
[Review by Simon Barnabas]
