Tuesday 8 March 2011

These cunting bands


Steve White and the Protest Family don't have a drummer. But they are still funny. They are angry, too. The 4th Suit have a drummer, a great new one, so they too are funny, and angry (though it's a little hard to hear just how funny and angry because the soundman can't get their sound right).  The Outbursts have the same drummer as usual, but a different guitarist, both of whom make them funny and angry at the same time.

But what ties these bands together - these and a few others in this punk-comedy genre who shan't remain nameless such as 14 Carat Grapefruit and Punks Not Dad - is not just their funny-angriness, but their use of what some people - not so much women, and especially not American women - consider the funniest-angriest word in the English language, the vulgarism that dates back to the early 13th century and is commonly used to describe politicians and female genitalia.

"Why is everyone such a cunt?", sings Steve White, which is of course a good question; Matt the singer with 4th Suit asks for a show of hands from Phil Collins fans in the house, and Matt the bassist with Outbursts raises his hand (obviously in jest), only to be told his pop idol is a "cunt!" And when Matt and his Outbursts take to the stage themselves, there are more "cunts", and at least one it would be impossible to dispute: Gary Glitter.

The promoters of this fine bill of bands, which includes a poet and a rap/funk* band called Dekay and the D'mans, are Camden Calling. They are not cunts. They help the homeless and the vulnerable access the arts and music through events like this one at The Enterprise in Chalk Farm, North London, which is run, and features performances, by homeless people. Luckily for Steve White and his Protest Family, The 4th Suit, and the Outbursts they do have homes to go to and eventually, circa 11:15pm, they all leave for them.

Sadly for Matt Russell, the local cunts have got to his car first, and have caused at least two-hundred quids worth of damage to it. Suddenly, cunt is not such a funny word.

* I have since been corrected on Facebook by rapper Dekay Ex, who prefers her music to be classified as 'LIVE RAP'. That's as opposed to the dead variety, I presume.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Pleasure, Matt. Really enjoyed it, too. See you soon, Tx

Unknown said...
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