Trouble broke out last night during The Outbursts' set at the Xmas-Punk-Rock-Til-You-Drop gig at the Hope & Anchor, recalling the days when young punk bands, such as the Stranglers and X-Ray Spex, dodged spit and beer glasses, playing in the same room to audiences of amphetamine and lager-fuelled teenagers. This, however, was grown men, mature musicians and music fans getting a little too carried away by the punk-Christmas-spirit of the occasion.
Not long into The Outbursts' set, some fairly good natured pogoing quickly developed into a bit of antagonistic argy-bargy, with members of 14 Carat Grapefruit being knocked around like pinballs by the Essex contingent who had clearly travelled to the gig to cause trouble. Where's Jimmy Pursey when you need him?
The tension built steadily during the performance but when the Outbursts' singer Ian Breslin's Persil-white bondage punk outfit was doused in red wine by one drunken member of the Trouble-Makers. This was the straw that broke The Outbursts' bass player's back. So, mid-song he calmly lifted off his bass, stepped down off the stage into the audience and made his way to the heart of the Trouble-Makers and lamped the culprit full in the face.
He then calmy returned to the business of making punk music, as if nothing had happened. Insults continued to fly between the band and the trouble-makers. Some further argy-bargy carried on, and looked like boiling over, until the Outbursts' bassman threatened to remove his instrument once again. This was enough to frighten the Trouble-Makers to retreat into a dark corner where they stood continuing to hurl harmless football terrace-style abuse, and to make jokes about red-red wine, until the end of the show.
'Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1977' declare The Outbursts on their MySpace page. They're not kidding.
More reviews and reportage from this excellent night of music, featuring The Stabilisers and 14 Carat Grapefruit, as well as news of the winners of the first ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP AWARDS 2009 in the next blogpost, coming shortly.
7 comments:
We need these sort of thrills in Surrey where there is too much of an obsession about Persil-white bondage !
Top night. The Outbursts bass player is possibly the coolest man on the planet.
Shame he lamped the wrong guy!
Marvelous!
Hmm.... dunno about cool, it was a little embarrassing to be told that I'd clumped the wrong bloke but video evidence may still prove otherwise so the jury is out.
Toby, I must admit i don't remember threatening to take my bass off to regain some order in the place, I just swapped basses mid song when I broke an E string, gawd bless Lem from 14CG for lending me his Warwick bass, a very nice bit of wood that ;o)
It may be neither big nor clever....but some fisticuffs down the front always makes for a better gig I've found...top marks all round!
Let this be a lesson to whoever: Never, ever try your luck with Matt the Bass. He's a big lad and you will lose the argument.
Simples.
Having reviewed all the video and photographic evidence at our disposal, it appears that there were 2 wine throwers and I just nailed one of them. Phew, I now feel a little better about the fisty-cuffs!!
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