Insane Clown Posse @ Nottingham Rock City
I suppose I should be honoured, really. Tonight marks the ICPs first ever UK gig and, along with the six
hundred or so teenage juggalos in the house, we are prepared for a crazy, crazy night. Fortunately, I
arrived forewarned about what was to come, and so stood quietly at the back, pac-a-mac at the ready,
along with the rest of the normal world. Why? All will be revealed.
The White, American Rap Twosome by the name of Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope are to the circus what
a Gatling gun is to an abattoir; absolute fucking chaos. They are, supposedly, two clowns who are
hailing the coming of the 'Dark Carnival'. In reality, they're two people who throw Pepsi in to the
audience and swear a lot. Taking the stage (which has been pre-wrapped in cling film in readiness for
the stickiness that is to ensue) to a cacophony of off-key organ music, the two dreadlocked, made-up
clowns scream to the baying masses "FUCK YOU NOTTINGHAAAAAAAAAM" in a horrible American
drawl. Not bad for an opening gambit. The crowd go wild. And so do they. Mid -way through the first
song (The Great Milenko- a simple song about sleeping with fat women and killing people. As is most
of their material) they head to the back of the stage, past the Ape-man in a cage, to a large chest.
Inside.. Faygo pop. Cheap, American Root Beer. 99cents for two litres. Time for a drink already? Only if
you're in the audience. Bottles get poured, sprayed, fired or just plain thrown in to the seething, sticky
mass of dreadlocks and Nirvana T-shirts. What isn't poured over the gruesome twosome themselves,
that is. The kids love it. And they throw it back on stage in a kind of trench warfare that hasn't been
seen this side of 1945. And so it goes on. Ninety minutes of swearing and throwing coke in to the
audience. Nothing more, nothing less. This is carnage. And boy is it fun.
Six-hundred bottles (not a word of a lie) of Faygo later, the two have finally out-sworn themselves. But
that's not the end. No, no, they go out in a blaze of Faygo. For, with four hundred bottles still to
dispense of, they invite the crowd on stage to help them. No need for a second invitation. Did I say it
was carnage earlier? Strike that. THIS is carnage.
And that was it. The kids trudge home, sticking to the floor on the way, leaving behind puddles, nay
lakes, of Faygo on the floor and one hell of a mess everywhere else. How nobody got hurt I don't know,
but from my Faygo free vantage point it didn't seem to matter. They loved it. Final score?
Entertainment, ten, Musical talent, nil. They'll go far.
Dave
I remember it clearly. It was 1994. I was about 16 at the time. I had turned on the radio to listen to the
Evening Session and I was confronted by an unholy pop racket. It was fast spunky, poppy and yes, it
had a good beat,. For me, Caught By The Fuzz was the first song that made me leap around the room
like a twat. Four years on, I was beginning to think that my love affair with Supergrass was dying, to
the extent that I requested a divorce. But I was so wrong.
The T+C was packed, sold out in fact. I watched the support, Spacehog, from the bar. They were indie
rock in the tradition of Terrorvision or the Wildhearts, but not as good as either. Using every rock
cliché in the book (yes, even two back-to-back guitarists solo-ing!), they eventually managed to get the
crowd going. Not bad, but don’t forget boys, you should really use your penis rather than your
fretboard if you want to wank.
After a brief interlude of cartoons and ace 70’s adverts (Alvin Stardust
helping kids across the road, that sort of thing) the back drop falls and S8upergrass explode into
caught By The Fuzz. The crowd explodes and my heart melts. It’s love again. Sticking to a greatest hits
format, they play just about everything worth hearing. From a blistering Mansize Rooster (Ace) to a
lightning Sun hit’s The Sky (er ace!) Gaz + co. manage to chew up and spit out their history with
amazing power and energy. Even Gaz’s voice, always a weak point at live gigs, is spot on tonight.
Supergrass have never been better than they are now, and you should definitely give them another
chance. Oh, and Smith, Smith and Timms? You can cancel the divorce proceedings. Supergrass and
myself are still very much in love. (Bunny)
